The Thirteenth Guest (1932) User Reviews (33)

Thirteen for Dinner!

[lugonian · 7/10 · 25 October 2003]

THE THIRTEENTH GUEST (Monogram, 1932), directed by Albert Ray, from the novel by Armitage Trail, is an acceptable 70 minute programmer murder mystery that stands very well on its own merits. Starring Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot, both of whom would be reunited once more under Ray's direction in A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT (Allied, 1933), another mystery thriller, THE THIRTEENTH GUEST ranks the better of the two, in spite of its current lack of television broadcasts in comparison to the frequent revivals of A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT during the early years of cable TV during most of the 1980s. As with A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT, THE THIRTEENTH GUEST includes no underscoring, with the exception of a Johannes Brahms composition, "Academic Festival Overture," heard during its opening screen credits.

The story begins with a young woman (Ginger Rogers) coming out of a taxi which stops in front of 122 Old Mill Road, and asking the driver to wait for her. She enters the house, which has stood vacant for thirteen years. Noticing the abandoned estate still has telephone service and electric lights, she finds and opens the envelope which reads, "To be handled to my daughter, Marie Morgan, on her 21st birthday." Envisioning the dinner party that was to have taken place 13 years ago, by which her father had died and the mysterious thirteenth guest had never arrived, the girl, after hearing a noise, suddenly screams. The cab driver leaves to notify the police. Called to the case are Captain Ryan (J. Farrell MacDonald, Hollywood's resident cop), and Gump (Paul Hurst), his stooge detective. Ryan summons Phil Winston (Lyle Talbot), a private investigator and womanizer whose catch phrase is "Ah, you go to the devil," (the frequent remark used by Talbot in A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT). Winston finds the girl in question, apparently Marie Morgan, whose cause of death was electrocution, although there are no wires found connected to the seat where she was sitting. While going through the usual channels of investigation, and finding out that Morgan Sr. had written a will leaving a fortune to the 13th guest, John Barksdale (Robert Klein), is also found dead through electrocution. More mystery follows when a hooded mystery man wearing a black cloak is seen (by the avid movie viewer) stalking about the mansion behind the walls pulling a switch that electrocutes any his victims as well as the arrival of Marie Morgan (Ginger Rogers), very much alive, leaving more questions to be answered as to who was that other girl who was killed earlier? Who is this person with the intentions of murdering the former thirteen dinner guests one by one? Is the killer one of the thirteen guests? And what does the slip of paper found reading 13-13-13 mean?

The supporting cast in this production includes: James Eagles as Bud Morgan, Marie's brother; Erville Alderson as Uncle John Adams; Frances Rich as Marjorie Thornton; Ethel Wales as Joan Thornton; William B. Davidson as Captain Browne; Eddie Phillips as Thor Jensen; and Phillips Smalley as Dick Thornton.

While THE THIRTEENTH GUEST is a low-budget production, it was obviously a profitable little item for Monogram because of several imitators in later years, along with the studio's very own 1943 remake, retitled THE MYSTERY OF THE THIRTEENTH GUEST, starring Helen Parrish, Dick Purcell and Tim Ryan in the Rogers, Talbot and MacDonald roles. It's been noted that Monogram frequently revived THE THIRTEENTH GUEST in theaters over the years due the strength of the popularity of its leading star, Ginger Rogers, who was by then just a featured performer. Concentrating more on its creepy atmosphere and unusual occurrences to keep the action going and audiences guessing, the movie does takes time for humor, intentional or otherwise, compliments of Paul Hurst as a comical stupid cop, who could be, at times, more annoying than amusing; as well as one scene which finds the wealthy members of the family being sent to jail and sharing the cell with an assortment of people beneath their class, in other words, low-lifes.

