This week’s mystery movie was the 1945 Columbia film A Thousand and One Nights, with Evelyn Keyes, Phil Silvers, Adele Jergens, Cornel Wilde, Dusty Anderson, Dennis Hoey, Philip Van Zandt, Gus Schilling, Nestor Paiva, Rex Ingram, Richard Hale and John Abbott.
Screenplay by Wilfrid H. Pettitt, Richard English and Jack Henley.
Original story by Wilfrid H. Pettitt.
Photography by Ray Rennahan.
Technicolor color director Natalie Kalmus.
Edited by Gene Havlick.
Art direction by Stephen Goosson and Rudolph Sternad.
Set decoration by Frank Tuttle.
Special effects by Lawrence W. Butler.
Process photography by Ray Cory.
Recording by Lambert Day.
Assistant director Rex Bailey.
Costumes by Jean Louis.
Makeup by Clay Campbell.
Hairstyles by Helen Hunt.
Musical score by Marlin Skiles.
Musical director M.W. Stoloff.
Assistant to the producer Norman Deming.
Produced by Samuel Bischoff.
Directed by Alfred E. Green.
Further information on A Thousand and One Nights is available from the AFI Catalog.
A Thousand and One Nights is available for streaming on Amazon.
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Continuing my exploration of other trade papers besides Harrison’s Reports, I picked A Thousand and One Nights from this write-up in Showmen’s Trade Review. It’s a light, entertaining bit of escapism, which is welcome these days.
I suspect Bosley Crowther dismissed this as a harmless bit of fluff and possibly handed it off to one of the “alphabet critics.”
Bosley it is, at age 40 sounding like an oldster frowning at bobby-soxers! (The New York Times, July 12, 1945):
A strictly bobby-socks version of the story of Aladdin and his lamp has been whipped up by Columbia in its gaudy A Thousand and One Nights, which came yesterday to Loew’s Criterion like a bolt out of a Sherman tank. There are no magic carpets in this one, no horses with sky-beating wings; there are just a lot of elegant females and a couple of gents who make colloquial gags. In other words, it’s a typical Hollywood harem-scare ’em film with the comedy cut to the fashion of the modern swoon-spooning school…. It will probably prove quite amusing to folks who go for slick chicks and “wolf” wit.
For Monday, we have a mysterious woman. And Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Adele Jergens and Cornel Wilde as Back of the Head Guy.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery guest and Back of the Turban Guy.
Update: This is Rex Ingram and Phil Silvers as Back of the Turban Guy.
Brain Trust roll call: Stacia (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious woman and Back of the Head Guy), Anne Papineau (mystery movie, mystery woman and Back of the Head Guy), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie, mystery woman and Back of the Head Guy) and Sylvia (mystery movie, mysterious woman and Back of the Head Guy).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Dennis Hoey.
Brain Trust roll call: Megan and Thom (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery woman and Back of the Head Guy), Sylvia (Tuesday’s mysterious giant and Back of the Turban Guy), Sarah (mystery movie, Monday’s Back of the Head Guy and Tuesday’s mysterious giant), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast), Funky PhD (Tuesday’s mysterious giant), Chrisbo (Tuesday’s mysterious giant), B.J. Merholz (Tuesday’s mysterious giant), Robert Morrissey (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and all mystery guests) and Anne Papineau (mysterious giant and Back of the Turban Guy).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Phil Silvers in oh, those glasses!
We also have this mysterious woman.
Update: This is Evelyn Keyes.
Brain Trust roll call: Chrisbo (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious woman), Funky PhD (mystery movie, Monday’s Back of the Head Guy and Wednesday’s mysterious guest), Suz n Chaz (mystery movie, Monday’s and Tuesday’s mysterious guests), Sylvia (Wednesday’s mystery guest), Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mystery guest), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery guest) and Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mysterious giant).
For Friday, we have a mysterious woman.
Update: This is Adele Jergens.
And a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Cornel Wilde, who “looks very foolish in an Oriental zoot suit,” Bosley says.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guest and Back of the Head Guy, Tuesday’s mysterious giant and Thursday’s mystery guests), Chrisbo (Thursday’s mystery guests), Boebert (mystery movie and Thursday’s mysterious fellow), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Benito (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery fellow), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie, Monday’s Back of the Head Guy and Thursday’s mysterious guests), Sylvia (Thursday’s mystery guests) and Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Oh gosh, it’s Adele Jergens! This must be A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS (1945) and I think the mystery back of the head belongs to Cornel Wilde. Total coincidence but I was watching RADAR SECRET SERVICE last Friday and even though this is in glorious Technicolor I recognized those eyes immediately.
