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Excellent but underrated film

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Campy and entertaining, there are flashes of brilliance here: tight shots on Loy, made up as an evil Indian mystic bent on getting revenge against her old classmates, some scenes where tension is built up rather nicely (I won't spoil them), and even a car chase scene, 1932-style. You'll have to suspend disbelief over the concept that the mind can be controlled by another via 'waves', but that's part of the fun. Loy's motivation is revealed towards the end as she confronts Irene Dunne, and it reveals the racial climate of the times: as a "half-caste Indian half-breed", she was not allowed to "pass" as white in a sorority. As she explains it, for half-breed men this meant being a coolie, and for a woman, she simply shrugs, implying prostitution. As with many films treating race relations at the time, it has a mixed message, on the one hand, pointing out the unfairness of the sorority (and how racist its rules were), and on the other, elevating fears of violence by non- Caucasians. It's interesting that the film has quite a bit of the framework of the modern thriller in it, but it's not fleshed out as much as it ideally would have been, and seems abrupt in places. Finding out that the original release was 14 minutes longer could explain that, but I have to review it for what survives. You could do worse, and it's actually kind of a fun movie. Oh, and last point – interesting to see Peg Entwistle in her only credited screen role, before jumping from the 'H' in the Hollywood(land) sign in despair. Watch for her character 'Hazel' early on.

In the early thirties Tiffany Thayer had written two books which depicted the plight of the half caste - "Call Her Savage" - a super film with Clara Bow as Nasa, a fiery "half breed, in a very sympathetic characterization, and "Thirteen Women" - a not so sympathetic treatment. At one point in the film Sergeant Barry Clive (Ricardo Cortez) says "she's one of those half-castes - half Indian or half Chinese". In fact nowadays Ursula Georgi (Myrna Loy) would have garnered a lot of sympathy. As a young street urchin being sent to an exclusive girl's school, the constant taunts and bullying from a particular sorority group forced her to leave and not be able to take her place in the "white" world. Myrna Loy is mesmerizingly beautiful as Ursula. With David O. Selznick as executive producer and a beautiful haunting score by Max Steiner, this movie was obviously designed as a class A production, so what went wrong to have it drastically cut by 10 minutes?June Rasko (Mary Duncan) and her sister (Harriet Hagman) are the first to meet grim fates, linked to a horrific horoscope chart that has been sent to 12 women, predicting death and destruction in their lives. The horoscopes were sent by Swarmi Yogodachi (C. Henry Gordon) and his original readings saw only happiness, but he is only a puppet and is under the spell of Ursula Georgi, who is exacting insane revenge for the treatment she received at school. When another classmate, Hazel Cousins (Peg Entwhistle) kills her husband and cries "I must have been out of my mind" - Laura (Irene Dunne) summons the rest of her school friends to a weekend retreat to show a united front and laugh it off.Helen Dawson (Kay Johnson), unfortunately, doesn't make it. She meets Ursula on the train and her hypnotic presence causes Helen to take her own life. I think Kay Johnson gives a very restrained performance in the small time allotted - I don't think she overacts. Her character is the only one who shows Ursula sympathy. When she bumps into her she recalls "You wouldn't have very many happy memories as we didn't treat you very well". When Sergeant Clive calls on Laura to explain what happened to Helen, Laura also confesses she has had a letter predicting her little boy, Bobby, will die before his next birthday. The rest of the movie is concerned with keeping Bobby away from some mysterious poisonous chocolates and a bouncy ball that will explode on impact. Wally Albright is just adorable - a real little boy and not a "child star".Ursula has dispensed with Yogodachi, sending his hypnotised body under a train and she has now taken up with Laura's chauffeur, Burns (Edward Pawley) - These old movies teach you never to trust a chauffeur!!! One event Yogodachi had predicted and that was Ursula's terrible death on board a speeding train.To see this film complete would be marvellous. Julie Hayden was one of the women whose scenes were deleted. She was a beautiful actress in the Ann Harding mold (she even played her daughter in "The Conquerors"). The films that I have managed to see her in, I found her to be a very sensitive actress but Hollywood didn't treat her well. John Springer talked glowingly of her role in "Thirteen Women" in 1974 so it must have been complete at one stage. Fortunately people like Noel Coward and George Jean Nathan did see a special something in her and she had a Broadway career.Highly Recommended.

With a trapeze mishap, the "Marvel Circus" begins a series of horrifying accidental deaths, which seem to be hypnotically predicted by an exotic "Swami" from the Far East. As the bodies pile up, a connection becomes clear; they are among the "Thirteen Women" who attended a boarding school with sexy mystic Myrna Loy (as Ursula Georgi). It quickly becomes evident that Ms. Loy is seeking revenge against twelve schoolgirls. They were cruel to, and exposed Loy, who was trying to pass as white. "Do you know what it means to be a half-breed, a half-caste in world rule by whites?" Loy asks. Sensible Irene Dunne (as Laura Stanhope) tries to reassure the still friendly women, but they are understandably wary. Handsome detective Ricardo Cortez (as Barry Clive) investigates the deaths, which threaten to include Ms. Dunne's cute son. There are a few good moments, but they don't add up.***** Thirteen Women (9/16/32) George Archainbaud ~ Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne, Ricardo Cortez, Jill Esmond

I great film! I liked it because it's got lots of action - suicide, murder, accidents...speeding trains and car chases. LOVED IT! Myrna Loy is styled up into another world...pure Hollywood glamor with a dose of Orientalism. Too divine. The good news is that's not too long....for those of you looking for a high quality flick...me? I'm happy with the costumes and sets. I like to show this one as half of a double feature. I saw this one Turner Classics and I thought the sound and quality of the print were great. The police officer sends a "telephoto" of the suspect. I didn't know they had that technology in 1931. Seemed like a FAX to me. What a stunner that Loy is...and from Montana yet! Billy