This week’s mystery movie was the 1947 Universal picture Ivy, with Joan Fontaine, Patric Knowles, Herbert Marshall, Richard Ney, Sir Cedric Hardwick, Lucile Watson, Sara Allgood, Henry Stephenson, Rosalind Ivan, Lilian Fontaine, Molly Lamont, Una O’Connor, Isobel Elsom and Alan Napier.
Screenplay by Charles Bennett.
Based on the novel The Story of Ivy by Marie Belloc Lowndes.
Photographed by Russell Metty.
Art direction by Richard H. Riedel.
Miss Fontaine’s gowns by Orry Kelly.
Edited by Ralph Dawson.
Sound by Charles Felstead.
Technician William Hedgcock.
Orchestrations by David Tamkin.
Assistant director John F. Sherwood.
Set decorations by Russell A. Gausman and T.F. Offenbecker.
Hairstyles by Carmen Dirigo.
Special photography by David S. Horsley.
Music by Daniele Amfitheatrof.
Produced by William Cameron Menzies.
Directed by Sam Wood.
Further information on Ivy is available from the AFI catalog. I would also recommend James Curtis’ biography on Menzies, which covers the making of the film.
Ivy isn’t available from the usual sources, but can be located on the gray market. It aired once on TCM, in 2016 as part of the celebration of William Cameron Menzies.
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I picked Ivy by rummaging around in the trades and it’s unfortunate that the film is so difficult to see. Ivy is an unusual film. The settings are opulent and the look of the film is dark and moody; clearly Menzies’ designs.
I’m going to guess that Bosley Crowther hated the film.
No, it was TMP (Thomas M. Pryor?) New York Times, June 26, 1947:
One more characterization like that of Ivy Lexton and Joan Fontaine will have earned permanent possession of the title “the girl you love to hate.” For in the new film at Loew’s Criterion, called Ivy, Miss Fontaine plays a monstrous female with a guile that is nothing short of frightening. Her sweet, winning personality causes three men no end of emotional torture and even wins for her the affection of some females, who presumably should have seen right into her black heart. As Ivy Lexton, Miss Fontaine has sunk her teeth into a role that is nothing short of a tour de force. The script writers gallantly arranged for her to run the gamut of emotions and the wardrobe people provided a dazzling assortment of period gowns, some with a cleavage that is arresting….
…For all the imposing sets and costumes and the slick polish that this picture affords the eye, there are some dreadfully dull stretches in its hour and a half running time.
For Monday, we have a mystery fellow.
Update: This is Herbert Clifton.
For “Tricky Tuesday,” we have the mysterious leading lady, reading a magazine.
Update: Behind L’Illustration is Joan Fontaine.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have this brooding, morose chap. Of course, our leading lady (she of the big hats) is to blame for his emotional heartburn.
Update: This is Patric Knowles.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and both mystery guests), Jenny M. (mystery movie and both mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and both mystery guests) and Anne Papineau (mystery movie an both mystery guests).
Sylvia: Glad you enjoyed the magazine! Thanks for sharing!
For “Aha” Thursday, we have these mysterious women.
Update: This is Norma Varden, Lilian Fontaine and Lydia Bilbrook.
We also have this mysterious woman. She tells the leading lady her future.
Update: This is Una O’Connor.
And finally, a mysterious chap. The morose chap with the equally morose mustache is jealous of him.
Update: This is Richard Ney.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s morose fellow with the sad mustache), Jenny M. (Wednesday’s morose fellow), Floyd Thursby (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s morose mystery guest), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and all mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (Wednesday’s morose mystery guest), Blackwing Jenny (Wednesday’s morose mystery guest), Sheila (Wednesday’s mystery guest), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie), Anne Papineau (Wednesdays morose mystery fellow) and Megan and Thom (Wednesday’s morose mystery guest).
For Friday, we have our mysterious leading lady without her magazine!
Update: This is Herbert Marshall and Joan Fontaine.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mysterious fortune teller and mystery fellow), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery guests), Robert Morrissey (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery woman No. 1, Thursday’s mysterious fortune teller, Wednesday’s morose mustache fellow and Thursday’s mystery gent), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), Benito (Wednesday’s melancholy mustache and Thursday’s mysterious fortune teller), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mysterious fortune teller and mystery gent), Sheila (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery woman No. 1, mysterious fortune teller and mystery gent) and Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
IVY. Herbert Clifton Monday and Joan Fontaine today.
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Monday – Herbert Clifton
Tuesday – Joan Fontaine
Movie – Ivy
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IVY (1947)
Monday: Herbert Clifton
Tuesday: Joan Fontaine
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On Monday, Herbert Clifton in “Ivy.” On Tuesday, Joan Fontaine
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Looks like an Angela Lansbury hair do.
