This week’s mystery movie was the 1955 picture The Desperate Hours, with Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin, Gig Young, Mary Murphy, Richard Eyer, Robert Middleton, Alan Reed, Bert Freed, Ray Collins, Whit Bissel and Ray Teal.
Screenplay by Joseph Hayes.
Adapted from the novel and play by Joseph Hayes.
Photographed by Lee Garmes.
Art direction by Hal Pereira and Joseph MacMillan Johnson.
Special photographic effects by John P. Fulton.
Process photography by Farciot Edouart.
Set decoration by Sam Comer and Grace Gregory.
Technical advisor Fred S. Fosler.
Edited by Robert Swink.
Second unit director John Waters.
Costumes by Edith Head.
Assistant director C.C. Coleman Jr.
Makeup by Wally Westmore.
Sound by Hugo Grenzbach and Winston Leverett.
Associate producer Robert Wyler.
Music score by Gail Kubik.
Produced and directed by William Wyler.
Further information about The Desperate Hours is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Desperate Hours is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Videos.
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I wrote a note to myself long ago that The Desperate Hours would be a good mystery movie, so I finally tracked it down. It’s an intense but predictable movie, in which Humphrey Bogart revisits Duke Mantee of Petrified Forest.
Did Bosley Crowther hate it? I’m sure he did. (Oct. 6, 1955):
Producer-director William Wyler has turned Joseph Hayes’ The Desperate Hours into a crafty and crackling screen thriller — in every respect, save one. That is the matter of making the behavior of the characters believable. The whole thing is brilliantly presented. It just doesn’t make too good sense.
For Monday, we have a mysterious lad.
Update: This is Richard Eyer.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery fellow and assorted mysterious companions.
Update: This is Ric Roman, center. The deputy on the left is Alan Reed, the voice of Fred Flintstone.
Note: I think this was a record for people ending up in the spam folder! My apologies to all for not acknowledging your correct guesses.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and mysterious lad), Lorenzo (mystery lad), Tim Doherty (mystery lad), Lorenzo (mystery movie and mysterious lad), Jenny M. (mysterious lad), Mike Hawks (mysterious lad), Greg (mystery movie and mysterious lad), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and mystery lad; you were right the first time. Follow those hunches!), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast) and Benito (mysterious lad).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have two mysterious fellows.
Update: This is Dewey Martin, left, and Joe Flynn.
Brain Trust roll call: Jenny M (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mystery hoodlum), Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s mystery hoodlum, mysterious deputy), Greg (Tuesday’s mysterious hoodlum) and Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery hoodlum).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have an assortment of law enforcement folks.
Update: This is Ray Teal, left, Whit Bissell, Arthur Kennedy and Bert Freed.
We also have this mysterious couple.
Update: This is Gig Young and Mary Murphy.
Brain Trust roll call: Jenny M. (Wednesday’s mystery fellows), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery fellows), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Benito (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mysterious man No. 1), Robert Morrissey (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mysterious fellows), Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mysterious driver) and Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
For Friday, we have these mystery guests.
Update: This is Robert Middleton, left, and Fredric March.
And these mystery guests.
Update: This is Humphrey Bogart and Martha Scott.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Floyd Thursby (mystery movie and Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Funky PhD (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery couple), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests and a nice bit of info about the film) and Thom and Megan (mystery movie and Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Richard Eyer in THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955).
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Appears to be Richard Eyer
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Richard Eyer?
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The tee shirt looks very similar to the shirt worn by today’s guest in The Desperate Hours.
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Richard Eyer in Slander.
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Rusty Hamer?
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Richard Eyer in SLANDER.
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Lanny Rees in A LIKELY STORY.
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I take back my first guess, Rusty Hamer, and substitute Richard Eyer.
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I will also venture a guess that the movie is “The Desperate Hours” from 1955.
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Pretty sure that the kid is Richard Eyer. He looks fairly young, so I’m going to guess “Invasion USA” 1952 as the picture. Considered “The Desperate Hours” 1955, because of the pattern on his shirt, but that film seems kinda late for him in this image.
