This week’s mystery movie was the 1936 RKO film The Ex-Mrs. Bradford, with William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Gleason, Eric Blore, Robert Armstrong, Lila Lee, Grant Mitchell, Erin O’Brien-Moore, Ralph Morgan and Lucile Gleason.
Associate producer Edward Kaufman.
Screenplay by Anthony Veiller.
Story by James Edward Grant.
Photography by J. Roy Hunt.
Musical director Roy Webb.
Art direction by Van Nest Polglase, associate Perry Ferguson.
Gowns by Bernard Newman.
Set dressing by Darrell Silvera.
Recorded by John L. Cass.
Edited by Arthur Roberts.
Directed by Stephen Roberts.
Further information on The Ex-Mrs. Bradford is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
::
As usual, I picked The Ex-Mrs. Bradford by going through the trades and thought the casting looked very promising. The story, from our vantage point, is rather well-worn and involves numerous lowlifes and colorful characters, the suspicious police inspector, the funny butler, the battling (but only in a friendly way) amateur detective and his engaging and somewhat eccentric ex-wife. Fortunately, the archaic plot device of bringing all the suspects together for the denouement has happily gone away.
I’m guessing that we are in Andre Sennwald territory and that he gave the movie a passing grade.
Wrong! Frank S. Nugent gets the job and he views the film as a fairly close copy of The Thin Man, calling it “one of the year’s top-flight comedies.” (The New York Times, May 28, 1936):
Behind the entirely metaphoric petticoats of The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (at the Rivoli) hides the still nimble figure of The Thin Man, whose urbanity and flair for the ridiculous, two years after his cinematic passing, to exert a genial and salubrious effect upon matters matrimonial and mysterious. Of all the attempted copies of the justly celebrated William Powell-Myrna Loy comedy, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford comes closest to approximating its gayety, impudence and ability to entertain. It makes us wonder how Metro will fare with its sequel, tentatively called After the Thin Man, for the postscript — it would seem — already has been written.
For Monday, we have Mysterious Microscope Guy and Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is William Powell at the microscope and Eric Blore as Back of the Head Guy.
For “Tricky Tuesday,” we have a mysterious horse race fan.
Update: This is Grant Mitchell.
Brain Trust roll call: Stacia (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests), Dan Nather (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests), Greg (Monday’s mystery guests), Funky PhD (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests), Megan and Thom (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious guests), Anne Papineau (Monday’s mysterious microscoper), Benito (Monday’s mystery microscoper), Incredible Inman (Monday’s mysterious microscoper), B.J. Merholz (Monday’s mysterious microscoper), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast), Sylvia (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests) and Sarah (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guests).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious jockey and Back of the Back Guy.
Update: This is William Powell as Back of the Head Guy and Frankie Darro.
And we have this mysterious thug.
Update: This is Robert Armstrong.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mysterious race fan), Greg (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery race fan), Anne Papineau (mystery movie, Monday’s Back of the Head Guy and Tuesday’s mysterious racing fan), Sylvia (Tuesday’s mysterious racing fan), Dan Nather (Tuesday’s mystery race fan) and SuznChaz (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious detective – but you knew that.
Update: This is James Gleason.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery jockey, mysterious Back of the Head Guy and mystery thug), Chrisbo (mystery thug), Sylvia (mysterious jockey, mystery Back of the Head Guy and mysterious thug), Anne Papineau (mystery jockey and mysterious thug), Sarah (Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guy), Matt Berger (mysterious microscope guy) and Dan Nather (Wednesday’s mysterious jockey and mystery thug).
For Friday, we have a mysterious projectionist.
Update: This is Eric Blore.
We also have our mysterious leading man and mystery leading lady.
Update: This is William Powell and Jean Arthur.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mysterious detective), Sarah (Thursday’s mystery detective), Stacia (Tuesday’s Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia Edwards (Thursday’s mystery guest), Dan Nather (Thursday’s mystery guest) and Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mysterious investigator).
ladailymirror.com 
That’s Eric Blore and William Powell in THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD (1936)
LikeLike
I feel like going out on a limb today — Eric Blore and William Powell in THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD.
