Moviecut—The Mystery of the 13th Guest

source: The Mystery of the 13th Guest

The Mystery of the 13th Guest

Like some of the other reviewers, I agree this was a bad, poorly made movie. The story line is good, but the comedic spots seem out of place in what appears to be a dramatic story. I would have liked to have seen a list of the full cast as I enjoy looking up what other films the actors have done. For instance, the child actor who portrayed young Bud also portrayed young George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life". Interestingly enough, the goofy cop in this movie played the taxi driver in "It's a Wonderful Life". I found the portrayal of the valet in very poor taste and offensive. I know African American actors had little choice in their roles at the time, so I don't blame the actor, but the writer, director and producer. I'm looking forward to viewing the other movie version with Ginger Rogers. It can't be this bad. Oh my!

This one starts out as a murder mystery, then turns into a cheap comedy. but people are still being murdered. and instead of taking it seriously, everyone cracks jokes. it feels as if the director had just worked with the three stooges. which he HAD! director Bill Beaudine was known for his comedies, but it just didn't work when the detectives and the police are trying to figure out who is knocking off members of a family. and how they are doing it. the usual secret passages and devices. and the explanation for the extra chair at a family dinner was so obscure, it's amazing that anyone figured out why it was there. it's kind of explained near the end.. it's related to where the bank box is....although a lot of the mystery is just verbally summed up by the cops. this one is just so so. not anyone's best work.

This is actually an ingenious plot almost reaching the level of Conan Doyle's worst mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, as there are things complicating the investigation all the time, with some left over question marks on the way which will bother you after the film is over. An old man of a grand family is about to die and ordains that his will will not be opened until 13 years after his death and then only by his granddaughter, then a small girl of 8, when she gets 21. The house is closed up in the meantyime, and when she comes there to open the will 13 years later the murders start increasing as the relatives start coming. There are many comic instances constantly interrupting the investigation and any tension and suspense and some weird surprises as well. But it is terribly entertaining.

Perhaps I am not as well-versed in movie history as others are. I don't know what a Monogram film is. I like mysteries and it was recommended in Netflix. I was surprised to see it only lasted an hour. Of course, well before the hour was up I was grateful for that fact. This is not a good movie. It's akin to a bad short story; you just have to finish even though you know it's not going to get any better. The grandfather dies and the folks who were at dinner 13 years before begin dying off. Who is responsible? We eventually find out, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why that person is responsible. The dialogue is insipid. The acting is not good. The lighting doesn't seem too good either. There's the hard-edge detective and the campy one-liners. It just didn't work. Spare yourself; there are better movies out there. There's nothing about this that I find worth sitting through.

I'm a big fan of B detective movies with wise-cracking heroes, but few of them are as bad as this one. The acting is abysmal, the dialog is flat (with characters making embarrassingly inappropriate attempts at witticisms), the story has a vaguely interesting premise but it goes nowhere. At least I think it goes nowhere. Honestly, about halfway through this hour-long movie my attention wandered and I went over to work on my computer while the movie kept running. I definitely missed some important plot points - for example, I have no idea who the 13th guest turned out to be, assuming that was ever explained. But giving this movie half my attention was still more attention than it deserved.

For Every Good Thing in this Remake from Director William "One Shot" Beaudine, there are Bad Things that Make it a Tough Watch. The Monogram Studio was Known for its Low Rent Productions and Often Hid that Shortcoming with Darkness. But Beaudine, Unfortunately, One of the Most Prolific Directors Ever, was No Val Lewton. So the Mystery Element is Succinct with its Foreboding Look and Musty Surroundings but is Negated by the God-Awful Comedy Relief that is so Prevalent, this Must be Called a Mystery-Comedy. Even the Masked Killer, while Looking Ominous behind the Peep Hole, is "Overshadowed" by the Goofiness of the "Sleeping Detective". Overall, if Lowbrid Compilations of Inept Slapstick and Silliness Mixes Well with Your Mystery Movie Input, then Have at it. But Most Viewers will Find this Dated and Dumb with Only a Smattering of Interest Interspersed Among the Shenanigans. Note...To this Day no one has uncovered the "Thirteenth Guest", and the identity remains a "Mystery".

I've met several people who feel that this version is much better than the original (Ginger Rogers / Lyle Talbot) picture. I disagree. All the "spookiness" from the original (including the black-robed 'phantom') is gone, and the film is "just another mystery". But, to each his own! Norm