THE THIRTEENTH GUEST, an interesting curio for some and a yawner for others, once considered a "lost" film, was formerly available on video cassette through several distributors, including Matinée Classics and Video Dimensions. Video transfers from each are satisfactory, although picture restoration is evident. Be aware DVD prints from Alpha Video doesn't include original 1932 opening titles, actually a latter 1940s reissue print credited by Equity Studios instead of Monogram. (**1/2)

The Thirteenth Guest

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 2 April 2009]

Nifty little whodunit, featuring a young Ginger Rogers as an heir to a fortune, targeted by a hooded killer who hides in a hidden room behind a book case electrocuting those who answer a wired steel phone once he purposely triggers it to ring. Rogers is Marie, the daughter of a wealthy father who arranged a will reading with twelve guests at the family's dinner table, only to drop dead before getting to announce who got what. A thirteenth chair was open and her father left his entire fortune to the absent occupant. The only option to securing that fortune is to get rid of everyone in line to receive it. Marie was left with a peculiar letter which worked as some sort of code, perhaps to a hidden safe. The killer obviously wants the inheritance, but another mystery arises..on the night of her 21st birthday, someone shot at Marie, with her narrowly escaping, and a person, with extensive plastic surgery to resemble her was electrocuted on accident. The complex case is under the investigation of private dick, Phil Winston(Lyle Talbot), a dapper detective who is often called on by Police Captain Ryan(J Farrell MacDonald)when he needs special help solving a difficult murder. Ryan must endure the ineptitude of his partner Detective Grump(Paul Hurst, the comedy relief of the film), who falls asleep on the job and isn't very reliable in following instructions..Ryan must tolerate his stupidity because Grump is the relative of his superior. Meanwhile, the relatives of Marie's father arrive and are under suspicion..there's a murderer among them, yet the innocent among them must be protected. We, along with Winston, realize upon their joining together that Marie's family loathe each other, constantly, through clever and vicious ways, insulting one another. Winston somehow must put aside his distaste for these greedy vultures and find the killer, while also uncovering the mystery behind the "substitute" for Marie who was electrocuted.

Clocking at little over an hour, this mystery has all the interesting trappings associated with pulp crime novels. The number of suspects and red herrings. The rising death toll as the race to solve the case becomes ever so important. Adding the clues up one by one and soon discovering(..through a mistake by the killer who left the switch on with the result being another accidental murder)where the hiding place of the murderer is located. The damsel in distress. The intelligent, wise detective with a knack for getting to the bottom of things no matter how complex they might seem. The identity of the thirteenth guest may not be that mind-blowing, but getting to that point is a lot of fun. Hurst is injected into the plot as a way to ease the morbidity of the material, his bumbling antics on display to rile up poor MacDonald who just wants to strangle him sometimes.

The eccentricities of the suspects, and their treatment of one another add much to the entertainment of this little-known gem. Rogers, who isn't in the film as much as her top billing would surmise, still shows the spunk and charm that would later become so visible in her films with Fred Astaire. Talbot fills the William Powell role of classy, sophisticated sleuth, liquor always at his disposal, and a way of dealing with situations when they get out of hand. I'm guessing this flick is not particularly well known and could be of certain value to fans of these types of films. Some of the comedy is a bit dated, but I will admit to be amused for the most part.

the Hooded Terror strikes again and again...

[kidboots · 6/10 · 9 February 2009]

This poverty row thriller has a similar storyline to "The Cat and the Canary" - haunted house, frightened heiress, a disguised killer, secret passages etc. Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot, who plays Phil Winston were not a romantic couple in this film (although they did date briefly in real life) until the last five minutes - he being very keen on solving the murders.

The film starts imaginatively with a clutching hand pulling down each title card. Marie Morgan (or Lela) (Ginger Rogers) arrives at her old family home - one that hasn't been occupied for 13 years to find a telephone has been installed!!! After reading a cryptic message left by her father, she remembers back to a dinner party of 13 years before. The thirteenth guest did not arrive. When her father died he left the bulk of his estate to the 13th guest who never came forward. Thirteen years later the police are called to view a girls body, they believe has been electrocuted.

