
This week’s mystery movie was the 1950 Twentieth Century-Fox picture When Willie Comes Marching Home, with Dan Dailey, Corinne Calvet, Colleen Townsend, William Demarest, James Lydon, Lloyd Corrigan and Evelyn Varden.
Screenplay by Mary Loos and Richard Sale, based on a story by Sy Gomberg.
Music by Alfred Newman.
Orchestration by Edward Powell.
Photographed by Leo Tover.
Art direction by Lyle Wheeler and Chester Gore.
Set decorations by Thomas Little and Bruce Macdonald.
Edited by James B. Clark.
Wardrobe by Charles Le Maire.
Costumes by Travilla.
Dances staged by Kenny Williams.
Makeup by Ben Nye.
Special photographic effects by Fred Sersen.
Sound by Eugene Grossman and Roger Heman.
Produced by Fred Kohlmar.
Directed by John Ford.
Further information on When Willie Comes Marching Home is available from the AFI Catalog.
When Willie Comes Marching Home is available on DVD from Amazon.
::
A laugh riot? Directed by John Ford? That’s good enough for me. When Willie Comes Marching Home is the sort of “humor in uniform” movie that the studios made immediately after World War II. It’s an amiable film with a lot of clowning by Dan Dailey and good support from William Demarest and company.
I expect Bosley Crowther to either dismiss the film as harmless fluff (which it is) or fob it off on one of the “alphabet critics.”
Actually, Bosley Crowther liked it! (The New York Times, Feb. 18, 1950):
That ageless object of derision, the humble soldier who gets pushed around and trapped in all sorts of bleak embarrassments through the blundering of his superiors, comes in for another cheerful kidding — and another pat of sympathy too — in Twentieth Century-Fox’s highly humorous When Willie Comes Marching Home. With Dan Dailey playing the soldier and with John Ford directing the march, this new item at the Roxy is one of the winter’s most bright delights and joys.

For Monday, we have a mystery woman and a mysterious piece of equipment.
Update: This is Ann Codee.

For “Tricky Tuesday,” our mysterious leading man has some very merry mystery companions.
Update: This is Dan Daily with a hat pulled over his head – a ruse by the French resistance to disguise him from the Nazis.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (Monday’s mystery woman) and L.C. (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery woman and mysterious cast).

For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious woman with a mysterious firearm.
Update: This is Corinne Calvet and a Luger.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mysterious leading man).

For “Aha Thursday,” we have these mysterious folks.
Update: This is, from left, Mae Marsh, Jimmy Lydon and Charles Halton.

And these mysterious people.
Update: This is William Demarest and Evelyn Varden.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Earl Boebert (Wednesday’s mysterious pistol) and Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery woman).

For Friday, we have our mysterious leading man (without a hat mashed over his head) and leading lady.
Update: This is Dan Dailey and Colleen Townsend.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mysterious guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Suznchaz mystery movie, Tricky Tuesday’s mystery man and Thursday’s mystery men), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia (mystery movie, mysterious director and all mystery guests), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests) and Benito (mystery movie, Wednesday’s mystery woman and Thursday’s mystery man No. 3).
Ann Codee in Paris After Dark.
LikeLike
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) w/Ann Codee (filming a rocket blasting off), Corrine Calvet, Dan Dailey, Colleen Townsend, William Demarest, Evelyn Varden, Jimmy Lydon, Lloyd Corrigan…
LikeLike
No! When Willie Comes Marching Home.
LikeLike
Ann Codee, Dan Dailey.
LikeLike
Hoping that Thursday is more revealing.
Right now only the feeling of a 1950s “behind the enemy lines”, maybe somewhere in Eastern (or Western) Europe, spy/wartime picture with guys who can play the accordion, comes through for me. No guess.
Of course Howard and L.C. got it right off. They’re amazing!
LikeLike
Corinne Calvert.
LikeLike
I will join what I am sure will be a large chorus telling you that Wednesday’s mystery firearm is a Luger, which makes the movie probably about a WWII resistance movement somewhere.
LikeLike
ROPE OF SAND. Ida Moore Monday, Corinna Calvet Tuesday and today.
LikeLike
Burt Lancaster Tuesday and John Bromfield today too. Ida Moore Monday.
LikeLike
WHEN WILLIE COMES MARCHING HOME. Ann codee Monday, Dan Dailey in hat with Hank Mann, Heinie Conklin, and Vera Miles, Paul Picerni with Calvet, Mae Marsh, Jimmy Lydon, and Charles Halton, and Hank Worden, William Demarest, and Evelyn Varden.
LikeLike
Mae Marsh, James Lydon, Charles Halton; William Demarest, Evelyn Varden.
LikeLike
James Lydon, William Demarest, Dan Dailey (with hat obscuring his face) in WHEN WILLIE COMES MARCHING HOME (1950).
LikeLike
Corinne Calvert, Mae Marsh, Charles Halton, Jimmy Lydon and William Demarest in WHEN WILLIE COMES MARCHING HOME.
LikeLike
When Willie Comes Marching Home – 1950
Director – John Ford
(looks like it won the Oscar for Best Writing Screenplay)
Mon – Ann Codee (loved her as the matron of the orphanage in “Daddy Longlegs”. I didn’t recognize her until today)
Tues – Dan Dailey (behind enemy lines in German occupied France)
Wed – Corrinne Calvet
Thurs – Jimmy Lydon, Mae Marsh and Charles Halton in image 1. William Demarest and Evelyn Varden
That leaves Colleen Townsend and Dan Dailey for Friday
LikeLike
Jimmy Lydon, Charles Halton, William Demarest and others in When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950)
LikeLike
Corinne Calvet and Wm Demarest in WHEN WILLIE CAME MARCHING HOME 1950. They were also in WHAT PRICE GLORY?
LikeLike
Dan Dailey, Colleen Townsend.
LikeLike
Dan Dailey and Colleen Townsend.
LikeLike