This week’s mystery movie was the 1933 Twentieth Century picture Blood Money, with George Bancroft, Judith Anderson, Frances Dee, Chick Chandler, Blossom Seeley, Etienne Girardot and George Regas.
Associate producers William Goetz and Raymond Griffith.
Continuity by Hal Long.
Photographed by James Van Trees.
Art direction by Al D’Agostino.
Musical direction by Alfred Newman.
Edited by Lloyd Nosler.
A Darryl F. Zanuck production.
Written and directed by Rowland Brown.
Further information about Blood Money is available from the AFI Catalog.
The film is not commercially available and languishes in dreadful prints, like this one, in various corners of the Internet. It was shown at the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2019, when Mary Mallory reviewed it.
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I picked Blood Money after seeing a lobby card in someone’s collection. It’s interesting to read the reviews of the day, which are scorchingly negative. I’m going to guess that The New York Times shunned it….
Actually, no. Mordaunt Hall hated it (Nov. 16, 1933):
Such charming people as a Park Avenue girl who, besides being a kleptomaniac, revels in love affairs with criminals; a so-called nightclub hostess, an immaculately clad bank robber, a gangster who does not hesitate to order murder for a friend, and a popular bail bondsman are particeps criminis of Blood Money, the picture which breezed into the Rivoli yesterday.
This whimsical little tale of thievery, thuggery and attempted slaughter was mistaken for entertainment by Darryl Zanuck, who obviously thought that the part of Bill Bailey, the racketeering bail expert, would give George Bancroft an opportunity to shine once more on the screen. Perhaps there are cinema patrons who delight in such pavement plots, so long as they are touched up with occasional embraces between a pretty girl and a dyed-in-the-wool burglar.
For Monday, we have a mysterious woman.
Update: This is Theresa Harris.
For Tuesday, we have a dapper mystery guest. The leading man, Side of the Head Guy, has been cropped out for failure to provide sufficient mysteriousness and will appear Friday.
Update: For Friday, adding Side of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Kathlyn Williams and George Bancroft. Williams was born in 1879 and would have been in her 50s in this film. But the AFI Catalog lists her in the role.
Brain Trust roll call: Dan Nather (Monday’s mysterious maid), Howard Mandelbaum (Monday’s mysterious maid), Suznchaz (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious maid and mysterious leads), Mary Mallory (Monday’s mystery maid), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Monday’s maid of mystery), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and mysterious maid), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery maid), Megan and Thom (mystery movie and Monday’s maid of mystery), Bob Hansen (Monday’s mystery maid), Blackwing Jenny (Monday’s mystery maid), Benito (Monday’s mystery maid), Sheila (Monday’s maid of mystery) and Jenny M. (Monday’s enigmatic domestic).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have two mysterious woman of dubious reputation.
Update: Future TV star Lucille Ball is on the right. I accepted various identifications of her, including Adalyn Doyle or Noel Francis. Curiously enough, the woman identified as Lucille Ball doesn’t have her distinctive brassy voice. But again, this is an inferior print with sketchy audio.
Brain Trust roll call: Greg (Monday’s enigmatic domestic), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery guest), Anne Papineau (Tuesday’s dapper mysterious guest and Side of the Head Guy cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness), Sylvia E. (Tuesday’s mystery guest and Side of the Head Guy), Mike Hawks (Tuesday’s mystery guest), Dan Nather (mystery movie and mysterious director) and Harried Costumer (mystery movie and both mystery guests).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mysterious chanteuse.
Update: This is Blossom Seeley.
We also have this mystery woman.
Update: This is Judith Anderson.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s future TV star), Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s future TV star), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s future TV star), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guests) and Michael Lott (Monday’s mysterious guest).
For Friday, we have a mystery woman and our mystery lead.
Update: This is George Bancroft and Frances Dee, with Chick Chandler as Profile Guy.
And a better image of our mystery woman.
Update: And a slightly better shot of Frances Dee.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Incredibleinman (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest, Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2 and Thursday’s mystery guests), Dan Nather (Tuesday’s mystery guest, Wednesday’s mystery guests and Thursday’s mystery guest No. 1), Benito (Thursday’s mystery woman No. 2), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery women), Sheila (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery woman No. 2), Thom and Megan (Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests) and Roget-L.A. (mystery movie, Wednesday’s future TV star and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Theresa Harris in TORCH SINGER (1933).
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Theresa Harris.
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Theresa Harris in “Blood Money” (1933) starring Frances Dee and George Bancroft.
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Teresa Harris.
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Theresa Harris in “Blood Money”
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Juanita Moore
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Theresa Harris in BLOOD MONEY.
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Monday’s image shows Theresa Harris, a very talented actress born a little too early to have a big career in Hollywood.
Found her in a similar costume. It’s labeled as being from “Blood Money” 1933, but… that may or not be accurate.
Happy New Year!
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LOVE THY NEIGHBOR, since it takes place at New Year’s Eve.
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Today it’s “Blood Money” with Theresa Harris.
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It’s Theresa Harris on Monday. Don’t know the movie tho!
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Theresa Harris?
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Theresa Harris, the maid with snappy comebacks
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Theresa Harris?
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Theresa Harris
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BROADWAY THROUGH A KEYHOLE. Blossom Seeley today. And we have a poster of the right NRA on the wall, the National Recovery Act. We all should do our part, even today.
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Make that Texas Guinan.
