This week’s mystery movie was the 1939 RKO picture That’s Right — You’re Wrong, with Kay Kyser, Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Lucille Ball, Dennis O’Keefe, Edward Everett Horton, Roscoe Karns, Moroni Olsen, Hobart Cavanaugh, and Kay Kyser’s Band, featuring Ginny Simms, Harry Babbitt, Sully Mason, Ish Kabibble and the College of Musical Knowledge.
Screenplay by William Conselman and James V. Kern.
Story by David Butler and William Conselman.
Photography by Russell Metty.
Visual effects by Vernon L. Walker.
Art direction by Van Nest Polglase and Carroll Clark.
Gowns by Edward Stevenson.
Set decorations by Darrell Silvera.
Recorded by Earl A. Wolcott.
Edited by Irene Morra.
Assistant director Fred A. Fleck.
Musical arrangements by George Dunning.
The Little Red Fox by James V. Kern, Lew Porter, Johnny Lange and Hy Heath.
Staged by Eddie Prinz.
Fit to Be Tied by Walter Donaldson.
The Answer Is Love, by Sam Stept and Charles Newman.
Happy Birthday to Love, by Dave Franklin.
Chatterbox by Jerome Brainin and Allan Roberts.
Produced and directed by David Butler.
Further information on That’s Right – You’re Wrong is available from the AFI Catalog.
That’s Right – You’re Wrong was commercially released on LaserDisc and VHS; never on DVD.
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What? Another movie musical? Another movie musical about Hollywood? Another movie musical about Hollywood with Adolphe Menjou as a studio executive? Only a year after The Goldwyn Follies???
Yes, I know. But Lucille Ball! And Ish Kabibble! And Edward Everett Horton! And location shots of the band at Union Station, which I wasn’t able to sneak in as a mystery photo. Also missing from the mystery movie lineup are May Robson and Roscoe Karns and future Los Angeles City Councilman Ernani Bernardi, who played in Kyser’s band.
I can’t imagine The New York Times cared in the least for this picture. Definitely “alphabet critics” material if it was reviewed at all….
Well! Bosley Crowther in his “alphabet critic days” gets the assignment (November 30, 1939):
The first cinematic semester of Professor Kay Kyser’s hitherto exclusively radioactive College of Musical Knowledge might have been a sprightlier spoof of Hollywood production methods than it is, and it might have been a more laborious and cumbersome one. The report card for RKO’s That’s Right — You’re Wrong, now at Loew’s Criterion, must be a cautious and conservative passing grade. Something should be counted in its favor for worthiness of aim; something should be counted off for a certain unfortunate tendency to scatter its comical fire. But nobody involved can be said actually to have flunked the course.
For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: I thought it would be fun to start the week with our leading man, heavily disguised. This is Kay Kyser, without his glasses or trademark cap and gown.
For “tricky Tuesday,” we have a tricky mystery guest!
So far, it’s impossible to identify which member of Kyser’s band is wearing all this makeup. Further research reveals that he’s not Ish Kabibble.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have two mysterious fellows.
Update: This is Hobart Cavanaugh, left, and Edward Everett Horton.
For “Aha” Thursday, we have a mysterious chap.
Update: This, however, is Ish Kabibble.
And we have a most enigmatic woman.
Update: This is Lucille Ball, blowing a kiss to her romantic gondolier before some physical comedy ensues.
Brain Trust roll call: Greg (Wednesday’s mystery man No. 2), Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery gents), All About Eve 1950 (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery guests) and Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
For Friday, we have a mysterious woman.
Update: This is Ginny Simms.
And a mystery man.
Update: This is Kay Kyser.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery guests), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast), Suz n chaz (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Christopher J. Boyle (mystery movie and Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (mystery movie, Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mysterious guests), Dan Nather (mystery movie, Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests) and Bruce Reznick (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Could that possibly be a young David Niven on Monday?
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An interesting guess!! But alas, I’m afraid not!!
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BROADWAY GONDOLIER. Rafael Alcayde Monday and William Gargan Tuesday.
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Edward Everett Horton in the striped coat on Wednesday. I’ll remember the mousey guys name later.
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can’t locate a gypsy character in the cast yet, but will guess “The Magnificent Dope” 1942
Monday – no guess yet
Tues – Henry Fonda
Wed – Hobart Cavanaugh and Edward Everett Horton
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That’s Right – You’re Wrong (1939)
Kay Kyser
Hobart Cavanaugh and Edward Everett Horton
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That’s Right – You’re Wrong (1939)
Kay Kyser
Hobart Cavanaugh and Edward Everett Horton
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I could be right about Hobart Cavanaugh, but I don’t think I’m wrong about Edward Everett Horton.
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Oh! And Merry Christmas!
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THAT’S RIGHT, YOU’RE WRONG. Kay Kyser Monday, M. A. Rogue Tuesday, and Hobart Cavanaugh and Edward Everett Horton today.
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m. A. Bogue and Lucille Ball.
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That’s Right – You’re Wrong (1939) w/Kay Kyser, Lucille Ball, Adolphe Menjou, Edward Everett Horton, May Robson, Hobart, Cavanaugh, Dennis O’Keefe, Roscoe Karns…
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It’s 2 a.m. and I woke up and figured out: “That’s Right, You’re Wrong” 1939, with Kay Kyser (Monday), Dennis O’Keefe???? (Tuesday), Hobart Cavanagh and Edward Everett Horton (Wednesday), Ish Kabibble and Lucille Ball
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That’s Right, You’re Wrong, Edward Everett Horton, Hobart Cavanaugh, Ish Kabibble, Lucille Ball
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“That’s Right, You’re Wrong” 1939
Monday – Kay Kyser (in his ‘Rodolpho the gondolier’ costume)
Tuesday – still puzzling over
Wednesday – Hobart Cavanaugh and Edward Everett Horton
Thursday – 1) Ish Kabibble (aka M.A. Bogue)
2) Lucille Ball (OS left is Kay Kyser)
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Had food poisoning yesterday.
Hobart Cavanaugh, Edward Everett Horton, Ish Kabibble and Lucille Ball.
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THAT’S RIGHT, YOU’RE WRONG (1939), first picture for Kay Kyser and orchestra.
That’s Kay himself on Monday.
Tuesday — Merwyn Bogue, better known as Ish Kabibble?
Wednesday — Hobart Kavanaugh and Edward Everett Horton
Today — definitely Ish Kabibble, and Lucille Ball
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I’d say Edward Everett Horton on W and Ish Kabibble on Th, so this is “That’s right, you’re wrong”, which might make that Th woman “Lucille Ball” and W man “Hobart Cavanaugh”
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Ginny Simms and away Kyser.
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THAT’S RIGHT, YOU’RE WRONG.
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Today must be Kay Kyser
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Friday – 1) Ginny Simms 2) Kay Kyser and the Kay Kyser Band
Fun puzzle. Looking forward to the Saturday breakdown.
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Ginny Simms and Kay Kyser.
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Ish Kabibble, aka Jim Carrey’s previous incarnation! PS Ish played Marineland in the 60s
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