This week’s mystery movie was the 1935 MGM film The Winning Ticket, with Leo Carrillo, Louise Fazenda, Ted Healy, Irene Hervey, James Ellison, Luis Alberni, Purnell B. Pratt, Akim Tamiroff, Betty Jane Graham, Billy Watson, Johnny Indrisano and Ronald Fitzpatrick (per the credits Roland Fitzpatrick in the AFI Catalog and IMDB)
Screenplay by Ralph Spence and Richard Schayer.
From an original story by Robert Pirosh and George Seaton.
Recording by Douglas Shearer.
Art direction by Cedric Gibbons.
Associates David Townsend and Edwin B. Willis.
Edited by Hugh Wynn.
Directed by Charles F. Riesner.
Produced by Jack Cummings and Charles F. Riesner.
Further information on The Winning Ticket is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Winning Ticket has apparently never been released commercially but can be found on the gray market and certain corners of the Web.
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As usual, I picked The Winning Ticket by going through the trades. It’s a busy little comedy with lots of action.
I don’t imagine The New York Times cared for it. Mordaunt Hall? Frank S. Nugent? Who will it be?
Wrong! Andre Sennwald gets the detail (February 11, 1935):
Unless you are inspired, certain inevitable rules will have to be observed when you set out to compose a comedy about the sweepstakes: Fundamentally we are dealing with the emotion, which accompanies the poor man’s vision of sudden and unexpected wealth. So we begin, as in The Winning Ticket, with Joe the Barber, who buys a ticket to please a friend and promptly forgets about it. Now the frenetic excitement and suspense as the number progresses through the early drawings and at last comes from the ruck to win the $150,000 first prize. Ha! But where’s the ticket? Business of a hysterical family searching for the magic slip of paper.
Not being inspired, the brewmeisters of the new Astor picture have abided by the rules of the game. The Winning Ticket gallops about with appropriate desperation, managing, in its lightweight and rather predictable way, to be good enough fun…. The lady in the seat behind this patient reporter averred that she hadn’t laughed so hard in weeks. The customer is always right.
For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Buddy Harris.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious toddler.
Update: This is Ronald (Roland in the AFI Catalog and IMDB) Fitzpatrick.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious woman.
Update: This is Irene Hervey.
For “Aha Thursday,” we have two mysterious chaps.
Update: This is Luis Alberni, left, and Ted Healy.
For Friday, we have three mysterious guests.
Update: This is, from left, Leo Carrillo, Luis Alberni and Louise Fazenda.
Brain Trust roll call: Sarah (Thursday’s mystery gent No. 2), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Sylvia (Thursday’s mystery guest No. 1), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Sheila (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Dan Nather (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests) and Benito (Thursday’s mystery guest No. 2).
ladailymirror.com 
Scatman Crothers?
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An interesting guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Total shot in the dark — “Night Nurse.”
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An interesting guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Gloria Stuart?
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An interesting guess! But alas….
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Thursday’s mystery gent #2 is Ted Healy.
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THE WINNING TICKET. Ronald Fitzpatrick Tuesday, Irene Hervey Wednesday, and Luis Alberni and Ted Healy today. Maybe Buddy Harris tuesday.
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I think Thursday’s guy on screen left is Luis Alberni, but not positive. Will keep hunting.
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another shot in the dark: Tuesday’s toddler may be Payne B. Johnson
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Buddy Harris, Roland Fitzpatrick, Irene Hervey, Luis Alberni and Ted Healy in THE WINNING TICKET.
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Irene Hervey, Luis Alberni, Ted Healy in ‘The Winning Ticket’?
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Luis Alberni and Ted Healy today make this THE WINNING TICKET (1935).
That’s probably Irene Hervey on Wednesday, but the previous two I can’t place . . .
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Ted Healy today
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The Winning Ticket (1935).
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Leo Carrillo, Luis Alberni, and Louise Fazenda.
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The Winning Ticket (1935) w/Louise Fazenda, Ted Healy, Leo Carrillo, Roland Fitzpatrick, Billy Watson, Irene Hervey, Luis Alberni, Akim Tamiroff, Buddy Harris…
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The Winning Ticket 1935
Buddy Harris
Roland Fitzpatrick
Luis Alberni and Ted Healy
Irene Hervey
Leo Carrillo, Luis Alberni and Louise Fazenda
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The Winning Ticket (1935) – this was a tough one!
Monday is Buddy Harris, Tuesday must be Roland Fitzpatrick, Wednesday is apparently Irene Hervey who seems to have gone blonde for the role, Thursday is Luis Alberni and Ted Healy, Friday is Leo Carrillo, Alberni again and Louise Fazenda.
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Leo Carillo, Luis Alberni and Louise Fazenda.
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Leo Carrillo and Luis Alberni, so probably THE WINNING TICKET 1935
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