This week’s mystery movie was the 1959 MGM film Watusi, with George Montgomery, Taina Elg, David Farrar, Rex Ingram, Dan Seymour, Robert Goodwin, Anthony M. Davis, Paul Thompson and Harold Dyrenforth.
Screenplay by James Clavell. Based on King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard.
Technicolor. Photography by Harold E. Wellman. Color consultant Charles K. Hagedon.
Art direction by William A. Horning and Malcolm Brown. Edited by William B. Gulick. Set decorations by Henry Grace and Otto Siegel. Special effects by Lee LeBlanc.
Assistant director William Shanks.
Associate producer Donald Zimbalist.
Recording by Franklin Milton. Hairstyles by Sydney Guilaroff. Makeup by William Tuttle. Swahili consultant Thomas Yangha.
Produced by Al Zimbalist.
Directed by Kurt Neumann.
More on the history of the film is available from the AFI catalog.
Watusi is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Videos.
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I picked Watusi to see if I could confirm Robert Goodwin (Jim-Jim in Watusi) as last week’s unidentified mystery fellow in Sudden Fear. He looks like a match. Otherwise, the film is mostly a retread of the 1950 King Solomon’s Mines, using quite a bit of footage from the earlier film.
Paging Bosley Crowther!
Alas, we have an alphabet soup critic (the previously unknown HHT) filling in (July 2, 1959):
A certain neighborhood movie theater in town — never mind which one — employs a woman prophet in the box office. Yesterday, an early morning phone call confirmed that a new double bill program was about to blanket Manhattan “One of ’ems The Mysterians, a science-fiction thing,” chirped the helpful voice on the other end of the wire. “The other one’s (a pause) Whatsit. Yeah, Whatsit,” she insisted, thereby improving on Watusi, which is no improvement on King Solomon’s Mines.
With a perfectly good ear of golden corn like the 1950 version ripe for re-release, it’s a mystery why Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has thrown together this rambling little remake of the H. Rider Haggard novel, which has George Montgomery, Taina Elg and David Farrar stalking through the tall grass.
For Monday, we have a mystery guest.
Update: This is Charles Swain.
For “Tricky Tuesday,” we have a mystery guest.
Update: This is Rex Ingram.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mystery guest and a mysterious snake.
Update: This is Robert Goodwin. Our mysterious snake is, as yet, unidentified.
Brain Trust roll call: Beach Gal (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guest) and Sylvia E. (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery guest).
Benito: You’re on the right track!
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mystery chap.
Update: This is David Farrar.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery fellow), Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery fellow), Benito (mystery movie, mysterious leading lady) and Beach Gal (Wednesday’s mystery fellow).
For Friday, we have this mystery woman. And Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Taina Elg, with George Montgomery as Back of the Head Guy.
And here’s our leading man, a bit worse for wear from spelunking.
Update: This is George Montgomery.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Jenny M. (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery fellow), Beach Gal (Monday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guest), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guest),
Incredibleinman (Close!) McDee (Close!) Barb E. (Close!)
ladailymirror.com 
Following!
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Our movie is Watusi (1959). Going to need some work time yet to figure our the actors.
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WATUSI. Charles Swain Monday and is this our friend Robert Goodwin today? David Farrar’s shorts aren’t as short as they are in BLACK NARCISSUS.
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Tues is Red Ingram as Chief Umbopa
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Oops, spellchecker nabbed Rex Ingram’s first name.
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I don’t see the first comment I made which was the name of our film being Watusi (1959).
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Guessing KING SOLOMON’S MINES 1950. Same hairdos, anyhoos
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Watusi (1959)
Tuesday’s guy (who I’ll search for now) is looking at OS George Mongomery and Taina Elg.
I see that Robert Goodwin is listed in the cast. Have you seen him? Or at least the guy we think it is?
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Ha! Looking at clips on TCM for Watusi and found Robert Lee Goodwin.
He’s Jim-Jim! I’m so happy that he has a credit!
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Watusi (1959)
Monday – still working on this guy
Tuesday – Rex Ingram (as Chief Umbopa)
Hoping that an image of Jim-Jim (Robert Goodwin) surfaces, too.
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Call Me Bwana (1963)?
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David Farrar in Watusi.
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So must Paul Thompson Tuesday, but the guy looks way too young. Robert Goodwin today.
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There he is. Several years after his really cute moment as the porter (during the match trick) in “Sudden Fear”, Robert Lee Goodwin’s got more cute moments and a credit as ‘Jim-Jim.’
I’m going to see if the snake has a stage name.
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So, WATUSI 1959, starring Taina Elg of LES GIRLS?
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Wed guest is Robert Goodwin
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I think Mon might be Anthony M. Davis
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Tuesday can’t be Rex Ingram because he’s too old, so it must be Anthony M. Davis. David Farrar today.
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Thurs we have David Farrar.
Is Monday Charles Swain possibly?
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Stewart Granger today? I’m guessing “King Solomon’s Mines.”
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Today: David Farrar in WATUSI (1959)
Wednesday: Robert Goodwin
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David Farrar in WATUSI.
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Thursday – David Farrar
No luck on a stage name for Wednesday’s snake (which I think is a python) but will continue to hunt.
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King Solomon’s Mines 1950 ?
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Is it the Stewart Granger version of King Solomon’s Mines?
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Taina Elg and George Montgomery. Why did you never use Dan Curtis or Rex Ingram?
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David Ferrar is the name I was trying to remember. AndTaina Elg…I had no idea she had made so many films. George M…Watusi…I tend to miss, as in not see, these films.
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Taina Elg; George Montgomery.
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Fri we have in #1 Taina Elgand in #2 George Montgomery
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Fri we have in #1 Taina Elgand in #2 George Montgomery
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Taina Elg and George Montgomery.
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Glad to see that someone guessed Monday’s guy.
Friday – Taina Elg and George Montgomery (as BOTHG and a front CU.)
This movie seems to have had a number of tragic events connected with the director during and after filming.
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A few months late, and many dollars short, my guess would be “Watusi” starring George Montgomery, Taina Elg, David Farrar, and Rex Ingram.
If I’m wrong, just chalk it up to being very out of practice. 🙂
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Rex Ingram was born in 1895. This gentleman looks younger.
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I just watched the sequence again. His character is addressed several times as Umbopa, played by Rex Ingram. That’s the best I can do.
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