Golden Age of Hollywood Book Club discussion

Hmmm. You're probably thinking of the guy in John Frankenheimer's 'Seconds'. I'd put money on it. Same actor in 'Pretty Poison' which I mentioned here last week. You know who I mean! John Randolph.

#17 looks somewhat like Charles Middleton, but since it's only in profile, it's hard to tell.

Here we go again with wild guesses. If #17 Gerald Mohr?

Noooooo on both counts

(I'm a fan of Mohr btw)

I rather like Mohr too and really was stretching a point with that guess.

superb voice talent

Mighty quiet ....I promise that neither of these actors have any shared history of radio careers

I'm quiet when I have to wrack my brain to come up with a name. :>)

#17 looks like a better looking Mike Mazurki and I can't seem to get past that. I'm still thinking.

I can tell you #17 is a man of very short stature. And he's of Italian ancestry.

Anthony Caruso?

Good guess but no.

I'll mention that this actor had a brief heyday in the 1950s but no kind of long career.

It's really less about him, than the appearance(s) he makes on the screen.

He's notorious for one particular role as a henchman; and it's kinda like this: if you make that mental link you can easily guess the film. Or, if you can guess the film, you can easily identify him.

But he's certainly not someone who went on to do television roles or Disney movies.

#18 should be easier. In the pictured I prepared, he is in a role as a newspaperman.

Feliks wrote: "Good guess but no.

I'll mention that this actor had a brief heyday in the 1950s but no kind of long career.

It's really less about him, than the appearance(s) he makes on the screen.

He's noto..."

Those are good clues, Feliks. I am determined to guess this one and of course, we all recognize #18 but right now his name just won't surface from my memory banks.

#17 will be a nice feather for anyone to pin in their cap. I'm not even sure whether it's possible to name him from his career alone. He's memorably, vividly, seedy, but such a slender resume! You'll have to sidle up to the final answer like a crab.

I am gonna be more generous with #17 and add another pic.

H'mmm

I was going to say Nick Cravat who appeared with Burt Lancaster in several films. But he really wasn't a villain.

Did his career not continue on to television because he was so typecast? Or was there some other reason?

He does look like Nick Cravat. Keen eye there. But, nowhere near as muscular.

His career didn't continue on television? I don't know why. He doesn't have an IMDb listing.

I think what I will do is gradually enlarge / un-crop the still images I've provided so you can see more of the setting he appears in.

I need more pictures, Feliks!!!! I am truly stuck on this one.

It's a challenge but I admit I gave only the most meager evidence.

I will provide more clues. First, a less-restrictively cropped picture. See below.

Second: I will reluctantly admit that this guy is not a professional actor, (I don't know how he wound up with so much screen time in a famous movie but he does exactly that. It's inexplicable based on his significant performance, that he has no IMDb listing). It poses you a pretty puzzle though, because usually IMDb is the sleuth's friend. Not this time!

The other tidbit I will drop: if you guess #18 you can probably guess #17. They're in the same movie.

The movie is from the early 1950s. There! That's probably almost too much help! But if you are still stumped I will start naming other actors who appeared in the same film these pics are from.

Here's the pic! If this doesn't set you immediately on the right track, I will add more width and length. The reason it's been cropped so far is that this bit-player is co-starring with some immediately recognizable stars. Again: I don't know he landed such a part or why his career never took off.

I suspect Betsy will steal this prize away from all of you. Look sharp now! She lurks and then pounces!

en garde!

I'll consider it a 'win' for #17 if you can even name the movie he appears in. Since he is such an unknown its really the movie title which needs to be guessed here.

Mind you, I wasn't being a total conniver, because I did provide a completely separate 'second route' to the same answer, that being the man in #18.

The scene above is taken from a card game which transpires in the beginning of the movie; and the man in the rear of the room, is soon to be murdered by #17.

His strained expression indicates his suspicion that he may be marked for doom. He certainly is playing with some rough hombres.

The murder takes place at the behest of someone else at the same card table; the character with his back currently to us.

This card game kicks off the rest of the plot.

How about this gentleman?
quiz #19

#19 - John Larch

WTG, Betsy. Now come up with #17, which totally has me stumped.

Betsy nails #19. Attagirl!

#18 - Dan Riss.

The movie is Panic in the Streets.

Whew. Still having trouble on #17 and #18 eh?

The movie title you need to come up with, I just wanna say, was directed by one of the most famous directors of the studio era. Almost no bigger director possible; except maybe Cecil B. DeMille. So, it's not an obscure flick.

If #17 is Poldi then he's Guy Thomajan.

Hey! Betsy got #18 after all! That's right. Actor Dan Riss plays a newspaper reporter thrown in the jug by Paul Douglas.

And yes, that's the movie. Shot on location in New Orleans by Elia Kazan. Using mostly a cast of local citizens.

Betsy snatches victory from the jaws of defeat! Whoo

So this should lead you to determine who #17 is.

Jill went down in flames on this one. Ouuufffff

I love that Dan Riss scene. His character --the newsman --is named 'Neff' by the way. Ha. All sorts of clues were available for me to lay my trail of breadcrumbs.

Anyway you can see from the look on his face how appalled he is by the cover-up planned by Police Chief Paul Douglas. But he slips up when he divulges that he hasn't told his editor yet.

Paul Douglas says, "Oh no?" and shoots a sly glance at two of his boys. They step forward and haul Neff away. Hilarious.

The murdered man at the poker game, is actor Lewis Charles...

And yes 'Poldi' --one of Blackie's boys along with Zero Mostel --is played by Guy Thoma.

Clean sweep by Betsy. I think we were posting at the same time, so I didn't see answers until I refreshed my browser repeatedly.

What a travail!

You should be a detective, Betsy. Great work on that one as I go down in flames!!!!

It was just research, and one or two of the clues which proved helpful finally.

Here's an easy one (for anyone who might need to repair their film-sleuth reputation!)

quiz #20

Hooray................Charles Halton.

Haha. Yes. Back on track. I myself would not have come up with the name; though of course I know the face.

Good one, Jill. I would have had no idea.

Wonder if I can stump anyone with this feller

quiz #21

Faintly familiar.....will have to think about this one. It may be another stumper.

Warren Hymer?

Nope

How about this fine little lass?

quiz #22

She looks somewhat like Bonita Granville.

I also thought that but I get a sneaking feeling that it may be someone more obscure since Feliks doesn't make it easy. ;>)

It's not Bonita but yes kinda obscure I guess.

She had a lengthy career; I can see pics of her online which show her both young and mature.

All I am promising from now on, is that 'radio careers' will not play a big part in a quiz. Film stars, will be the default; TV will be mentioned if relevant; and any 'radio' angle will just be offered as 'additional clues'.

Also, from now on --it will be more often than not --that I pick faces from my favorite classics; classics I've probably mentioned in these threads. It makes it easier. For example, quiz #20 appears in a favorite film which I'm sure I must have mentioned at some time or other around here. Thus, I didn't have to hunt very long to select him as a candidate for the quiz.

Of course, I chose an atypical picture of him.

Who is this 'bad girl'?

quiz #23