Movie Star Mystery Photo [Update]

Los Angeles Times file photo  It’s Friday, which means it’s time to identify our “mystery” guest. As everyone knows, she’s Lucille Ball. I have to say I enjoyed going through her photos so much that I have another week’s worth of photos. That’s right, two weeks of Lucille Ball. There’s lots of wonderful mystery companions. For last Monday, we have, from left, Lucille Ball, Margaret Callahan, Joy Hodges, Anne Shirley, Phyllis Brooks and Molly Lamont. I believe Mary Mallory is the only reader to get them all. Congrats!

Just a reminder on how this works: I post the mystery photo on Monday and reveal the answer on Friday ... or on Saturday if I have a hard time picking only five pictures; sometimes it's difficult to choose. To keep the mystery photo from getting lost in the other entries, I move it from Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday, etc., adding a photo every day. I have to approve all comments, so if your guess is posted immediately, that means you're wrong. (And if a wrong guess has already been submitted by someone else, there's no point in submitting it again). If you're right, you will have to wait until Friday. There's no need to submit your guess five times. Once is enough. The only reward is bragging rights.  The answer to the previous mystery stars: Billy and Beverly Bemis! And the weekend mystery guest was Otis Chandler! There’s another photo on the jump!

Los Angeles Times file photo Here’s our “mystery” guest.

As I expected, everybody -- absolutely everyone -- identified the mystery guest. I thought it would be interesting to post a series of pictures of her with people who are more obscure. Let’s see how many people recognized her mystery companions, some RKO starlets of 1935.    Los Angeles Times file photo . Mary Mallory has now identified Mystery Companions No. 1 and 2! Los Angeles Times file photo Mystery Companion No. 3, left, was identified by Mary Mallory, Steven Bibb, Eve Golden, Rick and Dewey Webb. Mystery Companion No. 4, right, was identified by Steven Bibb and Eve Golden.   Los Angeles Times file photo Mystery Companion No. 5 was identified by Steven Bibb. Here’s Tuesday's mystery photo:  Los Angeles Times file photo Update: This was a nice surprise. Lucille Ball and George Raft? Really? This photo, stamped April 25, 1935, shows Ball, Raft, Virginia Peine, who performed as Virginia Pine, her daughter Joaney and Mack Gray. Gray was Raft’s stand-in and there were rumors that he was dating Ball, just as there were rumors that Raft was dating Pine. Aug. 2, 1936: Lucille Ball and Broderick Crawford? Are you serious? Here’s our mystery guest with a couple of mystery companions. Los Angeles Times file photo Everybody recognized our "mystery" woman and Mystery Companion No. 1. What were they doing together? It had to do with Mystery Companion No. 2.  Update: Everybody recognized Mystery Companion No. 1. But only Mary Mallory identified Mystery Companion No. 2. Congratulations! Los Angeles Times file photo Hint: Mystery Companions No. 3 and 4 are mother and daughter. Los Angeles Times file photo Los Angeles Times file photo For Wednesday, here’s our (totally not) mystery guest with two mystery companions…. Los Angeles Times file photo Update: Ball with Martin Ragaway and Leonard Stern, receiving a trophy from the Jesters of America, Dec. 6, 1949. I’ll even give you a hint about the mystery companions…. Well! Nobody even tried for Wednesday’s mystery companions! And they have a generous number of credits on imdb. Los Angeles Times file photo I like Thursday’s mystery photo quite a bit. We have our “mystery” guest, but instead of a posed photo, she’s at work. What impressed me about this picture is how well-dressed everybody is, casual but stylish. Los Angeles Times file photo I'm sure everybody recognizes Mystery Companion No. 1… Los Angeles Times file photo …but how about our very businesslike Mystery Companion No. 2? Los Angeles Times file photo Or Mystery Companion No. 3, lurking behind a light. Los Angeles Times file photo Or Mystery Companions Nos. 4 and 5 with the camera?  Unfortunately, the folks in this photo aren’t identified, so I’m hoping the Daily Mirror’s “brain trust” can help out. Los Angeles Times file photo And here’s Friday’s mystery photo with a mystery companion. Tune in Monday for more Lucy!  Sept. 25, 1955: Lucille Ball and Lydia Lane, The Times’ beauty columnist for nearly 50 years, from 1934 to 1982.  Lane died in 1994 at the age of 90.

Comments

[zabadu]

The one on the far left is Lucille Ball.

[Carmen]

Good morning, Larry
Your column is great - can't believe the archive - so much history! And your readers are a hoot!
The grand lady on the left is Lucille Ball. I don't know the others for now.

[Rance Ryan]

I think girl one on the left is Lucille Ball

[Dewey Webb]

Lucille Ball (far left), Anne Shirley (third from right)

[Kitten]

Well, I see Lucille Ball over on the left. Which one is the mystery star of the week?

[Anne Papineau]

There's Lucy!

[MichaelRyerson]

Lucille Ball on the left. Her five chums escape me.

[Mary Mallory]

Is that Lucille Ball on the left? I'll work on the others.

[Kevin Kusinitz]

Isn't that Lucille Ball on the far left?

[Cold in PHX]

The one on the left is Lucille Ball. The third from the right is familiar, but I'd only be able to guess. This looks like the chorus line from some Samuel Goldwyn or Busby Berkeley production, like Roman Scandals maybe.

[benito]

Lucille Ball is on the far left. Everyone will ID her. The others are tougher.

[Nick Santa Maria]

That's Lucille Ball on the left end.

[Eve]

OK, that's Lucille Ball on the left and Ann Shirley fourth from left, and I THINK the others are Phyllis Brooks, Maxine Jennings, Kay Sutton, Jane Hamilton . . . all mid-30s RKO lassies.

[LC]

#1 Lucille Ball, in her blonde days?

[Steven Bibb]

Hard to see as it is very small, but I can identify, from left, Lucille Ball, unidentified, unidentified, Anne Shirley, Phyllis Brooks, Molly Lamont.

[Mary Mallory]

Anne Shirley is the fourth from the left, or third from the right. These are obviously RKO Starlets around 1936-1936. Lucy and Anne starred in CHATTERBOX in 1936 together, maybe that film?

[Allison Francis]

Lucille Ball

[fibber mcgee]

I suspect this six-pack of lovelies are some of the Goldwyn Girls, with Lucille Ball on the left and Toby Wing with the sort-of bow tie. That's my humbug, I mean humble, opinion, anyway.

[Angus]

I'm guessing that this is an early 'thirties publicity photo of the 'Goldwyn Girls.' The most recognizable is a young Lucille Ball, farthest to the left.

[LA History]

Lucille Ball is on the far left - I'm guessing a Goldwyn Girls lineup?

[Barbara Klein]

I'll take a guess that two of these ladies are Lucille Ball and Olivia de Havilland

[margie]

I think two of these starlets are Olivia de Havilland and Lucille Ball

[Rick]

Lucille Ball, Joan Crawford?, Katherine DeMille, Ann Shirley, don't know, Gail Patrick?

[Mary Mallory]

Are Phyllis Fraser and Harriet Hilliard two of the women?

[Diane Ely]

That's not Lucille Ball on the left, is it? I know she was a blonde when she first came to Hollywood.