The Thirteenth Guest (1932)

Powerful

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

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.

Routine but likable 'old dark house' mystery thriller with numerous familiar but enjoyable trappings (a family reunion for the reading of a will is followed by multiple murders committed by a hooded figure). There's also comic relief from an inept policeman, while romantic interest for potential heiress Ginger Rogers is provided by the dashing detective on the case (Lyle Talbot); an interesting plot point involves a girl who undergoes plastic surgery in an attempt to replace Rogers. Unsurprisingly, the Alpha print is extremely poor but I'm glad I had this opportunity to watch the film. Director Ray and Rogers later collaborated on the similar A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT (1933), which I watched a couple of years back (thanks to Michael Elliott).

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.