There is a "hooded terror" roaming and controlling the house through an "electrified" phone - when people answer it, a lever is pushed and the victim dies. It seems that the killer wanted the police to believe that Marie was the victim but it is really an unknown woman who has had a complete facial reconstruction to look like Marie. Then the family lawyer is found dead. Winston is convinced one of the original guests is the killer and invites them all to his apartment to show them that Marie is very much alive!!!

This is a pretty good film with lots of twists and turns. Being a pre- code some of the comments are surprising. Eddie Philips being referred to as Marie's brother's "boyfriend". When Paul Hurst as a bumbling detective looks down at his shoes, realises that they are on the wrong feet and then says "Well, you told me to tail her" everyone laughs!!

Recommended.

A haunted house, an unlucky number

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 30 May 2008]

A very young Ginger Rogers stars in "The Thirteenth Guest," a 1932 film also starring Lyle Talbot. Thirteen years earlier, a dinner party took place in an old house, but the 13th guest never appeared. Now the owner of the house is dead and left his estate to this 13th guest. Someone is murdering the original party guests and putting each dead body in his or her original seat at the table.

Rogers plays Marie Morgan, whom we think has been murdered early on. It turns out that it was someone else whose face was altered to look like hers. Detective Phil Winston (Talbot) investigates the situation.

This is a good haunted house mystery, but unfortunately suffers from a terrible print and bad sound. Nevertheless it's fun to see Ginger and Talbot, both of whom are very good. If you can tolerate the print, you'll enjoy it.

Two Courses

[tedg · 14 November 2004]

Spoilers herein.

I've been slogging through many 1930's film mysteries. Dozens of them, and this is one of the most interesting. I've seen it three times now and still can't figure it all out. That's a good sign.

It starts simple enough, and follows a standard pattern established over decades in radio mysteries: a raffish detective, incompetent comic police, beautiful girls, society people. There's a puzzle, hidden passages and a villain dressed in a black silk hood and gown. That villain has an evil laugh inherited from radio conventions.

Things chug along predictably until the end which has a pretty interesting twist. The twist is on the notion of twist itself as the bad guy is someone you suspect and for the reason you suspect. The twist is that there are two conspiracies working at cross-purposes. So even though the solution itself is mundane, the next to the last step toward the solution is pretty darn clever.

Oh, and a very young and pretty Ginger Rogers is the girl.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

If it weren't for Ginger Rigers this would have been long lost to the ages

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 13 April 2008]

A Ginger Rogers movie from 1932 that played well into the 1940's on her name alone.

The story concerns the deaths thirteen years after a dinner party where the host died and the 13th guest never showed up. The mystery concerns attempts of persons to unlock the mystery of the will read at that fateful dinner party.

The movie is old time and not bad. The dialog is mostly well done and the acting and direction is more realistic then one would expect from an independent production. Interestingly two of the characters are all but named as gay lovers, something that I find incredible simply because I've never seen this listed in a gay friendly histories of Hollywood and Hollywood films.(Then Again I haven't really looked) I liked it I didn't love it. Its not a bad time passer but its not something you want to search out, but its not something to turn off if you see it late at night.

Frankly even though its an average thriller I have no doubt that it would have disappeared had Ginger not been it.

"At the sound of the gong, the time will be......"

[Mike-764 · 5/10 · 20 January 2005]

A millionaire Morgan invited 12 of his family members to his house for a dinner party (but only 11 showed up), but the host died in the middle of the event. Thirteen years later the house remains boarded up when Morgan's daughter Mary arrives, but is killed by a mysterious person walking in the house. Captain Ryan calls in investigator Phil Winston to help solve the case. Winston and Ryan suspect the family lawyer Barksdale, but later he is found murdered in the house. The two believe that one of the people invited to the party is the killer and question all the family members, but later Mary Morgan reappears and Winston finds out someone hired a woman to impersonate her in order to get her inheritance. Winston has to make sure all of the family members are watched, in order to make sure the real Mary Morgan doesn't become a victim. I was slightly disappointed by the movie considering it struggled to flow smoothly in terms of direction and script. Talbot was playing the role as if to get some scout from MGM to notice him. The rest of the cast (including Rogers) played their roles to the typical Old Dark House mystery movie stereotype. The film seemed to appear to be the first of a series with Talbot's character. It should have been better. Rating, 5.