LikeLike
Eric Blore and William Powell?
LikeLike
Here’s a guess: Back of the head mystery guy: Eric Blore, and microscope man: William Powell. He had distinctive furrows in his forehead. The Ex-Mrs. Bradford?
LikeLike
william powell is microscope guy.
LikeLike
Eric Blore (Back of the Head Guy) and William Powell (Mysterious Microscope Guy) in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936)
LikeLike
Our mystery men are William Powell and, I think, Eric Blore. I think the movie may be The Ex-Mrs. Bradford.
LikeLike
THE EX. MRS. BRADFORD. Eric Blore as BOTH and WP
LikeLike
Sure looks like Wiliam Powell staring into a microscope.
LikeLike
Izzat Bill Powell scoping?
LikeLike
I think that’s William Powell at the microscope. Could this be “Star of Midnight”?
LikeLike
Could that be William Powell searching for some forensic evidence?
LikeLike
The Ex-Mrs Bradford (1936) w/William Powell, Eric Blore, Jean Arthur, James Gleason, Lila Lee, Robert Armstrong, Johnny Arthur, Grant Mitchell…
LikeLike
It worked!!!
Just for grins on a Monday, I’ll guess William Powell as the microscope guy.
LikeLike
The Ex-Mrs Bradford 1936
Mon – William Powell is indeed the microscope guy. Eric Blore is his “sometimes queasy” assistant and butler.
LikeLike
I’ll guess this is Eric Blore and William Powell in “The Ex-Mrs. Bradford.”
LikeLike
grant Mitchell behind the binoculars today.
LikeLike
Grant Mitchell makes the movie The Ex-Mrs. Bradford from 1936.
LikeLike
Grant Mitchell in “The Ex-Mrs. Bradford.” Back of Eric Blore on Monday.
LikeLike
Tue – Grant Mitchell , I think.
LikeLike
Grant Mitchell today. Why didn’t he ever play James Cagney’s father in a movie?
LikeLike
Eric Blore and William Powell in the Ex Mrs. Bradford (1936). Tuesday Grant Mitchell.
LikeLike
Frankie Darro and BOTH Powell, and Robert Armstrong.
LikeLike
Robert Armstrong as mysterious thug?
LikeLike
Wed – 1) Frankie Darro. Maybe our BOTHG is Dr. Bradford (Powell) again, preemptively giving our jockey the antidote to spider bites?? Not sure though.
2) Robert Armstrong
LikeLike
Frankie Darro and Robert Armstrong …
LikeLike
Tuesday’s gent is Grant Mitchell. Wednesday we have Frankie Darro and Robert Armstrong. I think the BOTBG is William Powell.
LikeLike
The man with the microscope gives me William Powell vibes. Perhaps one of the Philo Vance films?
LikeLike
Frankie Darro was easy to spot, but I almost missed Robert Armstrong. Can’t place BOTHG this time around.
LikeLike
James Gleason today. He wrote a play that he and Robert Armstrong performed in a few years earlier and they portrayed the characters on film. Too bad no Edna May Oliver in this.
LikeLike
Thursday’s mystery detective is James Gleason.
LikeLike
Tuesday is Grant Mitchell, Wednesday is Frankie Darro and Powell has his back to us, and the thug is Robert Armstrong, and Thursday is James Gleason! This movie has so many great character actors in it, I love it.
LikeLike
Thur – James Gleason
LikeLike
The one and only James Gleason.
LikeLike
James Gleason rocking the fedora.
LikeLike
Friday it’s Eric Blore, William Powell, and Jean Arthur.
LikeLike
Fri – 1). Eric Blore
2) William Powell and Jean Arthur
Fun mystery . Looking forward to the Saturday breakdown.
LikeLike
Mr. Blore again with wp and Jean Arthur.
LikeLike
The wind-up: Eric Blore at the projector, plus William Powell and Jean Arthur.
LikeLike
Eric Blore, W.P. again, and Jean Arthur, late of Carmel-by-the-Sea
LikeLike
Eric Blore on Thursday and William Powell on Friday suggest “The Ex Mrs. Bradford”.
LikeLike