This week’s mystery movie was the 1956 Twentieth Century-Fox film The Lieutenant Wore Skirts, with Tom Ewell, Sheree North, Rita Moreno, Rick Jason, Les Tremayne, Alice Reinheart, Gregory Walcott and Jean Willes.
Screenplay by Albert Beich and Frank Tashlin.
Based on a story by Albert Beich.
Music by Cyril J. Mockridge.
Conducted by Lionel Newman.
Photographed by Leo Tover.
Art direction by Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller.
Set decoration by Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss.
Photographic effects by Ray Kellogg.
Edited by James B. Clark.
Wardrobe by Charles Le Maire.
Costumes by Travilla.
Rock Around the Island by Ken Darby.
Rock Around the Island sung by the Lancers.
Makeup by Ben Nye.
Hairstyles by Helen Turpin.
Sound by Clayton Ward and Harry M. Leonard.
Assistant director David Silver.
Cinemascope lenses by Bausch and Lomb.
Color by Deluxe.
Color consultant Leonard Doss.
Produced by Buddy Adler.
Directed by Frank Tashlin.
Further information on The Lieutenant Wore Skirts is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Lieutenant Wore Skirts is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
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I picked The Lieutenant Wore Skirts by going through the trades, as I’ve always enjoyed Tom Ewell. The Lieutenant Wore Skirts is one of those madcap light comedies they made about the military in the 1950s. My favorite moment comes in the scene between Ewell and Rita Moreno, in which she discovers he is a writer and that his wife is out of town. She says she’s seen a movie about a writer whose wife is out of town and gets involved with his upstairs neighbor. Ewell says: “I didn’t see that movie.”
We are in prime Bosley Crowther territory, but I’m guessing he may have fobbed it off on one of the “alphabet critics,” or dismissed it as harmless light entertainment.
Bosley it is! (The New York Times, January 12, 1956):
Tom Ewell, whose squirming performance as the afflicted husband in The Seven Year Itch marked him as highly potential for comedy conjugal roles, is back again being an itchy husband in The Lieutenant Wore Skirts. This Twentieth Century-Fox contrivance opened at the Roxy yesterday, along with a new Sonja Henie ice revue on the stage. Mr. Ewell is a hard-working comic who burrows right into a role, kicking up dirt with a flourish and making it look more lively than it is. That talent comes in quite handy in the performance of this film, for the simple fact is that Mr. Ewell doesn’t have very much to fling around.
For Monday, we have a very sleepy mystery guest.
Update: This sleepy fellow is Tom Ewell.
For Tuesday, we have a sleepy mystery woman.
Update: This sleepy blond is Jacqueline Fontaine.
Brain Trust roll call: Suznchaz (Monday’s mysterious sleeper), Sylvia (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery sleeper), B.J. Merholz (Monday’s mystery sleeper) and Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious sleeper).
For Wednesday, we have a mysterious officer.
Update: This is Alice Reinheart with Tom Ewell as Back of the Shoulder Guy.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie and both mysterious guests) and Stacia (Monday’s mysterious sleeper). Half-credit to Roget-L.A. (she’s in the movie, but in a different role) and Sylvia (she’s in the movie but in a different role).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a group of mysterious guests!
Update: This is, from left, Rick Jason, Leslie Parrish and Arthur Q. Bryan.
Also a mysterious woman.
Update: This is Rita Moreno.
Brain Trust roll call: Sylvia (Tuesday’s sleepy woman and Wednesday’s mysterious captain), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Incredible Inman (mystery movie and Monday’s sleeping mystery guest), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests) and Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mysterious captain).
For Friday, we have our mysterious leading man and leading lady.
Update: This Sheree North and Tom Ewell.
Brain Trust roll call: Roget-L.A. (Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests) and Stacia (mystery movie, Monday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Tom Ewell in “The Girl Can’t Help It”?
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Will the sleeper be John Hodiak when he wakes up?
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That would be interesting. A great guess. But alas….
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Looks like Tom Ewell to me.
Still on the hunt.
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The Lieutenant Wore Skirts 1956
Mon – Tom Ewell
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Tom Ewell
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Tom Ewell in The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956)
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Is our mystery guest Henry Daniell?
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An excellent guess! But alas….
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Tom Ewell and Jacqueline Fontaine in “The Lieutenant Wore Skirts”
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I really think the mystery sleeping guy for Monday is Tom Ewell but held off saying anything yesterday, hoping the Tuesday picture would help, but it didn’t! I’m still guessing Tom Ewell for Monday and will keep trying.
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Cleo Moore today?
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Sheree North in The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956)?
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I think Tuesday’s sleepyhead is Jean Willes.
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Okay, so Tuesday’s sleepyhead must be either Jacqueline Fontaine or Kathy Marlowe. I lean towards her being Jacqueline.
Wed – Alice Reinheart I think.
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Tom Ewell and Alice Reinheart in THE LIEUTENANT WORE SKIRTS.
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Monday’s mystery man is Tom Ewell, and I think the movie is “The Lieutenant Wore Skirts.”
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Alice Reinheart on Wednesday in The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956). Jean Willes on Tuesday?
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Scratch Tuesday’s guess of Jean Willes and replace it with Jacqueline Fontaine.
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On Wednesday, Alice Reinhart.
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Thank you again Aha Thursday — that’s Rita Moreno! This must be THE LIEUTENANT WORE SKIRTS so it’s Tom Ewell on Monday, Jean Willis on Tuesday, Janice Carroll Wednesday, Rick Jason and Sheree North on Thursday (with a still-a-mystery-to-me man in shadows on the right) and finally Rita Moreno for the second Thursday picture.
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Today I learned I don’t know the difference between Alice Reinheart and Janice Carroll!
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Rick Jason, Arthur Q. Bryan and Rita Moreno.
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Thur – #1 Rick Jason, Leslie Parrish, I think (using her real name, Marjorie Helen) and Arthur Q. Bryan (the original voice of Elmer Fudd)
#2 Rita Moreno
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Rick Jason and Leslie Parrish, plus Rita Moreno, in The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956)
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Fri – Sheree North and Tom Ewell
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THE LIEUTENANT WORE SKIRTS. Lee Tremayne Monday, Jacqueline Fontaine Tuesday, Alice Reinheart Wednesday, Rick Jason, Sheree North, and Rita Moreno Thursday, North and Ewell today.
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Sheree North and Tom Ewell.
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