An agreeable little cheap mystery

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 26 October 2010]

Monogram Pictures was a very low-budget studio that specialized in cheap and exciting films. They were NOT a studio to make operettas or Shakespeare--that's for sure. Some of there films hold up well after all of these years--many of them don't. I have not yet seen a Monogram film I would consider great but they were often quite fun. Fun, cheap and entertaining is how I would describe "The Thirteenth Guest". While the film has many plot holes and problems, the overall film is pretty good for a B-movie. The film is one of those ridiculously impossible and complex murder films that is fun to watch but dumb when you actually think about it. Only in this sort of film or a Charlie Chan film (many of which were also made by Monogram) film would do.

The film begins with a lady being horribly electrocuted by some maniac--though who did it is uncertain. Oddly, instead of the police heading the investigation, they ask a private detective (Lyle Talbot) to run things--a plot element that makes not one bit of sense. Eventually, Talbot and the police learn that the murder (and subsequent murders) are probably related to a weird dinner that had happened many years earlier. The man who threw the dinner party was very rich and he died during the dinner! His will incredibly stated that the thirteenth guest to arrive would inherit his fortunate--but only twelve show. His wife was odd, as she left the house and the room where the rich guy died exactly as it was during the party--and the killer would then prop the bodies of each victim in their original seats from the party!! Weird stuff alright and the killer turns out to be the one who looked like a killer the first time I saw them! Make of that what you will.

A nice fast-paced plot with some cool murders cannot completely undo the ridiculousness of it all as well as some plot problems. Other than having a private citizen lead the investigation, there is a plastic surgery angle that makes no sense as well as some overly obnoxious suspects--too obnoxious to be real. Worth watching (especially since it's in the public domain) but not one to rush out to see--unless you are dying to see Ginger Rogers in one of her earliest roles (though, unfortunately, her acting and character are both a bit rough).

Average Whodunit

[Lechuguilla · 5/10 · 26 December 2015]

A young woman named Marie Morgan (Ginger Rogers) arrives at night at a presumably vacant old house, and is quickly murdered by person unknown. A private detective named Phil Winston (Lyle Talbot) proceeds to investigate, with the help of an annoyingly grumpy cop and his bumbling sidekick.

As the whodunit plot moves along, various characters reveal the backstory, involving a rich old man who invites thirteen guests to a dinner party at which time he will announce who inherits his estate; problem is the old man dies at the dinner without revealing his secret.

The main problem is a script that is so convoluted that it's almost impossible to figure out the puzzle's solution. Once known, the solution is not remotely believable, and there are significant plot holes. Still, there's enough suspense to keep the viewer watching despite a substandard script. Dialogue comes across as stiff and stilted at times but there are a few good lines.

Before the killer's identity is known, this person appears in a few scenes wearing bizarre garb that covers his/her body completely; the costume makes the person look a little like spider man. The film's prod design is cheap looking. Most of the action takes place indoors and mostly at night.

Casting is acceptable except for the presence of Lyle Talbot who just doesn't have the mystery persona of someone like Sidney Toler or Warner Oland. Indeed, if the film had been made as a Charlie Chan thriller, I think it would have been better.

For all its faults, "The Thirteenth Guest" is worth watching once, owing to adequate suspense in a spooky old house with hidden rooms and a masked killer. Overall, it's an average whodunit for the era in which it was made.

