The Mystery Of The 13th Guest (1943)

• Director
  • William Beaudine
• Writers
  • Tim Ryan(screenplay)
  • Charles R. Marion(screenplay)
  • Arthur Hoerl(screenplay)
• Stars
  • Helen Parrish
  • Dick Purcell
  • Tim Ryan

  This Monogram melodrama is a remake of the 1932 thriller The 13th Guest, which starred Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot. In the remake, Ginger's role, that of a woman who is both murder victim and murder suspect (honest!), is played by Helen Parrish. Talbot's character, a womanizing private eye, is essayed by Dick Purcell. The plot concerns a an anniversary dinner, a mysterious legacy, and a hooded villain who utilizes electricity to dispose of the heirs. While Mystery of the 13th Guest falls short of the original, it is in its own way quite a treat. Both films were based on a novel by Armitage Trail, better known as the author of Scarface.