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Cornel Wilde and Adele Jergens in “A Thousand and One Nights”
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Cornel Wilde, Adele Jergens, in A Thousand and One Nights.
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Virginia Mayo?
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A great guess! But alas….
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THE THIEF OF BAGDAD jon Justin and Jube Duprez Monday, Justin BOTH with Rex Ingram, and Milles Malleson tiday.
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Monday’s woman might be June Vincent, but I don’t know the movie.
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An excellent guess, but alas….
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A Thousand and One Nights 1945
Mon – Adele Jergens and BOTHG Cornel Wilde (would know those cheekbones anywhere)
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KISMET (1944)?
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Right era, but it’s another film…. All will become clear soon!
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Betty Hutton?
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An excellent guess, but no Betty this time around.
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Our movie is A Thousand and One Nights with Adele Jergens and Cornel Wilde as Side of the Head Guy.
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Tues – Rex Ingram as the giant and Phil Silvers as BOTTG.
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It’s *A Thousand and One Nights” (1942). Evelyn Keyes and Colonel Wilde on Monday, Red Ingram on Tuesday.
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A Thousand and One Nights (1945) w/Evelyn Keyes, Cornel Wilde, Adele Jergens, Rex Ingram, Phil Silvers, Dennis Hoey, Gus Schilling…
(Whatever you did, it worked. Hopefully, it will continue without any problems. Thanks)
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Monday’s woman is June Duprez. Tuesday’s mystery guest is Rex Ingram. Film is The Thief of Bagdad.
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June Duprez and Rex Ingram in The Thief of Bagdad?
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Rex Ingram roars in The Thief of Bagdad.
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Well, who knew? At the first glance of today’s photo, I thought “Thief of Bagdad.” But yesterday’s veiled lady is definitely NOT June Duprez, so off I went to IMDb, looking up the wonderful Rex Ingram. Lo and behold: he plays a giant in 1945’s A Thousand and One Nights. So yesterday’s lady is Adele Jergens?
Can’t wait to watch this one! Technicolor 40’s fantasy – thank you!
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Cornel Wilde, Adele Jergens and Rex Ingram in A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS.
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Phil Silvers and professional genie Rex Ingram, in a Technicolor “Eastern”
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A Thousand and One Nights, perhaps Adele Jergens Monday and Nestor Paiva Wednesday
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Ok, so it’s the other movie in which Rex Ingram played a genie: A Thousand and One Nights (1945). Monday’s veiled woman is Evelyn Keyes, and BOTH guy is Cornel Wilde. Not sure about Wednesday’s man: Dennis Hoey?
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A Thousand and One Nights with Adele Jergens, Cornel Wilde, Rex Ingram and I cannot wait for Phil Silvers wearing his glasses!
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Wednesday – Is that Dennis Hoey? I’ve only seen him as Inspector Lestrade. I think it’s him.
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“Hm Wednesday” features Dennis Hoey.
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Dennis Hoey.
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A THOUSAND AND ONE IGHTS. Cornel Wilde BOTH and Adele Jergens Monday, Gus Schilling BOTH and Rex Ingram Tuesdy, Nestor Paiva Wdnesday and Phil Silvers and Evelyn Keyes today.
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Phil Silvers and Evelyn Keyes
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Phil Silvers on Thursday in A Thousand and One Nights.
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Phil Silvers and Evelyn Keyes.
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Phil Silvers. Izzat A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS 1945?
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Phil Silvers and Evelyn Keyes in “A Thousand and One Nights” (1945). And I had a feeling that Monday’s Back of the Head Guy was Cornel Wilde.
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Thursday – Phil Silvers and Evelyn Keyes (genie)
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Phil Silvers and Evelyn Keyes
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Friday reveal day
Adele Jergens and Cornel Wilde
Fun
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adele jergens and cornel wilde.
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Adele and Cornel.
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Thursday looks like Phil Silvers, so I’m guessing this is “A Thousand and One Nights”
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Adele Jergens again and Cornel “The Great Sebastian” Wilde
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