This week’s mystery movie was the 1936 film Revolt of the Zombies, with Dorothy Stone, Dean Jagger, Roy D’Arcy, Robert Noland, George Cleveland, E. Alyn (Fred) Warren, Carl Stockdale, William Crowell, Teru Shimada, Adolph Millard and Sana Rayya.
Art direction by Leigh Smith.
Photographed by Arthur Martinelli.
Cameraman, J. Arthur Feindel.
Edited by Douglas Biggs.
Sound technician G.P. Costello.
Musical direction by Abe Meyer.
Production manager John Hicks.
Coiffeurs by Phillip Scheer.
Studio executive Leon d’Usseau.
Special effects by Ray Mercer.
Produced by Edward Halperin.
Directed by Victor Halperin.
Further information on Revolt of the Zombies is available from the AFI Catalog.
Revolt of the Zombies is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
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After our memorial to Eva Marie Saint, it was back to our Zombie theme and this week they were revolting! There is something amusing about a review that criticizes a zombie film about not being logical. It’s a zombie movie! And Dean Jagger has hair!
I’m fairly certain The New York Times passed on this one or fobbed it off on one of the hapless “alphabet critics.”
Frank S. Nugent draws the short straw (June 5, 1936):
The zombies, the revolting zombies, are revolting at the Rialto this week and we don’t blame them. Even a zombie has his rights and we loyal necrophiles will fight to the last mandrake root to protect them. Under any code of fair practice, a zombie is entitled to be authentically dead but revived horrendously by some sorcerer to do his evil bidding. Too, he must render thanatoid service to an utter villain, not to a shilly-shallyer who cannot decide between a necrologic career and a blue-eyed blonde. To suggest, as Revolt of the Zombies does, that our blank-faced, glaze-eyed heroes are merely under the hypnotic spell of a handsome chap who found a synthetic zombie formula in a Cambodian temple is to discredit an honorable profession. And to hint that they are not really zombies at all, but sleep-walkers or something, is to imperil the very foundations of a grand spook legend. No wonder the zombies revolted, turned upon their lovelorn master and shot him down: he was their conjur man and he done them wrong.
For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Dean Jagger.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious officer.
Update: This is Adolph Milar.
And another mysterious officer.
Update: This is George Cleveland.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Teru Shimada.
And we have this mysterious fellow.
Update: This is William Crowell.
Brain Trust roll call: Stacia (mystery movie and all mysterious guests).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Carl Stockdale.
And this mysterious fellow. He seems to be up to no good.
Update: This is Roy D’Arcy.
Brain Trust roll call: Mike Hawks (mysterious movie, Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests).
For Friday, Monday’s mysterious guest reveals himself.
Update: This is Dean Jagger.
And we have this enigmatic couple.
Update: This is Robert Noland and Dorothy Stone.
I couldn’t resist one more image of Thursday’s mysterious guest No. 2.
Update: This is Roy D’Arcy.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie) and Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mysterious guests).
Note to Sylvia: You’re very close!
For Monday, Glenn Ford?
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Frank Lovejoy
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An excellent guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Frederick March in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
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A great guess! But Mr. March does not appear in this week’s mysterious movie.
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Frank Lovejoy?
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That’s two votes for Frank Lovejoy. But alas….
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Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla? Kind of a far out guess but …
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An interesting guess, but alas, neither Bela Lugosi nor a mysterious gorilla appear in this week’s mystery movie.
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I accidentally figured this out: REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES (1936). I thought one of the Mystery Actors on Tuesday was “the guy in that one Abbott and Costello movie” and when I went searching I found him in THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP, so I was right, but the kicker is I don’t remember the title at all. But the screenshots look familiar, so I guess I did watch it!
Monday must be Dean Jagger and Tuesday is I think Adolf Milar, and definitely George Cleveland.
Watching REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES right now and wow, Victor Halperin really fell off after WHITE ZOMBIE. I think he sneaked Bela’s eyeballs into this movie.
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I’m back to say that I’m still watching REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIES and it’s getting better as it goes along but also it’s bonkers that this movie is from 1936 when it looks and feels like a 1930 early talkie, like JUST IMAGINE. There’s even a Joyzelle Joyner analogue. Bonk. Ers.
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Dean Jagger, Teru Shimada and George Cleveland in REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES.
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No guess. It feels very “French – Indo-china” -ish for the setting, but don’t recognize anyone.
Hope you are enjoying your trip!
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All I am prepared to say is “Revolt of the Zombies.”
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Carl Stockdale and Roy D’Arcy.
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Revolt of the zombies 1936
Dean Jagger, with hair!
Mon – Dean
Will work on the rest of the cast
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Revolt of the Zombies 1936
Mon – Dean Jagger
Tues – Adolph Milar (I think) and George Cleveland (I still think of him as “Gramps” on Lassie)
Wed – Teru Shimada and William Crowell
Thu – Carl Stockdale and Roy D’Arcy
Fri – Mr Jagger revealed, Robert Noland & Dorothy Stone and Mr D’Arcy again, holding the secret Zombie formula
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Dean Jagger, Dorothy Stone, Robert Noland and Roy D’Arcy.
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