Unlucky Number.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 20 June 2014]

Unlucky numbers aren't that common across the globe, and they vary. I don't know how Western Europe settled on thirteen. To the Chinese, four is the unlucky number. There are no fourth floors in old Chinese hotels. I just threw that datum in I had to learn it once. I don't see why anybody else should be excused.

To make up for it, I will now give away the snappiest line in the movie. "Poor Marjorie. Your soul must look like the inside of a vinegar bottle." I didn't say it was a flight of poetry. I just said it was the best line, which should give you some idea of what the rest of the lines are like.

It's a haunted house mystery. Thirteen years ago, a dinner was given in his ancient house. The thirteenth guest failed to show up. Then the house was shut up and now, thirteen years later, the original thirteen guests receive invitations to show up again. There's a great deal of money at stake since the host, having died, has left his fortune to one or more of the guests and they're all anxious to find out who gets what. One by one, the guests get picked off, despite the presence of the brusque police captain, J. Farrell MacDonald, and the suave private investigator, Lyle Talbot. (Sounds like Agatha Christie at this point.) The murderer creeps, masked, through secret rooms in a black hooded cape and wears gloves. We see the shadow of his clawed hand against the wall, and he pipes up with the theatrical guffaw of a complete maniac. (Now it's beginning to sound like Abbott and Costello.)

I've always wondered who pays these private investigators. The word "fee" sometimes shows up in Sherlock Holmes. Hercule Poirot is sometimes hired, but more often just happens to be present when the crime takes place. I've often wondered whether he was a serial murderer himself. Coincidence is one thing, but a correlation approaching unity is another. Charlie Chan never seemed to bother about money. He may have been on per diem from the Honolulu Police Department. In more carefully constructed detective stories the gum shoe usually is hired for his services. The negotiation provided some amusing moments in "The Maltese Falcon."

The first half hour or so is a little dull. It belongs to MacDonald as the cop in charge. He stomps around shouting orders. Talbot is so smooth that by the time he appears he seems to have slid into the story on greased skids. But Ginger Rogers enters and it seems to be spiced up. Madonna, she was cute as hell. Wait. Let me look up her age when this was made. Okay. She was twenty-one. Nice figure, as the public would discover in a few more years. And she could dance too.

Creepy old houses like this one can have a lot of promise, whether they're done seriously ("The Haunting") or used in a comedy ("Murder He Says"). This one is without distinction. It's not bad, not insulting, just strictly routine. Don't bother going out of your way to catch it.

THE THIRTEENTH GUEST (Albert Ray, 1932) **

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 9 February 2007]

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).

A classic "old house" mystery!

[Norm-30 · 10/10 · 23 June 1999]

This is one of Roger's & Talbot's earliest film and, by far the best of the "13th Guest" films" (several remakes were done).

At a dinner party many years ago, 13 people were invited, but only 12 showed up. The host died at the table, and the house was closed up for many, many years. Then, the bodies of the people who attended that dinner party started turning up in that abandoned house, sitting in the same chairs they occupied so long ago.

It turns out they are being murdered by a black-cloaked figure who just MIGHT have been one of dinner guests. He peers out thru a secret viewing hole, and cackles insanely after he murders someone.

A very, very eerie film!

an early talkie Who-dunnit

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 23 October 2014]

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.

By B-movie standards, not bad

[vert001 · 5/10 · 27 January 2016]

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.

Ginger Rogers plays a young heiress in this "shocking" mystery.

[cgvsluis · 6/10 · 17 March 2024]

The owner of an Estate invited thirteen guests to dinner to reveal the inheritors of his will. The thirteenth guest never arrived and the host passed away without revealing their identity. The house has been boarded up for years exactly as it was that night when Miss Morgan on the eve of her 21st birthday is invited to the house.

This is such a fun little mystery with Ginger Rogers starring as Miss Morgan and Lyle Talbot as the private investigator and playboy Phil Winston. There are sliding panels and a cackling hooded figure who is luring and then electrocuting individuals amongst the original twelve guests using a metal phone.

