This week’s mystery movie was the 1936 Warner Bros. film The Green Pastures, A Fable by Marc Connelly.
With Rex Ingram, Oscar Polk, Eddie Anderson, Frank Wilson, George Reed, Abraham Gleaves, Myrtle Anderson, Al Stokes, Edna M. Harris, James Fuller, George Randol, Ida Forsyne, Ray Martin, Chas. Andrews, Dudley Dickerson, Jimmy Burress, William Cumby, George Reed, Ivory Williams, David Bethea, Ernest Whitman, Reginald Henderson, Slim Thompson and Clinton Rosamond.
Suggested by Roark Bradford’s Southern Sketches Ol’ Man Adam An’ His Chillun.
With the Hall Johnson Choir. Choral music arranged and conducted by Hall Johnson.
Directed by Marc Connelly and William Keighley.
Photographed by Hal Mohr.
Art direction by Allen Saalburg and Stanley Fleischer.
Edited by George Amy.
Special photographic effects by Fred Jackman.
Further information on The Green Pastures is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Green Pastures is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
Ben Parman’s 2017 essay on The Green Pastures is here.
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As usual, I picked The Green Pastures by going through the trades. I chose it because I knew nothing about it, because it had a large all-Black cast and because it was produced by a major studio. And because there were very few screen caps on IMDB, always a challenge in picking a mystery movie. It’s an intriguing film in many ways: the large cast of actors usually seen in small, subordinate roles, often as porters and maids, the excellent music and the reinterpretations of familiar Bible stories.
Because The Green Pastures originated on Broadway (with Edna Mae Harris and William Cumby in the original 1931 cast and the 1935 revival) I’m going to guess that The New York Times (probably Mordaunt Hall?) gave it a good review. The script is here, via Archive.org.
Aha! Bosley Crowther reviewed it in his days as an “alphabet critic.” (July 17, 1936):
The disturbance in and around the Music Hall yesterday was the noise of shuffling queues in Sixth Avenue and the sound of motion-picture critics dancing in the street. The occasion was the coming at last to the screen of Marc Connelly’s naive, ludicrous, sublime and heartbreaking masterpiece of American folk drama, The Green Pastures. And the direct exciting cause was the fact that no profane hands have been allowed, in the worlds of the Second Cleaning Angel, to “gold up” its marvelous and unforgettable felicities. It still has the rough beauty of homespun, the irresistible compulsion of simple faith.
Indicating that mankind is made in the image of God, Rex Ingram was double cast as Adam and De Lawd. Note: The character is The Lord in the Broadway production.
For Monday, we have a mysterious couple.
Update: This is James Fuller and Edna Mae Harris. There are better shots from this scene, but they are plastered all over the Internet.
For Tuesday, we have two mysterious men.
Update: This is Frank Wilson, left, as Moses, and David Bethea as Aaron.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious fellow and a couple of lively mystery companions.
Update: This is William Cumby.
Brain Trust roll call: B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), Dan Nather (mystery movie) and Megan and Thom (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery woman).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious guest and a mystery bird.
Update: This is Eddie Anderson.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie).
For Friday, we have two mysterious fellows.
Update: This is Rex Ingram, left, and Oscar Polk.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Suznchaz (mystery movie, Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and Monday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests) and Dan Nather (Thursday’s mysterious sea captain).
ladailymirror.com 
Nat “King” Cole and Eartha Kitt in St. Louis Blues?
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An excellent guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Bill Robinson
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An excellent guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Could be a couple shepherds on green pastures.
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All right, I’m gonna do it . . . GREEN PASTURES (1936).
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Our movie is The Green Pastures with Edna Mae Harris. (I tried to send this earlier, but I don’t know if it worked.)
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The Green Pastures.
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THE GREEN ACRES. Myrtle Anderson and James Fuller Monday, Duke Upshaw and John Alexander Tuesday, Billy Cumby, Louise Price, and Charlotte Sneed Wednesday, and Eddie “Rochester” Anderson today.
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“Green Pastures” (1936) with Al Stokes as Cain and Edna Mae Harris as Zeba for Monday. Wednesday is Shem (Ray Martin) and the dove.
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The Green Pastures 1936
a few of months ago I looked up this movie for some reason. I would have sworn it was for the mystery movie – but no (Maybe looking up the other work of a mystery person, who was in a mystery movie???)
Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson as Noah for today.
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OK, Thursday I know . . . Eddie Anderson as Noah.
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Monday – Edna Mae Harris and James Fuller. OS is Rex Ingram
I’m not sure about Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday is Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson
That leaves Rex Ingram and maybe Oscar Polk for Friday.
I’m glad you chose this film. I’d heard about it and as earlier reported, had delved into it because of a previous mystery movie that had Mr. Ingram in the cast. There’s a TV version of the story too. In that article I mentioned, the cast really enjoyed having an opportunity to work with fully realized characters (sometimes multiple characters) and not the usual parts they had to perform in. The Hall Johnson Choir is wonderful.
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Hazarding a guess at Wednesday’s ‘good time’ guy. Is he Billy Cumby?
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Rex Ingram and Oscar Polk … it’s “Green Pastures.” Duh. Started to watch it yesterday … to no avail. It’s been raining a lot.
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I had to watch the movie again last night to get the actors straight:
Monday — James Fuller and Edna M Harris as Cain the Sixth and Zeba
Tuesday — Frank Wilson and David Bethea as Moses and Aaron
Wednesday — William Cumby as the King of Babylon (don’t know the women with him)
Thursday — Eddie Anderson as Noah
Friday — Rex Ingram as “de Lawd” and Oscar Polk as Gabriel
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It’s The Green Pastures! I’ve been threatening to guess that since Wednesday but kept talking myself out of it.
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Let the fish fry proceed!
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Rex Ingram, Rochester in GREEN PASTURES.
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Rex Ingram (the actor not the director) and Oscar Polk.
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This looks like an Oscar Micheaux movie that I haven’t seen. Can’t wait for the reveal!
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