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No guess yet. Tuesday’s lady brings two questions:
Where on earth is she sitting? The BG clouds make it seem like she’s in the air, but the era of her outfit would cancel that (unless passenger flights on dirigibles started earlier than I thought.). Maybe she’s on a ship or a ferry, puffy clouds in the distance…? The curve to the BG wall kind of looks ‘boat-ish’ to me. Also, there would have been wicker deck chairs on a ferry or a ship. Hmmm
Item number 2 is the magazine. L’Illistration was fun to look up. I think our lady is only hiding her face from someone, but great to find that it was an actual publication. News of the world at the turn of the century (19th to 20th) keeping you informed (in French) with illustrations and photos.
Illustrations and photos of the insurrection happening in Macedonia.
Illustrations: The Pope, very ill, lying in bed and in a later issue the same Pope, deceased, surrounded by mourning Cardinals. Later issue, photos of the Pope’s funeral, later issue, the Cardinal most likely to be voted in as the new Pope, later issue, a photo of the same guy as Pope.
Illustrations of the new sports automobiles (none had rooftops), later issue, illustrations of the various head/hair coverings women devised for protecting hairdos when they rode in said new sports automobiles. What a hoot!
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Patric Knowles.
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Patric Knowles
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For Monday we have Herbert Clifton, for Tuesday Joan Fontaine, and Wednesday Patric Knowles. The movie is “Ivy.”
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Patric Knowles.
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Patric Knowles.
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Patric Knowles
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Patric Knowles…in “The Sisters”?
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Patric Knowles on Wednesday?
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Please add Bette Davis as the lady with hat. Film is THE SISTERS.
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Ivy
Herbert Clifton, Joan Fontaine, Patric Knowles
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STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!! The blonde is Joan Fontaine. The movie is IVY.
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Patric Knowles?
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Today’s guest is Patric Knowles.
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Our movie is Ivy with Herbert Clifton on Monday and Joan Fontaine on Tuesday. Today’s guests are Norma Vardon, Lilian Fontaine, Lydia Bilbrook, Una O’Connor, and Richard Ney.
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Moly Lamont, Rosalind Ivan, and Isabel Elsom, Una O’Connor, and Richard Ney.
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Norma Varden, Lillian Fontaine; Lydia Bilbrook; Una O’Connor; Richard Ney.
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Norma Varden, Lilian Fontaine and Lydia Bilbrook; Una O’Connor and Richard Ney
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Well….not too many films with both Norma Varden and Una O’Connor in them. Thanks to IMDb, I found this one: Ivy, from 1947. Patric Knowles’ and Richard Ney’s pics clinched the deal!
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Might these be the ladies of Ivy?
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I see Patric Knowles, Una
O’Connor…
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Isobel Elsom, Una O’Connor and Richard Ney.
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Norma Varden, Lucile Watson, Una O’Connor, Richard Ney in ‘Ivy’?
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Ivy (1947)
Mon – Herbert Clifton (in his final film role.)
Tue – Joan Fontaine (maybe reading about the doomed Pope, with illustrations; or viewing the photos of the mummy of Ramses II, all in French!)
Wed – Patrick Knowles
Thur – Norma Varden (with that famous look.) The lady in the middle is Ms Fontaine’s mother.
– though IMDb labels her as Sara Allgood, but Ms Allgood wouldn’t have been cast in this kind of upperclass role. Anyway, I found a ‘behind the scenes’ image of the Lady in the middle, wearing this outfit, and she’s called Lillian Fontaine. I’m not sure of woman #3. Maybe Lucille Watson? Or maybe Mary Forbes? I don’t think she’s Isobel Elsom, but…
Then the wonderful Una O’Connor. Great face.
Richard Ney, the doomed husband of Ivy.
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I’m late tuning in this week but could Hm Wednesday’s heart broken chap be John Boles in “Age of Innocence”?
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Mary Forbes, Norma Varden, and Elsa Peterson Wednesday, and Herbie Marshall and Joan F. today.
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Herbert Marshall and Joan Fontaine.
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Herbert Marshall and Joan Fontaine.
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Herbert Marshall and Joan Fontaine
This was fun. Interesting to learn that the novel behind this movie was written by the same author who wrote “The Lodger”. Murderous folk was his forte I guess.
Looking forward to your Saturday breakdown.
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Herbert Marshall and Joan Fontaine
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Eddie Muller showed this at the Film Noir Festival in Hollywood in either 2016 or 2017.
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