13th Guest (1932)

Ginger Rogers' later popularity kept this low-budget comedy-thriller circulating much longer than most Monogram releases. Luckily, it was (and remains) one of the best written and acted of its kind, virtually bursting with bright dialogue and tongue-in-cheek performances. The mystery elements are standard -- down to a hooded killer, whose identity comes as a surprise to no one -- but everyone involved seems to be having a good time, and as a result, so does the audience. Even the inevitable dumb cops (J. Farrell McDonald and Paul Hurst) are truly funny this time around. The mask used to disguise the killer, incidentally, turned up again in the less well-apportioned, but still fairly good The Wayne Murder Case (1932), and Rogers, leading man Lyle Talbot, and director Albert Ray were reunited by producer M.H. Hoffman for A Shriek in the Night (1933), yet another success for the team. The Thirteenth Guest itself, meanwhile, was remade by Monogram in 1943 as The Mystery of the Thirteenth Guest, but lightning did not strike twice. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide