This week’s mystery movie was the 1938 MGM film Of Human Hearts, with Walter Huston, James Stewart, Gene Reynolds, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Charles Coburn, John Carradine, Ann Rutherford, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, Charley Grapewin, Leona Roberts, Gene Lockhart, Clem Bevans, Arthur Aylesworth, Sterling Holloway, Charles Peck, Robert McWade and Minor Watson.
Produced by John W. Considine Jr.
Screenplay by Bradbury Foote.
From the story Benefits Forgot by Honore Morrow.
Musical score by Herbert Stothart.
Recording by Douglas Shearer.
Art direction by Cedric Gibbons, Harry Oliver and Edwin B. Willis.
Wardrobe by Dolly Tree.
Photographed by Clyde De Vinna.
Technical advisor Charles Whittaker.
Montages by Slavko Vorkapich.
Edited by Frank E. Hull.
Further information on Of Human Hearts is available from the AFI Catalog.
Of Human Hearts is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
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I picked Of Human Hearts by going through the trades, where it got excellent reviews. It was my second choice after another film that had something like 60 screen captures uploaded to IMDB. There are many interesting details in the film. For example Walter Huston, as a preacher, serves a congregation where the men sit on one side of the sanctuary while the women sit on the other side. John Carradine’s heavy makeup as Abraham Lincoln made him an ideal mystery guest!
I’m going to guess that we are in Mordaunt Hall territory and that the film got a fairly good review.
Why it’s Frank S. Nugent, who liked the picture! (The New York Times, Feb. 18, 1938):
Out of Honore Morrow’s story Benefits Forgot; out of perceptive visualization of the life of a frontier family, out of the superb performances of Walter Huston, Beulah Bondi, James Stewart and a clear-eyed youngster, Gene Reynolds, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has wrought a strong and fine drama which it calls Of Human Hearts and which came quietly yesterday to the Capitol. Although a vaguely unsatisfactory ending mars its perfection, it remains a stirring bit of Americana, rugged, simple and heroic; a reminder of our national heritage; an expression of faith in the simpler virtues.
For Monday, we have a mysterious guest.
Update: This is John Carradine.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious lad.
Update: This is Gene Reynolds.
Brain Trust roll call: Jenny M. (Monday’s mysterious president).
For Wednesday, we have a mysterious soldier and a mysterious horse. Their companion has been cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness and will appear Friday.
For Friday, adding mysterious officer.
Update: This is Jack Mulhall, left, and James Stewart. Also Pilgrim, the horse.
We also have this enigmatic gent.
Update: This is Charles Coburn.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie and both mystery guests), Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie and both mystery guests), Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mystery lad), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and both mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and both mystery guests), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast) and Greg (mystery movie and both mystery guests).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a rustic mystery woman.
Update: This is Leona Roberts.
We also have this mysterious gent and mysterious dog. Also Side of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Sterling Holloway, left, and Charles Coburn.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Benito (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery gent No. 1), Lorenzo (mystery movie), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mysterious gent with mystery horse), Roget-L.A. (Wednesday’s mystery fellow No. 1), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Jenny M. (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious lad), and Megan and Thom (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
For Friday, we have a mysterious woman gazing out the window.
Update: This is Ann Rutherford.
We also have this mysterious woman.
Update: This is Beulah Bondi in an Oscar-nominated performance.
And this mystery man.
Update: This is Walter Huston.
Also this mysterious man.
Update: This is James Stewart.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery men), Blackwing Jenny (Thursday’s mystery men), Chrisbo (mystery movie and mysterious cast), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), Mark G. (mystery movie, Monday’s presidential impersonator and Thursday’s dog lover), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Dan Nather (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious presidential impersonator, Tuesday’s mystery lad, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mysterious guests), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests) and Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Thursday’s mysterious men).
How about Victor Kilian in ‘Virginia City’
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An excellent guess! Alas, this is a different impersonator of the great rail splitter from Illinois.
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John Carradine
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Frank McGlynn in THE LITTLEST REBEL.
