This week’s mystery movie was the 1949 film Black Magic, with Orson Welles, Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff, Frank Latimore, Valentina Cortese, Margot Grahame, Stephen Bekassy, Berry Kroeger, Gregory Gay (later Gaye) and Raymond Burr.
Screenplay by Charles Bennett. Additional scenes and dialogue by Richard Schayer. Based on Alexandre Dumas’ Cagliostro, from Memoirs of a Physician.
Musical score by Paul Sawtell.
Photography by Ubaldo Arata and Anchise Brizzi.
Art direction by Jean d’Eaubonne and Ottavio Scotti. Set decoration by Gino Brosio.
Costumes by Georges Annenkoff and Nino Novarese.
Associate producer Dario Sabatello. Production assistant Jerome Cappi.
Edited by James McKay and Fred Feitshans.
Sound by Rolf Epstein and Peter Handford.
Sound effects by Frank Cleverly.
Director of production Dr. Giorgio Papi.
Assistant director Arrigo Colombo. Makeup by Don Cash.
Produced and directed by Gregory Ratoff.
Black Magic is available on Blu-ray from Critics’ Choice Videos.
More on the history of the film is available from the AFI catalog.
::
I picked Black Magic out of curiosity. I’d never heard of the film and it looked interesting. It’s a wild plot and it’s easy to see why it appealed to Welles. He loved to do magic tricks and there’s a lot of hypnotism and hocus-pocus throughout the film. It’s quite interesting visually and the print is nice and sharp.
I’m going to guess Bosley Crowther hated it for no other reason that he was Bosley Crowther….
Sorry, it was fobbed off on one of the alphabet soup critics: T.M.P. (probably Thomas M. Pryor) Nov. 9, 1949:
Black Magic is quite a bundle of intrigue with plus, sprawling and lavishly appointed sets reflecting the splendor of the court of Louis XV. Gregory Ratoff took a company of people to Rome to make the historical adventure for producer Edward Small, but although Mr. Ratoff has directed the story in a way to exploit its pictorial color and excitement he is pretty much hamstrung by a wandering and cliche-ridden script.
For Monday, we have a mystery lad and a mysterious companion.
Update: This is Annielo Mele and Tamara Shayne.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery couple plus rather bored attendants.
Update: This is Robert Atkins and Margot Grahame.
Brain trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have this mysterious gent.
Update: This is Stephen Bekassy.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (Tuesday’s mystery guests).
For “Aha Thursday,” Wednesday’s mystery fellow has some mysterious companions.
Update: This is Akim Tamiroff, left, Gregory Gay (late Gaye), center, and Stephen Bekassy.
We also have this mystery fellow.
Update: This is Raymond Burr.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery lad, Tuesday’s mystery king of France and Wednesday’s cruel viscount), Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s cruel viscount), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mystery woman and Wednesday’s mysterious cruel viscount) and Robert Morrissey (mystery movie and mysterious lead).
For Friday, we have our mystery leading man and a mysterious companion.
Update: This is Valentina Cortese and Orson Welles.
We also have our mysterious leading man and another mysterious companion.
Update: This is Nancy Guild and Orson Welles.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mystery woman and Thursday’s mystery gents), Jenny M. (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery gents Nos. 1 and 4), Beach Gal (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests and in absentia due to Cinecon, Friday’s mystery guests), Sheila (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery woman, Thursday’s mystery gents Nos. 1, 2 and 4), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guests, Tuesday’s mystery woman, Wednesday’s evil mystery viscount, Thursday’s evil mystery viscount and monster movie co-star), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Thursday’s monster movie co-star), L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Gary (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery fellow No. 1), McDee (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery guests Nos. 1 and 4), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and all mystery guests) and Benito (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery guests Nos. 1 and 4, Friday’s mysterious leading man).
ladailymirror.com 
Annielo Mele and Tamara Shayne in “Black Magic”
LikeLike
A highlight of my Monday – and of course I’ve seen the actress before, but…..clueless here!
LikeLike
Thanks for reading!!
LikeLike
On Tuesday, Robert Atkins and Margot Grahame
LikeLike
Our mystery man for today is Montagu Love.
LikeLike
Alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
a-HA!! I remember staying up to watch this flawed but VERY engrossing movie a few years ago: Orson Welles’ Black Magic.
LikeLike
Eleanor Parker?
LikeLike
Alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
BLACK MAGIC. Annielo Mele and Valentina Cortese Monday, Robert Atkins and Nancy Guild Tuesday, and Stephan Bekassy today.