Based on the novel by Armitage Trail (of Scarface fame), this is well worth the watch by classic film fans and mystery fans as it keeps your guessing as to the identity of the hooded figure.

Who is killing anyway???

[elo-equipamentos · 6/10 · 27 June 2017]

Typical thirties movie made by Monogran Pictures with Ginger Rogers in good shape and beauty like ever starring this mystery about a young girl who has an inheritance from his father who was afraid about your daughter's security, so he decides to give his money after she turns twenty one years old, when she is ready, the lawyer invites her to goes to old father's house to hear the will, but nobody came, although a hidden man try to kill her, so police department are in charge to investigate this case, funny and silly story told a dozen times, the movie has some importance by Gingers Roger's presence and some funny characters whose in some points of the movie stolen the show!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6

One may be the loneliest number, but I'll take it over thirteen any day.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 31 March 2016]

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.

A macabre banquet table

[greenbudgie · 7/10 · 10 March 2021]

This good Monogram mystery gets more than a bit macabre at times with shots of corpses sat down at a dinner table. The very same table that 13 years earlier had been the setting of a family banquet held at the reading of a will. A banquet with 13 place settings but with one unoccupied seat due to a mystery guest who never arrived. Now at the same table sits a young woman who seems to be remembering the people at that banquet and the positions in which they sat. In her hand she holds a note that is giving her the clue of 13-13-13.

This is an unusual variation of a typical 1930s mystery plot of an heir to a will who comes into their inheritance after some years of waiting. Marie Morgan turns 21 years of age and is about to inherit. She is surrounded by a family that loathe each other. Her only friend among them is her affectionate brother she calls Bud. There seems to be a conspiracy to kill off members of the family after they have been lured to an old abandoned house where that 13 year old banquet took place.

The plot involves a false identity and a bakerlite phone which can somehow conduct electricity and a hooded murderer who emits a scary scream when they kill. There is an entertaining scene of an upper crust family all dressed in their finery being taunted by their downbeat cellmates. It's interesting to see Ginger Rogers in one of her early mystery roles before she found A-picture stardom. And there is some slightly risque pieces of Pre-Code humor among the movie's many good comic sequences.

"Every man and his dog knows the story..."

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 13 April 2023]

Years ago there was a dinner at an old dark house with thirteen guests invited. Only twelve showed up. Flash forward to the future and murders are being committed at that same house with the original twelve guests. Something about an inheritance. Honestly it's a confusing old creaker. It's never as much fun as you would hope from this type of movie. Notable for being an early Ginger Rogers film and for being based on the only other novel by the guy who wrote Scarface. It's watchable enough I suppose but very dry and a bit of a chore at times. Avid fans of the period and genre will likely enjoy it more.

Better Than Average Mystery - The 13th Guest

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 28 August 2018]

One of the earliest appearances of Ginger Rogers before she teamed up with Fred Astaire and became famous. That alone is worth five stars. However, a clever story line and hammy acting by the usual suspects make for a Charlie Chan solution (get all the suspects in one room to figure out the crime). The costume of the killer, which you see early in the film looks just like BATMAN! (look at the poster!). Is this the origin of BATMAN? One can only guess. The lead actor is ok and the comedy relief is fine, but it is the story and the twist ending that earns the other two stars. Let me tell you exactly how it ends:.......................No.

Even Ginger and Lyle couldn't help

[kyivguy · 5/10 · 22 December 2021]

The 1943 version The Mystery of the Thirteenth Guest has better production and direction. This version with it's stilted dialog and poor editing is rather slow and disjointed.

Pretty Ginger Rogers In A Haunted House!

[MarcoAntonio1 · 10/10 · 4 August 2005]

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.

