This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 Warner Bros. film Gold Is Where You Find It, with George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains, Margaret Lindsay, John Litel, Marcia Ralston, Barton MacLane, Tim Holt, Sidney Toler, Henry O’Neill, Willie Best, Robert McWade and George Hayes.
Screenplay by Warren Duff and Robert Buckner. From a Cosmopolitan Serial Story by Clements Ripley.
Music by Max Steiner.
Dialogue director Irving Rapper.
Photography by Sol Polito.
Edited by Clarence Kolster.
Technicolor advisor Allen M. Davey.
Art direction by Ted Smith.
Special effects by Byron Haskins.
Costumes by Milo Anderson.
Sound by E.A. Brown.
Musical director Leo F. Forbstein.
Technicolor color director Natalie Kalmus.
Cosmetician Perc Westmore.
Directed by Michael Curtiz.
Further information on the history of Gold Is Where You Find It is available from the AFI catalog.
Gold Is Where You Find It is available on DVD from Amazon.
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I picked Gold Is Where You Find It by going through the trades. It’s a somewhat predictable story, but beautifully photographed, though I’m not sure farmers – even wealthy ones – lived in such opulence.
I’m at a loss as to which New York Times critic reviewed the movie, but I suspect they generally praised it. Why it’s Frank S. Nugent (Feb. 14, 1938): And he did not approve of such Technicolor goings-on:
A moderately entertaining melodrama of the post-Civil War feud between ranchers and placer miners of California, Gold Is Where You Find It (at the Strand) has the added detraction of being made in Technicolor. It is one of the few pictures deserving that rebuke, for color, generally speaking, has been improving and taking its subordinately helpful place on the screen. Here it has got completely out of hand and has spoiled a narrative of intrinsic worth by its recurrent demand to pose pretty pictures. The lithographic fade-out of George Brent and Olivia de Havilland standing against a mountain sunset carried us back twenty years.
For Monday, we have a mystery fellow. Also Big Hat Guy.
Update: This is Willie Best with Claude Rains as Big Hat Guy.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Sidney Toler, out of his Charlie Chan makeup.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie, mystery guest and mysterious Big Hat Guy), Tim Doherty (Monday’s mystery guest), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest), Sylvia E. (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest and mysterious Big Hat Guy), Sheila (Monday’s mystery guest), Robert Morrissey (Monday’s mystery guest), Bob Hansen (Monday’s mystery guest), Jenny M. (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest and mysterious Big Hat Guy), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest and mysterious Big Hat Guy), Greg (Monday’s mystery guest), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guest), Matt Berger (Monday’s mysterious Big Hat Guy), Funky PhD (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest and mysterious Big Hat Guy) and Megan and Thom (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest and mysterious Big Hat Guy).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have two mysterious ladies.
Update: This is Margaret Lindsay, left, and Marcia Ralston.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Monday’s mysterious Big Hat Guy and Tuesday’s mystery tycoon), Floyd Thursby (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s mysterious tycoon), Sylvia E. (Tuesday’s mystery tycoon), Robert Morrissey (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious tycoon), Mike Hawks (Tuesday’s mystery tycoon), Bob Hansen (Tuesday’s mystery tycoon), Sheila (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mystery tycoon) and Greg (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious Big Hat Guy).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mysterious fellow.
Update: This is George Hayes, known as “Gabby.”
We also have this mystery chap and Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Barton MacLane with George Brent as Back of the Head Guy.
And finally, this mystery gent. With Big Floppy Hat Guy.
Update: This is Tim Holt with Claude Rains as Big Floppy Hat Guy.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery women), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery women), Sheila (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 1), Incredibleinman (mystery movie, Monday’s and Tuesday’s mystery guests and Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 1, Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery women), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery women), L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast) and Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mystery women).
For Friday, we have this mysterious fellow.
Update: This is John Litel.
We also have this mystery gent.
Update: This is Claude Rains.
Finally, our mystery leads.
Update: And this is George Brent and Olivia de Havilland in the final shot that “carried us back twenty years,” at least according to New York Times movie critic Frank S. Nugent.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guys), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guys), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guys), Megan and Thom (Tuesday’s mystery detective, Wednesday’s mystery women and Thursday’s mystery men), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guys) and Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Claude Rains, Willie Best
GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT (1938)
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Willie Best?
