This week’s mystery movie was the 1939 RKO picture The Great Man Votes, with John Barrymore, Peter Holden, Virginia Weidler, Donald MacBride and Katherine Alexander.
Screenplay by John Twist.
Story by Gordon Malherbe Hillman.
Musical score by Roy Webb.
Photography by Russell Metty.
Art direction by Van Nest Polglase and Albert D’Agostino.
Wardrobe by Renie.
Set decorations by Darrell Silvera.
Montage by Douglas Travers.
Recorded by Hugh McDowell Jr.
Edited by Jack Hively.
Assistant director Edward Donahue.
Directed by Garson Kanin.
Produced Cliff Reid.
Pandro S. Berman in charge of production.
Further information on The Great Man Votes is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Great Man Votes is available from Critics’ Choice Video.
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I picked The Great Man Votes by going through the trades and the theme seemed timely. Peter Holden (Parkhurst), the boy who plays John Barrymore’s son, Donald, is a wonderful actor; this is his only film, though he performed in 1938 on Broadway in On Borrowed Time. Robert Coleman, reviewing the play for the New York Daily Mirror, called Peter “The greatest juvenile actor of our time.”
In 1940, Peter’s mother, Grace Marie Parkhurst, was accused of disappearing with him during a custody dispute with her husband, Winthrop Parkhurst. According to the mother’s 1993 obituary, Peter Holden Parkhurst was living in Bryn Mawr, Penn. According to his online obituary, Peter Parkhurst died at Stanford Hospital in 2020 at the age of 89. He worked as an architect, artist and illustrated book jackets. He was also apparently a ham radio operator, licensed as W3YYA
I’m going to guess that Frank S. Nugent like the film. A risky guess, I know.
Bosley Crowther gets the assignment, writing as one of the “alphabet critics” (The New York Times, January 20, 1939):
Though it has little social significance and less than no grasp on reality, The Great Man Votes, at the Music Hall, is a picture with its heart in the right place. Engaging performances by John Barrymore as a widowed and erudite drunk of the Prohibition period, and by Peter Holden and Virginia Weidler as Barrymore’s precocious offspring who, though belligerently loyal, when the school bully refers to him as a “bum,” occasionally have misgivings about the old man, lift it now and again into charm, and pity, and tenderness.
For Monday, we have a mysterious lad.
Update: This is Peter Holden.
For “Tricky Tuesday,”we have two mysterious guests.
Update: This is John Barrymore, concealing his profile, and Luis Alberni.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious lad).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a pair of mysterious fellows.
Update: This is J.M. Kerrigan, left, and Donald MacBride.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Monday’s and Tuesday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Monday’s and Tuesday’s mystery guests), Dan Nather (mystery movie and Monday’s and Tuesday’s mystery guests) and Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious lad and Tuesday’s mysterious slouching man).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious child.
Update: This is Virginia Weidler.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery fellows), B.J. Merholz (Wednesday’s mystery fellow No. 2), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests, plus mysterious writer/director) and Dan Nather (Wednesday’s mystery guests).
For Friday, we have a mysterious woman.
Update: This is Katharine Alexander.
And our mysterious leading man.
Update: This is John Barrymore.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mysterious girl), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery girl), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mysterious girl), Sheila (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mysterious milkman and Wednesday’s mystery man No. 2), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and all mysterious guests), Dan Nather (Thursday’s mystery girl) and Matt Berger (Wednesday’s mystery man No. 2)
ladailymirror.com 
Peter Holden in THE GREAT MAN VOTES (1939).
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Bighearted Herbert (1934) with a child actor named Jay Ward…..playing Guy Kibbee’s son.
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A great guess — but I did “Big-Hearted Herbert” in February….
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Not George Winslow?
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An excellent guess! But it’s another mysterious lad.
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Definitely Luis Alberni on the right.
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John Barrymore, Luis Alberni.
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THE GREAT MAN VOTES. (Obviously he really didn’t this November). Peter Holden Monday and John Barrymore with Alberni today.
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Peter Holden, John Barrymore and Luis Alberni in THE GREAT MAN VOTES.
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THE GREAT MAN VOTES (1939)! One of John Barrymore’s last good movies.
Monday — Peter Holden
Tuesday — Barrymore (at left) and Luis Alberni.
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“The Great Man Votes”-Peter Holden is the kid and Tuesday’s slouching man is Jack Barrymore!
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j.m. Kerrigan and Donald MacBride.
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Donald (Incredulous) McBride
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J.M. Kerrigan and Donald MacBride.
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Wednesday’s guy #2 reminds me of Donald McBride, but not sure
Does Tuesday’s vehicle show the interior of a Good Humor truck cab?
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The Great Man Votes 1939
Mon – Peter Holden
Tues – John Barrymore and Luis Alberni is the milkman (grinned about the single bottle of milk he carries – just in case he’s ever questioned about his deliveries.). Will see if I can find anything on the kitten.
Wed – J.M. Kerrigan and Donald McBride
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Garson Kanin as director and writer! Amazing.
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J. M. Kerrigan and Donald McBride today.
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Virginia Weidler.
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Thursday – Virginia Weidler, I think. Movie sister of Monday’s kid.
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Virginia Weidler.
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Luis Alberni, Donald MacBride, ‘The Great Man Votes’?
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Hey, it’s “The Great Man Votes.” There’s a scowling Peter Holden, and John Barrymore no less with Luis Alberni playing a milk man, plus Virginia Weidler. I blanked on Wednesday’s co-stars.
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Virginia Weidler on Thursday.
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On Wednesday, I see Donald MacBride on the right. Not sure about the fellow on the left. On Thursday, that looks a lot like Tatum O’Neal in PAPER MOON.
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For Wednesday, Donald MacBride on the right, not sure on the left.
For Thursday, Tatum O’Neal in PAPER MOON?
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Katherine Alexander and John Barrymore.
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Friday – Katherine Alexander and John Barrymore
These images are both from that TCM clip of the sequence that I found so moving. What an incredible actor Mr. B. was.
Looking forward to the Saturday breakdown.
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I haven’t seen The Great Man Votes in many years, but I knew I’ve seen that Monday kid before.
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The Great Profile Votes.
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Katharine Alexander and John Barrymore.
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Katherine Alexander (be still, my heart) . . .
And the great John B. (who looks like me on my days off).
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