This week’s mystery movie was the 1957 MGM film Lizzie, with Eleanor Parker, Richard Boone, Joan Blondell, Hugo Haas, Ric Roman, Dorothy Arnold, John Reach, Marion Ross and Johnny Mathis.
Screenplay by Mel Dinelli.
Based on the novel The Bird’s Nest by Shirley Jackson.
Music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens.
It’s Not for Me to Say by Albert Stillman and Robert Allen. Warm and Tender by Hal David and Burt P. Bacharach.
Associate producer Edward Lewis.
In charge of production Barney Briskin.
Photography by Paul Ivano.
Art direction by Rudi Feld.
Edited by Leon Barsha.
Assistant director Leon Chooluck.
Set decorations by Darrell Silvera.
Sound by Jack Solomon.
Makeup by Frank McCoy.
Hairstyles by Helene Parrish.
Men’s wardrobe by Norman Martien.
Ladies’ wardrobe by Sabine Manela.
Prop master Irving Sindler.
Produced by Jerry Bresler.
Directed by Hugo Haas.
Further information on Lizzie is available from the AFI Catalog.
Lizzie is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
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Moving from brain surgery movies and altered personalities, I landed on an adjacent subject: Personality changes without brain surgery, through psychiatry and hypnotism. According to the AFI Catalog, Lizzie’s producers sued Twentieth Century-Fox to delay The Three Faces of Eve because of the films’ similarities. Fox delayed production until early 1957. Lizzie was released in April 1957, The Three Faces of Eve was released in September 1957, with Bosley Crowther noting the similarities in his review of Three Faces of Eve. Bosley disliked Lizzie (The New York Times, April 5, 1957) rather a lot:It is a capricious woman Eleanor Parker plays in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Lizzie, which came to the Mayfair yesterday. At the start, she’s a drear and mousy creature, living modestly with her sottish aunt and working by day in a museum. Elizabeth is her name. Then she sits down before her mirror and bells and sirens begin to sound. First thing, she’s painting her lips scarlet, piling her hair on the top of her head and going out to a bar with a sluttish swagger to find herself a man. Now she calls herself Lizzie. She is quite a mess when in this state…. It is a foolish and generally tedious film.
For Monday, we have a mysterious girl and Back of the Head Woman.
Update: This is Carol Wells with Dorothy Arnold as Back of the Head Woman.
For “Tricky Tuesday,” we have our mysterious leads in the shadows.
Update: This is Eleanor Parker and Richard Boone.
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious person.
Update: This is Hugo Haas, who also directed.
And we have this mystery woman.
Update: This is Joan Blondell.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie and all mysterious guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious girl and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Megan and Thom (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious girl and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Greg (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious girl and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Sarah (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mystery woman and Wednesday’s mysterious lounge singer), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast), Stacia (mystery movie and all mysterious guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery girl, Tuesday’s mysterious woman and Wednesday’s mystery lounge singer), Lorenzo (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mysterious lounge singer), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mysterious lounge singer) and Sylvia (mystery movie and all mysterious guests).
For Friday, we have a mystery woman and Back of the Head Woman.
Update: This is Marion Ross, left, and Eleanor Parker as Back of the Head Woman.
We also have a mystery man and mysterious woman.
Update: This is Richard Boone and Eleanor Parker.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Monday’s Back of the Head Woman and Thursday’s mystery guests), Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Thursday’s mysterious guests), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia (Thursday’s mysterious guests and mystery song), Michael Lott (Wednesday’s mysterious lounge singer), Mark G. (mystery movie, Wednesday’s mysterious lounge singer and Thursday’s mystery woman) and B.J. Merholz (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Is Back of the Head Lady Margaret Rutherford?
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Alas, Miss Marple does not appear in our mysterious movie….
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A bad scene of a birthday party in “Lizzie,” featuring Carol Wells confronting Dorothy Arnold.
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Is Tuesday Eleanor Parker?
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Bette Davis in a dark mood.