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An excellent guess! But alas, this is yet another mysterious portrayer of the Great Emancipator.
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Frank McGlynn, Sr. ???
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John Carradine as Abraham Lincoln and Gene Reynolds in “Of Human Hearts.”
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”Of Human Hearts”! Gene Reynolds as young James Stewart, and John Carradine(!) as Abe.
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Gene Reynolds today.
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John Carradine and Gene Reynolds in OF HUMAN HEARTS (1938).
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PHANTOM PRESIDENT. Charles Middleton as Abe on Monday and Jerry Tucker today.
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John Carradine and Gene Reynolds in OF HUMAN HEARTS.
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Of Human Hearts (1938) w/John Carradine, Gene Reynolds, Walter Huston, James Stewart, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Ann Rutherford, Charles Coburn…
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My second guess for Monday’s Honest Abe is John Carradine in Of Human Hearts from 1938.
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Tuesday’s lad should be Gene Reynolds.
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Is that Jack Mulhall holding “Pilgrim the Horse”? I’m not sure. But that sure looks like Charles Coburn rocking a monocle.
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OF HUMAN HEARTS. John Carradine Monday, Reynolds Tuesday, Jack Mulhall and Charles Coburn today.
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Jack Mulhall; Charles Coburn.
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Charles Coburn, expert old coot, today. Guessing its OF HUMAN HEARTS 1938
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This week’s Mystery Movie….Of Human Hearts.
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Jack Mulhall.
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Wednesday’s enigmatic gent is Charles Coburn
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“Of Human Hearts” 1938
Monday – John Carradine w/OS James Stewart (ungrateful wretch of a son)
Tuesday – Gene Reynolds (child version of Mr Stewart’s character)
Wednesday – image 1, according to IMDb Jack Mulhall is the soldier holding Pilgrim the horse. But supposedly Ted Healy is somewhere in a scene, in this his last movie apparently. This guy ‘kinda’ looks like him. But I’ll go with IMDb and Mulhall. Hoping you’ll know for sure.
Image 2, Charles Coburn, the town doctor.
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Movie – Of Human Hearts
Tue – Gene Reynolds
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Our movie is Of Human Hearts, with Charles Coburn and, I think, Jack Mulhall for today. Monday’s and Tuesday’s guests are John Carradine and Gene Reynolds respectively.
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Jack talking to Huston out of frame Wednesday. LBeulah Bondi, Sterling Holloway, and Coburn side of the head.
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Charles Coburn and Sterling Holloway.
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Of Human Hearts. John Carradine, Charles Coburn, Beulah Bondi, Sterling Holloway
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Of Human Hearts.
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Thursday’s gent with a dog is Sterling Holloway, making our movie 1938’s “Of Human Hearts” and meaning Monday’s guest is John Carradine as Honest Abe.
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Leona Roberts, Sterling Holloway and Charles Coburn.
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The presence of Charles Coburn and the Civil War atmosphere leads me to think this is OF HUMAN HEARTS (1938). I think that’s Leona Roberts and definitely Sterling Holloway today. (Man, Holloway seemed to be everywhere back in the ’30s!)
With John Carradine as Abraham Lincoln (another actor who got around!). And the soldier leading the horse is Jack Mulhall. Don’t know who the kid is yet . . .
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Thursday – #1 Leona Roberts
#2 Sterling Holloway with the dog and Charles Coburn in profile
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Tuesday’s child is Gene Reynolds.
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Thursday: Beulah Bondi (?), Sterling Holloway, and Charles Coburn in Of Human Hearts (1938)
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Sorry I”m late … on Thursday, Leona Roberts and Sterling Holloway, and on Friday, Ann Rutherford, Beulah Bondi, Walter Huston and James Stewart.
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Leona roberts Thursday, Ann Rutherford, Beulah Bondi, Walter Huston, and Jimmy Stewart.
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Friday – Ann Rutherford, Beulah Bondi, Walter Huston and James Stewart.
Looking forward to the Saturday breakdown.
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Ann Rutherford, Beulah Bondi, Walter Huston and James Stewart.
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