The Thirteenth Guest (1932)

I love this movie so much

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It's been thirteen years since an unsolved murder where the thirteenth guest never showed up and now, the murders start all over again. It all starts with the electrocution death of Ginger Rogers, yet nothing is as it seems. The surviving family gathers together, presumably to mourn Rogers, but the family has a few surprises in store, particularly the possibility that one of them is the killer. With detective Lyle Talbot on the case (surrounded by several buffoon police officers), the killer is bound to make mistakes.Monogram, who produced many old dark house thrillers like this, actually did this story twice, one again a decade later. All the archetypes of this type of film are there, but never was the dialog as sardonic as this. That keeps it quite fresh, and it ranks above most of the others. Of course with young Ginger in an early role, the curiosity value is up, and she doesn't disappoint. Slightly creaky, it still remains entertaining thanks to some racy dialog and a family that can only be described as nuts.

If you're going to watch a Poverty Row production from Hollywood's Golden Age you're going to have to make allowances. The budgets were tiny, the shooting schedules hectic (generally 4-6 days), and the talent involved generally those who couldn't get a job with the real studios. THE THIRTEENTH GUEST, however, is actually a pretty decent B-movie effort. The director and cinematographer appear to have been competent if not inspired, and the cast is unusually talented, headed by young actors who were getting somewhere (Lyle Talbot and especially Ginger Rogers) and a solid character actor (J. Farrell MacDonald). The plot is imaginative albeit filled with holes, and the frequent comical interludes might charitably be described as inconsistent. (Spoiler) Shades of Psycho as our leading lady (Ginger Rogers) is murdered about five minutes into the picture. Or is it shades of Vertigo as there she is again about thirty minutes into the picture? There's a bizarre method of execution, a family get together filled with black comedy that should have been better than it was, and even a smooth-talking super sleuth (Talbot) to do the job that the hopelessly incompetent cops could never manage on their own. What else could you ask for? Maybe a little pacing, a little more of the acid-tongued Marjorie, a lot less of the idiotic detective played by Paul Hurst. but what the heck? The movie is in the public domain and is guaranteed to be worth what you'd have to pay to see it. A decent way to spend an hour or so on a rainy day.

minor spoiler Ginger Rogers in one of her VERY early roles. She hadn't yet turned into the shrew that tormented Fred Astaire in all their dance films. Sound and picture quality are pretty rough, but as we see from the TRIVIA section, as it is now in public domain, anyone can make a (crappy) copy and sell it for profit. She arrives at a dark, dirty house, late at night, and finds an envelope marked "to be opened on Marie's 21st birthday". A shot rings out, and her taxi driver goes for the cops. The adventure begins. They bring in investigator Phil Winston (Lyle Talbot, in one of HIS early roles. ) We hear the history of the family and the house from the local policeman. I thought it was odd that even though they found the dead chick sitting in a chair, they knew right off that she had been electrocuted, in spite of the fact that the doctor says "enough to kill her but not enough to leave any marks." I would have thought that an autopsy would have necessary to find that... but I'm not a physician. The whole story revolves around a dinner party where they invited thirteen guests, but the thirteenth guest never showed up. Along the way, another girl shows up and looks JUST like the first girl found d-e-d dead. Not a bad film, but some things move pretty slowly. It's a Monogram shortie, at 69 minutes. Not bad who-dunnit, but a few cracks in the woodwork, so don't take it too seriously. And being pre-code, there are a couple naughty references in here if you pay attention.Directed by Albert Ray, a prolific actor, director, writer, who had started in silents, and moved into talkies. He died quite young at 46, but I haven't been able to find the cause of death.

Lovely young Ginger Rogers arrives at her long ago abandoned family manor on her twenty-first birthday to meet her lawyer so that she can find out about her inheritance. She finds out about foul play and murder instead! Obviously, someone in her family is trying to do away with her. But just who's trying to do it? Everyone is a suspect, including Rogers herself. Lyle Talbot is the private investigator who rounds up the entire family and tries to sort things out. J. Farrell MacDonald is the police sergeant who is confounded by it all. Paul Hurst is his nitwit sidekick. Everyone has some good lines and often the comebacks are hilarious. There's a part near the end of the film where Hurst's shoes are on the wrong feet, which is an absolute howl if you understand the reason why. Nice, creepy looking house is the perfect setting for pretty Rogers to be menaced in. There's plenty of cobwebs to contrast with Miss Rogers' who looks very cute in her costumes. Low-budget, but doesn't really seem to be because one gets involved in the puzzling mystery. You may have to see "The Thirteenth Guest" twice to fully understand it. It is a very intricate murder mystery which ultimately does make sense.