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Willie Best.
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Here in Oaxaca those hats are sold on every other stree corner. And as I see Two Mules in the bkgd I have to guess that they are for Sister Sara
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Sidney Toler.
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John Litel; Claude Rains; George Brent and Olivia de Havilland.
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Mon – “Gold is Where You Find It” 1938
Willie Best and Big Hat Guy, Claude Rains
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Willie Best?
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Well, it’s our old friend Willie Best, and we’ve got COLOR, and it’s in the mountains, with horses hitched to a rig…..Could it be 1947’s The Red Stallion?
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Willie Best on Monday, but I don’t know the movie!
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Willie Best
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Claude Rains and Willie Best in GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT.
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Claude Raines wearing straw hat in Gold is Where You Find It.
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GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT. With George Brent on Monday.
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Willie Best?
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Willie Best in “Gold is Where You Find It.”
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The gentleman on the right has a Stepin Fetchit vibe, but I do not think it is him. The gentleman on the left has a Claude Raines vibe, but I do not think it is him.
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Willie Best and Claude Rains in “Gold is Where you Find It?”
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One of our guests is Willie Best.
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We think our mystery movie is Gold is Where You Find It, with Claude Rains as our other guest.
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Must be Claude Rains Monday and Sidney Toler today.
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For Monday we have Willie Best; for Tuesday, Sidney Toler. The movie is “Gold Is Where You Find It.”
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Tues – Sidney Toler (I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without his Charley Chan makeup before.)
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A-HA!!! (#2….) Sidney Toler as someone other than Charlie Chan. And we have to go quite far back, to one of Warner Brothers’ first technicolor films: Gold Is Where You Find It (1938). Poor Mr. Rains is made to look like Mrs. Doubtfire in the poster.
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Sidney Toler.
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Tuesday’s guy is Sidney Toler.
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Sidney Toler, ‘Gold Is Where You Find It’?
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Is Claude Rains the Big Hat Guy in “Gold is Where You Find It”?
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Margaret Lindsay and Marcia Ralston.
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Margaret Lindsay, Marcia Ralston.
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Margaret Lindsay for Wednesday?
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Willie Best on Monday, Sidney Toler yesterday and Margaret Lindsay as one of today’s ladies, making this “Gold Is Where You Find It.”
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Wed – Margaret Lindsay and Marcia Ralston (I think).
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Margaret Lindsay and Marcia Ralston.
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I’m guessing REAP THE WILD WIND (1942), another movie I haven’t seen in a while. That’s Oscar Polk on Monday, and I believe that’s Raymond Massey in the big hat. I’m still puzzling out everybody else.
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John Marriott, I think. Don’t know this movie but if it is Mr. Marriott he played a crucial (although typically demeaning) couple of scenes in “The Little Foxes.”
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Gold Is Where You Find It (1938) Willie Best, Claude Rains, Sidney Toler, Margaret Lindsay, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent, Marcia Ralston, Barton MacLaine
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Margaret Lindsay and Marcia Ralston
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Gabby Hayes, Barton McLane with George Brent (BOTH), Tim Holt with Rains.
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Thur – George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Barton MacLane and BOTHG George Brent, Tim Holt and BOTHG/BFHG Claude Rains (I think).
This leaves George Brent and Olivia de Havilland for Friday.
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George ‘Gabby’ Hayes; Barton MacLane, George Brent; Tim Holt, Claude Rains.
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Tuesday’s Actor is Sidney Toler. Wednesday’s actors are Margaret Lindsay and Marcia Ralston. Today’s actors are George “Gabby” Hayes, Barton MacLane and Tim Holt.
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Gabby Hayes, Barton MacLane, George Brent, Tim Holt and Claude Rains.
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Clem Bevans
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George “Gabby” Hayes, Barton MacLane and Tim Holt
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John Litel, Claude Rains, George Brent, and Olivia DeHavilland.
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Friday – forgot to include John Litel (Nancy Drew’s movie Pop) in my prediction.
Looking forward to seeing the Saturday breakdown.
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John Litel, Claude Rains, George Brent and Olivia DeHavilland.
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John Litel, Claude Rains, George Brent (yay!) and Olivia de Havilland
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Weird seeing Marcia Ralston as a blonde
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