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Is Monday’s mysterious woman Theresa Harris?
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Kathlyn Williams in BLOOD MONEY (1933).
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Mark A. Vieira says Tuesday’s dapper mystery guest is Sandra Shaw. Other sources claim Kathlyn Williams as Nightclub Woman Wearing Monocle. Am leaning toward’s Mark’s ID. BOTHG is portrayed by George Bancroft.
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Tuesday – Kathlyn Williams (I was unfamiliar with her name and with how big a star she was – game for just about anything.). The ‘cropped for lack of mysteriousness’ guy to screen right is George Bancroft.)
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Kathlyn Williams.
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I’m not sure of the actress, but I remember this scene from BLOOD MONEY (1933),
the last film written and directed by Rowland Brown.
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PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART with Ginger Rogers.
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Theresa Harris. I’m guessing it’s a 1930s role, but I don’t know the film. It doesn’t seem to be any of the maid roles pictured on her IMDB page, since the apron and collar details don’t quite match (and one of the people isn’t her!).
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P.S. Looks like it’s “Blood Money,” 1933; someone’s blog review with similar images came up when I searched “Theresa Harris 1930s maid.” Not sure if that’s cheating, but I never heard of the film before, so I only award myself points for recognizing Harris.
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P.P.S. Kathlyn Williams is the dapper lady.
P.P.P.S. I have never fully understood the rules of this game–I suspect others have already answered, but there is only one comment that shows in my browser.
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That’s Lucille Ball on the right on Wednesday and Whatshername on the left.
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Wednesday – lady on screen right is a very young Lucille Ball. She and the lady on screen left are paid dates to the boxing matches for the guy who’s missing in this photo, played by Chick Chandler. Snooping around I was going to guess that she’s Adalyn Doyle, but I found clearer images of Miss Doyle and that’s not her. So, here’s hoping that on Saturday, you can identify the lady on screen left. Will keep hunting though.
This is one wild story. Who knew that a tale about a bail bondsman could take such interesting turns.
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Lucille Ball at right.
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Dorothy Burgess on Wednesday?
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Adalyn Doyle, Lucille Ball.
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The actress for New Year’s Day is Teresa Harris… I don’t know the movie…
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On Thursday, Blossom Seeley and Dame Judith Anderson
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Terrible print. Couldn’t tell that was Kathlyn Williams, and I know her work back to Selig in 1909. BLOOD MONEY. (you could pull from my TCM Festival review before the pandemic). Kathlyn Williams Tuesday with probably George Bancroft out of frame, Noel Francis and Lucille Ball yesterday, and Blossom Seeley and Judith Anderson today. And once again, since everyone gives extraneous info, the right National Recovery Act eagle on the wall Tuesday, saying “We Do Our Part.”
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Thursday – The chanteuse is Blossom Seely. The rather serious future “Dame” is Judith Anderson.
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Blossom Seeley; Judith Anderson.
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I think the movie is 1933’s “Blood Money.” Theresa Harris on Monday, Lucille Ball on Wednesday, Blossom Seeley and Judith Anderson today.
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Okay, catch-up time:
Tuesday — Kathlyn Williams
Wednesday — Noel Francis (I think) and Lucille Ball (pretty sure)
Thursday — Blossom Seeley and Frances Dee
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Judith Anderson today?
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Blossom Seeley and Judith Anderson.
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Judith Anderson on Thursday, ‘Blood Money’?
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Our mystery guests from today are Blossom Seeley and Judith Anderson. The other guests are Lucille Ball and Adalyn Doyle, and Kathlyn Williams for Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively.
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Wednesday: a blonde Lucille Ball on the right | Thursday: Blossom Seeley and Judith Anderson | Mystery Movie: Blood Money (1933)
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George Bancroft and Frances Dee.
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George Bancroft Tuesday and today with Noel Francis, and Frances Dee.
There is an interesting chapter on Rowland Brown in Philippe Garnier’s excellent book, “Scoundrels and Spitballers.” He basically relayed his scripts orally to secretaries, but he knew how to tell a story, writing visually for talking pictures as Garnier said, often writing ending first.Zanuck rewrote the ending which Brown would not shoot.If he didn’t like endings, he walked away. Said “Blood
Money” was an “accumulation of little bits of business and throwaway scenes which ends up bringing half-a-dozen characters to life.” Story inconsequential; “tone is everything, playful and pleasantly hardboiled.” Critic Stephen Zito says of the film: “The film’s lack of sentiment and charity, its coldness, moral indifference, is what makes it appealingly modern today.” His brother in an interview says he burned his bridges, was blackballed for being anti-semitic which he wasn’t. He ended up playing himself out from hard living.
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George Bancroft, Frances Dee.
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Friday – image #1: George Bancroft and Frances Dee, with a teeny, tiny bit of profile of Chick Chandler on screen right (I think)
Image #2: Frances Dee
It’s been a hoot reading up on this mystery picture. Pre-code picture lines really covered amazing territory. Looking forward to the Saturday breakdown and finding out who Wednesday’s “other lady” is, sitting with Lucy. In your daily rundowns, it looks like a couple of people have identified her.
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George Bancroft, Frances Dee and Chick Chandler.
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George Bancroft is BOTHG on Tuesday, and finally today with Francis Dee.
I stand corrected Thursday’s mysterious lady #2. I guess I have to wait till tomorrow to find out who she really is!
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