Hitchcoc There is nothing wrong with this film. It's just pretty lightweight. It does have a nice cast and the theme of the supernatural helps keep one's interest. When the chief character admits to being a charlatan, we would think there would be a slide downward. However, Dame Mae Witty, who is no stranger to mystery, having played the role of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in several films, manages to put life in this when she has to abandon her "talents" and figure out a way to solve the case and keep an innocent person from being charged with murder. There are other supporting actors who are great characters and a tight little plot that takes only a little over an hour to run its course. I have a soft place in my heart for these early British detective pieces.

vincentlynch-moonoi This is a very good example of a film that MGM could have made an A list picture. Instead, it's a B film, but a pretty good one. A slightly better script would have helped, and probably would have made the difference.It's quite interesting -- using séances to solve murders. While that's nothing new, this was actually one of the early leaders in that genre (although this is a remake of a 1929 film). There are enough interesting characters here to hold your attention. As I was watching the film, I thought -- aha! A film that sticks pretty close to what was obviously a Broadway play. And indeed, it had been performed on the stage for about a year.The cast here is actually quite good, albeit B listers...but cream of the crop B listers. The seer is played well by Dame May Witty in what was her third "talkie". The detective is played so well by Andy Hardy's dad -- Lewis Stone. I always enjoyed Janet Beecher as a fine character actress, and she's here, as are a number of faces you'll recognize, but whose names you probably don't know.It's a decent whodunit, although a little too talkative in places. But stick with it...it's worth it and it has a few twists.

Michael_Elliott The Thirteenth Chair (1937)** 1/2 (out of 4) Remake of the 1929 Tod Browning film (which itself was a remake of a 1920 film) about a medium (Dame May Witty) who is brought into try and solve the murder of a man but during the séance another man ends up murdered. Now the detective (Lewis Stone) must try and figure out which person done it. This version of THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR is actually better than the previous one thanks in large part to some nice performances, good direction by George B. Seitz and a good story. If you've seen the 1929 version then you're going to notice that there haven't been too many changes here story-wise but what really makes this one work better is that Seitz does a much better job in the director's chair. Whereas that 1929 version was incredibly flat, this one here actually moves at a very nice pace and there are some effective moments throughout. The séance scenes are also extremely well-done and especially the one where the medium works alone. The opening title card gives Witty a huge credit and she is quite good here. She'll always be best remembered for her role in Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES but she's very believable here. The supporting cast is equally good with Stone turning in a fun performance as the detective and we've also got Henry Daniell playing one of the members of the party. Madge Evans, Elissa Landi and Thomas Beck are also good. The story itself has a few questionable moments but it's still effective enough for this type of "B" movie. Fans of this type of murder-mystery should really enjoy this one.

sol1218 ****SPOILERS*** Third version of the British murder mystery "The Thirteenth Chair" has British Inspector Marney, Lewis Stone, try to solve the murder of Lenny Spencer Lee who was found dead with a knife wound in his back at his Calcutta home a few days earlier. It's Lee's good friend John Wales played by Henry Daniell, who was to play future Sherlock Holmes' master criminal Doctor Moriatry, who suspects he knows who murdered him but needs the help of medium Madam Rosalie La Graange, Dame May Witty, to smoke him or her out. Using a séance with a number of persons, 13 to be exact, who are suspected in Lee's murder Madam Rosalie expects to reveal his identity but something goes seriously wrong. Duing the scene when in total darkness the killers identity is about to be revealed by Wales he himself if found murdered with a knife wound in his back with the murder weapon mysteriously disappearing from the scene!It's Madam Roselie who's been secretly working with Inspector Marney who smells a rat in all this in how the séance was manipulated and suspects the killer used it as cover to murder Wales to keep his identity hidden. Given a second chance by Inspector Marney to have a another séance with the dead body of John Wales, who's by now was in the last stages of Rigor Mortis, participating. It's there that the truth finally comes who in fact murdered Lenny Lee by his killer being tricked into admitting his crime even though he skillfully covered all he evidence that would have convicted him.***SPOILES***Overly talky British murder mystery that has trouble making its point in who killed Mister Lee but the fine acting especially that of Dame May Witty more then makes up for it. The disappearing knife act by Lee's as well as Wales killer was a bit too convoluted to take seriously but it did make for a very good surprise ending. With Lee & wales' killer totally falling for it even though it, with the fingerprints on it wiped clean, never would have stood up in a court of law. P.S In the early 1929 talkie version of the movie a pre Darcula and non English speaking Bela Lugosi,who probably had his voice dubbed, made his US movie debut as Inspector Dalzante;The role later created for Lewis Stone as Inspector Marney in the 1937 version of the film.