The Hour of 13 (1952)

Pretty Good

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

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

The acting in this movie is really good.

Photographic effects: Tom Howard. Music composed and conducted by John Addison; played by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Produced by Hayes Goetz (pronounced "Gets"). Copyright 19 September 1952 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. New York opening at the Little Carnegie: 27 October 1952. U.S. release: November 1952. U.K. release: 8 December 1952. Australian release: 21 November 1952. 7,031 feet. 79 minutes. Censored by one minute in Australia in order to gain a "G" Certificate.SYNOPSIS: In 1890, London is shocked at the number of murders of policemen taking place in varied sections of the city. They are always advertised beforehand by a postcard sent to Scotland Yard and signed "The Terror". On the day that the newspapers announce the murder of the eighth policeman, Nicholas Revel (Peter Lawford), an insurance assessor named MacStreet (Colin Gordon), and Ernie Perker (Leslie Dwyer), a hackney cab driver, conspire to steal the immensely valuable Calgurie Emerald at a society ball given by its owner, Mrs. Chumley Orr (Heather Thatcher). The ball is an important affair for other people besides Revel and his accomplices because Jane (Dawn Addams), daughter of the Commissioner of Scotland Yard, Sir Herbert Frensham (Michael Hordern), had decided that her engagement to Captain Sir Christopher Lenhurst (Derek Bond) will be announced there. Revel succeeds in stealing the emerald, but makes one blunder. Having hidden the jewel, he throws its chain and clasp out of a window and it lands at the feet of the ninth of the "Terror's" victims. Thus, when the police find the body, they associate the murderer with the robbery.COMMENT: Good thriller, smoothly directed and agreeably acted — a bit disappointing though for a Philip MacDonald work and the director could have made more play on the suspense and mystery element of "The Terror".OTHER VIEWS: When Dawn Addams stepped before the cameras in England for her role opposite Peter Lawford in M-G-M's mystery-thriller "The Hour of 13", it marked a gratifying moment for the attractive young actress. It was little less than two years ago when Miss Addams first set foot in Metro's London studios to be tested for the role of Judy Miniver in The Miniver Story. Although her test was praised the role subsequently went to Cathy O'Donnell.After that disappointment, Miss Addams went to Hollywood, where she made another test for M-G-M and this time was signed to a long-term contract. She made an auspicious debut as the young college girl who became involved in an auto smash-up with Ray Milland in "Night Into Morning", and followed with the role of Richard Anderson's fiancée in "The Unknown Man". She was next be seen as a member of the all- star cast in "Plymouth Adventure".Born in Suffolk, England, Dawn spent the first five years of her life in India, where her father was stationed with the Royal Air Force. During the war years she lived for a time in England, was evacuated to Wales, spent two years in the United States, then returned to England in 1945. She subsequently studied at the Royal Academy of Drama in London and won her first stage role at the famed Drury Lane Theater. - MGM publicity.

The Hour of 13 is directed by Harold French and adapted to screenplay by Leon Gordon and Howard Emmett Rogers from the novel "Mystery of the Dead Police" written by Philip MacDonald. It stars Peter Lawford, Dan Addams, Roland Culver, Derek Bond, Leslie Dwyer and Michael Hordern. Music is by John Addison and cinematography by Guy Green.1890, London, and a serial killer known as The Terror is murdering policemen. When gentleman thief Nicholas Revel unwittingly becomes the chief suspect, he must use his guile and wits to prove he's not the killer; whilst also not getting caught for a jewel robbery he has just committed.A dandy thief and a serial killer on a collision course.Philip MacDonald's novel had already been adapted to screen for the 1934 film, The Mystery of Mr. X, making this a remake. The Hour of 13 is a little cracker of a movie, a genre splicer of some worth, it's part murder mystery, part police procedural, part romance, part robbery and also funny as well. These all make the picture narratively strong, the threads running concurrently but never once threatening to be complex or cloy the picture.The backdrop is Victorian London, resplendent with glistening cobbled streets, bulbous street lamps and drizzly mist, where horse drawn taxis thunder down the roads. The protagonists are dandy gents, chirpy workers or beautiful ladies. The antagonist is a Jack the Ripper type, stealthily moving about the murky streets on a mission to kill policemen. We are in a time when wearing a policeman's helmet can land you one day in prison, where the British Bobby patrols the streets to make the locals feel safe, but they themselves are now not safe.There's splendid performances across the board, with a chance to view the gorgeous Dawn Addams in one of her very first roles, a potent score from Addison and the work of French and Green is atmospherically tight to the plotting. Delightful film that deserves to be better known. 8/10

