Girl in 313 (1940)

Expected more

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

A mixture of comedy, crime and romance, this is B movie making at its best. Florence Rice is a very clever jewel thief, sort of a female Raffles in her ability to avoid capture. Arranging the theft of a valuable bracelet, she evades the owner following her, manages to check into a hotel without luggage and gets more than she bargained for thanks to maid Mary Treen, a busybody type who knows all of the live-in guests. Thanks to her own luck and cleverness, she joins forces with another jewel thief but gets in far too deep.This is fun from start to finish, coming in at under an hour and filled with some great supporting players including Lionel Atwill, Jack Carson and Kay Aldredge. Kent Taylor is a dashing leading man. This is lavish and funny, and one of the few films where you hope that the criminal gets away with their crime. Plenty of plot twists keep it hopping, and not everything (or everyone) is who they appear to be.

I'm a big fan of Florence Rice who made 47 films over a 10 year period in the 30's and early 40's and who toiled in virtual anonymity. My goal is to see all 47 movies. To date I have seen 6 and she has been outstanding in all of them. Not all of the scripts have been outstanding but Florence brings a freshness and enthusiasm for all of them. This is no exception. The Girl in 313 is an absolutely wonderful movie with surprises, twists and turns around every corner. She is teamed here with a co-star from her movie Four Girls in White made a year earlier (1939). There is real chemistry between them. Mary Treen and Jack Carson (yes THE Jack Carson)provide some good funny moments. Look for a young James Flavin in a small role. But its Rice and Taylor that keep this movie filled with energy. One wishes that this movie was longer. I usually complain that films today are too long and bog down, but these little "B" movies of the 30's 40's and 50's are sometimes too short. When you come across as good a movie as this is, excellent script, enchanting leads, solid supporting players, you wish it would go on and on. The Girl in 313 is a buried treasure that needs to be excavated. Its hard to find but there is a DVD out there. Definitely worth seeing more than once