This week’s mystery movie was the 1950 film Three Secrets, with Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal, Ruth Roman, Frank Lovejoy, Leif Erickson, Ted de Corsia, Edmon Ryan, Larry Keating, Katherine Warren and Arthur Franz.
Written by Martin Rackin and Gina Kaus.
Photographed by Sid Hickox.
Art direction by Charles H. Clarke.
Edited by Thomas Reilly.
Sound by Charles Lang.
Dialogue director Anthony Jowitt.
Set decoration by Fred M. MacLean.
Special effects by William McGann and Edwin DuPar.
Wardrobe by Leah Rhodes.
Makeup by Perc Westmore.
Orchestrations by Maurice de Packh.
Original music by David Buttolph.
A United States Pictures production.
Produced by Milton Sperling.
Directed by Robert Wise.
Further information on Three Secrets is available from the AFI Catalog.
Three Secrets is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
::
I picked Three Secrets by going through the trades and I was intrigued by the inspiration from the Kathy Fiscus case, and I was curious about how it treated adoption as it was in 1950. I follow a number of adoptees on social media and their attitudes toward closed adoption (which is portrayed here) are most illuminating.
I’ll guess that The New York Times skipped Three Secrets or fobbed it off on one of the “alphabet critics.”
No, it was Bosley Crowther himself, who somewhat liked it (October 21, 1950):
The plight of a 5-year-old boy stranded on a California mountain top as sole survivor of a plane wreck in which his foster parents have been killed is the circumstance which brings together the separate dramas of three women’s lives in Warner Bros.’ Three Secrets, the new picture at the Strand. And although it is incidental to the rather mawkish stories of the dames, this desperate situation of the youngster makes for the affecting drama in the film.
That is because the whole rendition of anxiety over the lad and of organizing a rescue party of climbers to go fetch him from the perilous peak has been done with superior understanding and pictorial naturalness by director Robert Wise.
For Monday, we have a mysterious lad.
Update: This is Duncan Richardson.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery woman and Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Frances E. Williams with Edmon Ryan as Back of the Head Guy.
For Wednesday, we have a mystery woman and Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Nana Bryant as the stern head of the adoption agency, with Edmon Ryan again Back of the Head Guy.
For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Willard Waterman.
And this enigmatic gent.
Update: This is Frank Lovejoy.
And finally, this mysterious chap.
Update: This is Ted de Corsia in a much larger role than usual.
Brain Trust roll call: Stacia (mystery movie and all mysterious guests) and Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests).
For Friday, we have three mysterious women.
Update: This is, from front, Ruth Roman, Patricia Neal and Eleanor Parker.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mysterious guests and Back of the Head Guy), Diane Ely (Thursday’s mystery men Nos. 1 and 2), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast), Lorenzo (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery man No. 2), Sylvia (mystery movie and all mysterious guests, mystery director and peering into the future to see Friday’s mystery women) and Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Dean Stockwell?
LikeLike
An excellent guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
I’ll guess Rusty Hamer.
LikeLike
An excellent guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
William Talman today?
LikeLike
Alas, Mr. Burger is not with us this week.
LikeLike
Is Tuesday’s actress Amanda Randolph? I don’t know the movie.
LikeLike
An excellent guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t believe that’s not the back of Bing Crosby’s tupe.
LikeLike
That’s two votes for Bing Crosby. But alas….
LikeLike
and alack.
LikeLike
Van Heflin on Tuesday? That boy’s face haunts me (a little), as if he grew up to be a movie star.
LikeLike
Wednesday is Nana Bryant — she was in IF I HAD MY WAY (1940) co-starring El Brendel. My El Brendel fascination comes in handy yet again!
I think this must be THREE SECRETS (1950), so the kid on Monday is Duncan Richardson, and the woman on Tuesday is Frances E. Williams, who was in about half the shows I watched on TV as a kid. Back Of Head Guy is a mystery to me but I’ll guess Frank Lovejoy based on his need for an intense conditioning treatment.
LikeLike
Edmon Ryan, Frances E. Williams, Nana Bryant in THREE SECTETS.
LikeLike
THREE SECRETS. Tuesday Margaret Bert with Edmon Ryan BOTH, Patricia Warren with Ryan BOTH, Willard Waterman, Frank Lovejoy, and Ted de Corsia. With Arthur Franz, a recurring character. Many silent veterans.
LikeLike
Oops, Frances E. Williams Tuesday.
LikeLike
Willard Waterman on the phone and Frank Lovejoy as the enigmatic gent.
LikeLike
Three Secrets (1950) w/Duncan Richardson, Patricia Neal, Ruth Roman, Eleanor Parker, Frank Lovejoy, Willard Waterman, Larry Keating, Ted de Corsia, Leif Erickson …
LikeLike
Seeing Willard Waterman here is my wild guess….the movie is “The Three Secrets.”
LikeLike
Three Secrets 1950
Directed by Robert Wise
Mon – Duncan Richardson
Tues – Frances E. Williams. I think the BOTHG is Edmon Ryan
Wed – Edmon Ryan as BOTHG again. I think the woman is Nana Bryant, but I’m not sure
Thurs – Willard Waterman, Frank Lovejoy and Ted de Corsia (I think)
Friday will bring our three ‘possible’ Moms.
LikeLike
Edmon Ryan, Margaret Bert, Nana Bryant, Frank Lovejoy and Ted De Corsia in THREE SECRETS.
LikeLike
Ruth Roman, Patricia Neal, and Eleanor Parker.
LikeLike
Ruth Roman, Patricia Neal, and Eleanor Parker in Three Secrets (1950)
LikeLike
Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker and Ruth Roman.
LikeLike
On Thursday, I see Frank Lovejoy and Ted DeCorsia, though I could not tell you in which film(s) they are.
LikeLike
I didn’t know anything about Frances Williams. She was a hellva woman! Great life lived…
LikeLike
Absolutely…. That’s one of things I enjoy about the mystery movies: discovering new people!
LikeLike