Maybe both film guesses are wrong though. Will wait and see on your verdict.
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Jimmy Hunt!
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The Desperate Hours (1955) w/ Richard Eyer, Humphrey Bogart, Frederick March, Martha Scott, Arthur Kennedy, Gig Young…
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Richard Eyer? I’ve seen that little schmo before
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Ric Roman in The Desperate Hours (1955).
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Rick Roman, Don Haggerty (far right).
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Thuesday’s mystery fellow is Ric Roman.
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Maybe John Crawford in the center. No guesses on the others.
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Ric Roman in THE DESPERATE HOURS.
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Jimmy Hunt?
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Dewey Martin and Joe Flynn.
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Dewey Martin, Joe Flynn.
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Dewey Martin and Joe Flynn.
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Dewey Martin in THE DESPERATE HOURS 1955.
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Sure and Begorrah that looks like Barry Fitzgerald behind the wheel on Wednesday. Or have I fallen for your Blarney?
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There’s a young Joe Flynn, long before McHale’s Navy, so this might be The Desperate Hours, and the young man on his left would be Dewey Martin, up to no good.
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The kid’s Louis Lettieri(though he looks like Donna Corcoran’s twin)! And that’s Joe Flynn behind the wheel…so it’s The Desperate Hours.
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Switching movies
“The Desperate Hours” 1955
Monday – Richard Eyer
Tuesday – Ric Roman (I think) and profile to screen left is Alan Reed (the first Fred Flintstone voice)
Wednesday – Dewey Martin and Joe Flynn
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Ray Teal, Whit Bissell, Arthur Kennedy, Bert Freed.
Gig Young, Mary Murphy
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I have never seen this film. DESPERATE HOURS. Richard Eyer Monday, Ric Roman, Pat Flaherty, Simon Oakland Tuesday, Dewey Martin and Joe Flynn Wednesday, Ray Teal, Whit Bissell, Pat Hagerty, and Bert Freed, and Gig Young and Mary Murphy today.
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For Wednesday, we have Dewey Martin and Joe Flynn. For Thursday, Ray Teal, Whit Bissel, Arthur Kennedy, and Gig Young. The movie is “The Desperate Hours.”
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Thursday’s mysterious couple are Gig Young and Mary Murphy, making this “The Desperate Hours,” directed by William Wyler!
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Despite hours of desperate search I must concede defeat of this week’s challenge.
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Ray Teal, Whit Bissell, Arthur Kennedy, Bert Freed, Gig Young and Mary Murphy.
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Thursday
Ray Teal, Whit Bissell, Arthur Kennedy and Bert Freed
Gig Young and Mary Murphy
One of the fun things about this game is looking into other stuff about the films. With this one for instance, I learned about a lawsuit the Hill family brought against Life magazine (or was it Time). Anyway the family sued because the magazine did a pictorial piece that used the Broadway play stage actors posed inside the actual house to go over the events the play was based on. The family no longer lived in the house, but they said that they still suffered damage to their privacy because of the piece. The family was represented by none other than Richard M. Nixon! Ain’t it a small world.
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The movie this week was “The Desperate Hours” and Richard Eyer was the Monday guest. We remain uncertain about the Tuesday guest. On Wednesday we spotted Dewey Martin and Joe Flynn. Today the guests were Ray Teal, Whit Bissell, Arthur Kennedy and Bert Freed. In the second shot are Gig Young and Martha Scott.
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Arthur Kennedy on Thursday, Robert Middleton and Fredric March, Humphrey Bogart and Martha Scott today.
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Robert Middleton and Frederic March
Humphrey Bogart and Martha Scott
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Robert Middleton, Fredric March, Bogart and Martha Scott.
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Robert Middleton, Fredric March; Humphrey Bogart, Martha Scott.
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At 84 I have a hard time remembering names. But this is The Desparate Hours.
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