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Monday’s unhappy teen is Carol Wells in a bad scene of a birthday party confronting her mother, played by Dorothy Arnold. Our film is “Lizzie,” and there is more than one Lizzie in this. I believe Tuesday’s Lizzie is Eleanor Parker. Is that Richard Boone behind her, as a helpful physician? Lizzie can use some help.
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LIZZIE. Karen Green and Joan Blondell BOTH monday, Eleanor Parker and Richard Boone yesterday, and Johnny Mathis today.
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Our movie is Lizzie with Johnny Mathis for today, Eleanor Parker and presumably Richard Boone for Tuesday. I think the Back of the Head Lady is Joan Blondell with Carol Wells..
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Monday is Carole Wells and, possibly, Joan Blondell.
Tuesday’s shadow people are Eleanor Parker and Richard Boone.
Chances are that Johnny Mathis is the guest star on Wednesday.
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It’s Lizzie, with Karen Green, Joan Blondell, Eleanor Parker, and Johnny Mathis.
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Lizzie (1957) w/Eleanor Parker, Richard Boone, Joan Blondell, Karen Green, Carol Wells, Johnny Mathis, Marion Ross, Dorothy Arnold, Hugo Haas…
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Hey, that’s Johnny Mathis! The only movie this could be is LIZZIE, which I haven’t seen before. I was so sure that was Eleanor’s chin that I spent a long time yesterday trying to find a picture of Eleanor in a blouse with that kind of collar, but no luck.
I guess Monday is Carol Wells but Google won’t give me any results except for the more-famous Carole Wells no matter what I try. The lady with the white hair is probably Dorothy Arnold with a wig — she was in the wacky movie serial The Phantom Creeps back in the 1940s! IMDb trivia says this is the only movie she made after she and DiMaggio divorced.
Tuesday must be Richard Boone back there in the shadows, being creepy like he is.
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Karen Green, Eleanor Parker and Johnny Mathis in LIZZIE.
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Wednesday’s guest is Johnny Mathis at the piano. He didn’t appear in many movies so my guess is Lizzie.
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For “Hm Wednesday,” we have Johnny Mathis in Lizzie (1957)
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Lizzie 1957
Mon – Carole Wells as adolescent lead character. I think the BOTHW is her character’s mother, so Dorothy Arnold (I’m going by a photo from a different angle that shows this woman’s clothing and earrings, but if I’m misreading the photo maybe this is Joan Blondell.)
Tues – Eleanor Powell and Richard Boone (This image sent me thru an ‘Eleanor Powell career’ wormhole Monday night. I thought the shadowed face resembled her, but was sure that wasn’t right. The things one discovers playing this game. I ended up viewing a great Harvey Brownstone interview with Powell’s son as part of that trek. Now it turns out that I was right about it being Ms Powell.
Wed – Johnny Mathis (his only acting gig)
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Dorothy Arnold Monday, Hugo Haas and Joan Blondell today.
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Johnny Mathis, Hugo Haas and Joan Blondell, in that order.
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Thur – Hugo Haas (also producer and director) and Joan Blondell
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For “Aha Thursday,” we have Hugo Haas and Joan Blondell in Lizzie (1957)
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Hugo Haas and Joan Blondell.
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Thu – Hugo Haas (producer and director) and Joan Blondell.
Interesting that Kirk Douglas has Executive Producer credit.
Had no idea that the song “It’s Not for Me to Say” came from a movie.
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Is Wednesday’s mysterious fellow a very young Johnny Mathis? I have no idea what movie this is but I want to see it now.
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I believe this is “Lizzie” from 1957, with Johnny Mathis on Wednesday and Joan Blondell on Thursday.
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Could that Hugo Haas and Joan Blondel in a tizzie?
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Marion Ross, Richard Boone and Eleanor Parker.
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For Friday, we have Marion Ross, Eleanor Parker and Richard Boone in Lizzie (1957).
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Fri – Marion Ross and BOTHW Eleanor Powell
Richard Boone and Eleanor Powell
I wondered if our future ‘Happy Days’ mom would make the cut. I met and briefly chatted with her once at a sound studio. Don’t know what show she was working on, but she was on her way out from hers and I was going in for the show I was a part of. Very, very sweet to lady. And really tiny! Anyway, very glad she made the cut this week.
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