Just saw this film for the first time since it's release in 1952. I was 10 years old then and quite enjoyed it. I must say that it has held up pretty well. No great entry in the Victorian, foggy street mystery genre, but it keeps ones interest throughout.This movie, by the way, was shot in MGM's British studio and features a fine line up of English actors who turn in typically solid performances.One more thing: this was by no means one of MGM's major productions for 1952. In fact, it pretty much qualifies as a B movie (except for running time); that is, a second, and cheaper, feature on a double bill. By 1952, the traditional B movie (as opposed to pictures that merely had lower budgets than the headlining A efforts) had just about disappeared. Soon, virtually all movies could be classed as A pictures, with the possible exception of the shoestring productions by little companies that often ended up at the local drive-in.My point is this: studios such as MGM, when they consciously turned out the 60-65 minute movies that were shot in a couple of weeks at most, still maintained a fairly high standard of quality. One can think of the Val Lewton horror films at RKO-Radio Pictures or. . . well, or "The Hour of 13!"

Although "The Hour of 13" doesn't top its predecessor, this polished but minor MGM item still qualifies as an entertaining, above-average, mystery thriller with a good cast, atmospheric studio settings, and competent direction. Arguably, "The Hour of 13" ranks as one of Peter Lawford's better starring roles in his extremely uneven and spotty career as a leading man. Released in 1952, during the notorious McCarthy era, this Harold ("Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue") French directed film looks as if it were subjected to harsher censorship than its 1934 original. Nevertheless, scenarists Howard Emit Rodgers & Leon Gordon integrate the approved social propaganda seamlessly into their screenplay about what happens when a vindictive serial killer who ices British Bobbies on the beat in cold blood crosses paths with a handsome gentlemen jewel thief in London sometime during the 1890s. The Terror, the name by which the killer is known, murders a policeman near a house where a dinner party is in progress. As it turns out, the Lawford character has just filched a valuable jewel from around a lady's neck and is in the process of making good his escape when he stumbles onto the dead bobby. Mistakenly, the police suspect that the serial killer and the jewel thief are one in the same. As Connor, a high-ranking Scotland Yard inspector, actor Roland ("Thunderball") Culver makes a tenacious adversary. When Lawford comes forward to testify that the British officer that the police have arrested could not have been the murderer, Connor suspects that the Lawford character may be the killer himself in this cat & mouse Victorian mystery-thriller. The Rodgers and Gordon dialogue is very British and wonder to listen to.Between 1935 and 1968, the Catholic Church forced Hollywood filmmakers to alter their movies to accommodate the Legion of Decency or weather a boycott. This pressure advocacy group demanded that Hollywood show the police in a positive light and that criminals must be punished for their crimes. "The Hour of 13" does a splendid job of observing the Production Code while allowing us to sympathize with Peter Lawford's urbane jewel thief Nicholas Revel. No, I won't divulge the surprise ending, since it needs to be experienced first-hand to be enjoyed, but "The Hour of 13" should leave you satisfied. Incredibly, the police are smart for a change, though they make an occasional mistake (check out the 'switch the liquor glass' scene), and the Peter Lawford anti-hero (he does steal for a living) often finds himself in several suspenseful tight spots. When he isn't tangling with the serial killer, he is dodging the nimble-witted Connor and a number of undercover London policemen assigned to shadow his every move. Dawn Addams provides the romantic interest as the daughter of a London cop who is engaged to marry an Army officer. Initially, Scotland Yard suspected the Army officer because he was found with the dead policeman's helmet in his hands. It is interesting that the Lawford character has no love interest and that the Dawn Addams character remains devoted to her husband-to-be. Of course, when the suitor discovers that Revel and his intended have dined together often he is disturbed. The revelation of the serial killer's motives is a nice touch. The Connors character poses more of a threat to Revel than the serial killer.Anybody who has perused any books about Frank Sinatra and the infamous Rat Pack, of which Lawford was a member until Frankie gave him the boot) or books about MGM stars will really enjoy "The Hour of 13." According to books like The Rat Pack and The Men of M-G-M, Lawford severely damaged his right arm during his youth. Reportedly, he smashed it through a French door and did more damage to it when he extracted it. Consequently, his right arm remained virtually useless, except for minor things such as shaking hands, opening & shutting doors, and holding books. He relied visibly on her left hand and often anchored his right in his pants pocket. Armed with that knowledge, you'll be able to fully savor Lawford's performance. In the long shots, in a scene set in a darkly-lit warehouse, our heroic jewel thief fights with the villain and uses his right arm. Clearly, this was a double, because Lawford could not have perfromed in this on-screen fracas owing to his physical impairment. If you like inside production information, background stuff like this will elevate your appreciation of all things Lawford.