The Thirteenth Guest (1932)

On her 21st birthday, Marie Morgan (Rogers) returns to her family estate.  She was gone for thirteen years, after the death of her father.  Thirteen years ago, her father called the family together to discuss his will.  The table was set for 13 guests, but the 13th guest did not appear.  By the end of the meal, her father was dead.  That evening, they shut up the house, leaving everything as it was.

Marie has not spoken to her family, other than her brother Harold "Bud" Morgan (Eagles), since that day.  The family hates each other and will do anything to be the only person to inherit the Morgan estate, but Mr. Morgan left the majority of his estate to the mysterious 13th guest.

Before Marie can dig into her father's secrets, another person is murdered in the house.  The murder draws the attention Police Captain Ryan (MacDonald) and Private Investigator Phil Winston (Talbot).  Can they find the culprit before the remaining guests are killed?


The film is based on the 1929 story "The Thirteenth Guest" written by Armitage Trail.

The Good:
I discovered this film by accident, but was intrigued by the cast (Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot).  Rogers is best known for her partnership with Fred Astaire, but she is also a talented comedic actress.  This is one of her earliest film roles, and shows her ability to do dramatic roles.  Talbot was also a well-known actor, and while Rogers' Marie is the main focus of the film, he gets to do the heavy lifting as the investigator.  His Winston is exceptionally good at his job, while also imbibing the story with some much needed levity.  The side characters, especially Captain Ryan and Detective Grump, are entertaining and add to the comedy.

The Bad:
The Morgan family, with the exception of Marie, are fairly one-note.  They are portrayed as petty and vindictive and all have a motive.  For that reason (and because there are so many suspects), it is hard to know is the obvious villain.

Other Comments:
-The film was remade in 1943 as The Mystery of the 13th Guest, directed by William Beaudine and starring Helen Parrish.
-I watched this film on Amazon Prime, and the print is not the best quality.  Sometimes the picture is too dark, so it's hard to really know what is going on (especially during the struggles in the house), but the sound quality is fine.
-I've never read Trail's book, so I don't know how it compares.
-I enjoyed the film and Rogers performance.  It keeps you guessing and the ending is satisfying.

The Thirteenth Guest (1932) 69 minutes
Director: Albert Ray
Starring: Ginger Rogers as Marie Morgan
Lyle Talbot as Phil Winston
J. Farrell MacDonald as Police Captain Ryan
Paul Hurst as Detective Grump
Erville Anderson as Uncle John Adams
Ethel Wales as Aunt Jane Thornton
James Eagles as Harold "Bud" Morgan
Eddie Phillips as Thor Jensen
Frances Rich as Margorie Thornton
Phillips Smalley as Uncle Dick Thorton
Robert Klein as John Barksdale