LikeLike
On Wednesday, Stephen Bekassy
LikeLike
I believe it’s the ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’. The extras I can’t identify.
LikeLike
Margot Grahame from Tuesday and today Stephen Bekassy in BLACK MAGIC.
LikeLike
I can’t help thinking that Tuesday on the left is Mel Brooks in “History of the World”, but I know I am wrong.
LikeLike
Tatyana Pavlova Monday, Margot Grahame Tuesday, and Akim Tamiroff, Gregory Gaye (Tuesday priest as well?), Frank Latimore, and Raymond Burr.
LikeLike
Akim Tamiroff and Raymond Burr in Black Magic.
LikeLike
Our movie is Black Magic (’49)
Monday – Annielo Mele & Tamara Shayne
Wed – Stephen Bekassy
Thurs #1 photo – Akim Tamiroff
Thurs #2 photo – Raymond Burr
LikeLike
Thurs photo #2 right is Stephen Bekassy and center is Gregory Gaye
LikeLike
Oops, above should be photo #1, not #2
LikeLike
Tues – Margot Grahame and Robert Atkins
LikeLike
On Thursday, Akim Tamiroff, Gregory Gaye and Raymond Burr
LikeLike
Your black magic befuddled me all week but enough is enough!
LikeLike
Akim Tamiroff, Gregory Gaye, Stephen Bekassy and Raymond Burr. Off to cinecon later today so I will fill in the stars for tomorrow. Orson Welles and Nancy Guild.
LikeLike
I see Akim Tamiroff and whatsizname.
LikeLike
‘Black Magic’, Tamara Shayne, Gregory Gaye, Akim Tamiroff, Raymond Burr?
LikeLike
“Black Magic”
Mon – Valentina Cortese or Tamara Shayne, Annielo Mele
Tues – Gregory Gage, Nancy Guild or Margot Graham, Frank Latimore
Wed – Stephen Bekassy
Thurs – Stephen Bekassy, Raymond Burr
LikeLike
Raymond Burr in Black Magic (1949)
LikeLike
Black Magic (1949) w/Orson Welles, Akim Tamiroff, Raymond Burr, Valentina Cortese, Nancy Guild, Frank Latimore, Berry Kroeger…
LikeLike
Black Magic 1949 – on Tuesday, couldn’t quite lock in on this picture, though it came up with my search description.
Mon – I think the boy is Annielo Mele and the woman, Tamara Shayne (wife of Akim Tamiroff.)
Tuesday – I think Robert Atkins and Margot Grahame
Wednesday – Stephen Bekassy (because of IMdb and your rundown thus-far and his description as “cruel viscount”)
Thursday – the “Aha! day” Akim Tamiroff in the FG and the guys behind him are Stephen Bekassy again and Gregory Gaye (they look like evil twins.)
Image #2 brings Raymond Burr as Dumas fis, listening to O.S. Dumas pere telling the story of Caliostro (who will show up tomorrow – all grown up and angrily set on revenge.)
Did you pick this picture because like “Sudden Fear” it has a spooky, floating disembodied eyes in it?
LikeLike
A little more research I ‘ve decided on Black Magic from the Dumas novel.
LikeLike
Oops, I should have put Stephan Bekassy again for today.
LikeLike
For Thursday Akim Tamiroff and Raymond Burr. Black Magic from 1949
LikeLike
Monday: Annielo Mele, Tamara Shayne in BLACK MAGIC (1949)
Tuesday: Robert Atkins, Margot Grahame
Wednesday: Stephen Bekassy
Thursday: Akim Tamiroff, Gregory Gaye, Stephen Bekassy; Raymond Burr
LikeLike
Akim Tamiroff and a jovial Raymond Burr in BLACK MAGIC 1949. Calling Orson!
LikeLike
Friday – Valentina Cortese and Orson Welles in image 1/ Nancy Guild and Mr Welles in image 2
LikeLike
For Fri photo #1 Valentina Cortese with Orson Welles
Fri – photo #2 Orson Welles and Nancy Guild
LikeLike
Must be Akim Tamiroff’s wife Tamara Shayne Monday, with Mr. Welles today with Valentina Cortese first and Nancy Guild second.
LikeLike
Nancy Guild, Orson Welles
LikeLike
Valentina Cortese, Orson Welles
O.W. & Nancy Guild
LikeLike
You don’t have everyone’s answers up yet with everything else.
LikeLike