The Thirteenth Guest review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 18 April 2020]

Thirteen years after a dinner party at which a mysterious thirteenth guest failed to show, the other diners are being murdered. An early Ginger Rogers murder mystery which is pretty much worth watching only for her. She plays an heiress who finds herself the target of a mystery killer who claims his victims by having them answer a call on a phone he's rigged with a few thousand volts. Lyle Talbot is the handsome but bland hero with an annoying habit of patronising Rogers' character by repeatedly referring to her as 'little girl.'

Uneven Dozen

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 31 July 2008]

The DVD sleeve's synopsis offers a good preview: "A wealthy gentleman hosts a dinner party where he is going to reveal the heir to his fortune, in front of the thirteen guests attending the dinner. Unfortunately, only twelve people show up for dinner and the host dies before he can reveal the heir's identity. Years later, the host's daughter returns to her long boarded-up family home to discover someone is killing off the dinner guests, making everyone wonder who will be the next victim."

In the opening scene, Ginger Rogers (as Marie Morgan and Lela)'s recollections introduce the "guests", and reveal something critical about the plot. Ms. Rogers and Lyle Talbot (as Phil Winston) make the cast look promising; but, the real attractions are James Eagles (as Harold "Bud" Morgan) and Eddie Phillips (as Thor Jensen), due to the matter-of-fact way their likely relationship is depicted. This, and the "you told me to tail her" joke, near the end, are better than this otherwise dreary version of a done-to-death plot.

**** The Thirteenth Guest (8/9/32) Albert Ray ~ Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, J. Farrell MacDonald, James Eagles

Has a few good things going for it!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 9 December 2017]

Director: ALBERT RAY. Dialogue: Armitage Trail. Continuity: Francis Hyland. Adapted by Arthur Hoerl from the novel by Armitage Trail. Photography: Harry Neumann. Camera operator: Tom Galligan. Film editor: Leete R. Brown. Art director: Gene Hornbostel. Production manager: Sidney Algier. Assistant director: Gene Anderson. RCA Sound System. Producer: M. H. Hoffman. Executive producer: Bernard Smith. Copyright 23 August 1932 by Monogram Pictures Corporation. U.S. release: 30 August 1932. U.K. release through Equity British. 69 minutes. Filmed at RKO-Pathé Studios.

U.K. release title: LADY BEWARE.

SYNOPSIS: Late at night, a cab halts in front of the big, empty house at 122 Old Mill Road. The blonde passenger tells the driver to wait while she unlocks the front door. In the meantime, a man (glimpsed only as a shadow) enters the house via the back door. Inside, the blonde woman plays a flashlight over the moldy sheet- covered furnishings as she walks along the dusty, cobweb-shrouded corridor…

NOTES: The first film in which Ginger Rogers achieved star billing proved a lucky break for Monogram who kept the film in very, very profitable release until 1943 when they re-made it as "The Mystery of the Thirteenth Guest".

COMMENT: Dialogue "expert" Trail is the author of "Scarface". Although it has a few bright moments, most of the dialogue is self- consciously cornball and just plain awful. Most of the acting is stagey to boot. The only player to come out of the movie with any real credit is, oddly enough, Ginger Rogers herself.

Erville Alderson and a couple of the other players rate as not too bad, while M. Eagles and his pal are just plain innocuous. The "comic" relief, mainly provided by Paul Hurst, often comes over like a lead balloon, though Hurst's build-up does contribute to an agreeably risqué surprise fade-out.

It's Ginger's film and like all good heroines she puts herself in danger not once or twice but at least four or five times during the movie's complicated twists and turnings.

Faced with this over-talkative script with its preposterous plot, amateurish dialogue and shallow characterization, director Albert Ray has done wonders in spicing it up with a bit of atmospheric photography and even three or four effective tracking shots. Plus a cleverly executed 360 degree pan.

The art director and cinematographer are also to be commended. Oddly though, the star is way outclassed in the costume department by some of the lesser players. That's a turn-up for the books — as is the script which subtly (and amazingly) dares to thumb its collective nose at the bluenoses in the Hays Office.