Thirteen Women
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| Thirteen Women | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | George Archainbaud |
| Produced by | David O. Selznick |
| Written by | Novel: Tiffany Thayer Screenplay: Bartlett Cormack Samuel Ornitz |
| Starring | Myrna Loy Irene Dunne Ricardo Cortez Jill Esmond |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 16, 1932 September 14, 1935 (re-release) |
| Running time | 73 min. (orig.) / 59 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Thirteen Women is a 1932 RKO film, produced by David O. Selznick and directed by George Archainbaud.
It starred Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne, Ricardo Cortez, and Jill Esmond.
Described as a drama/mystery film, with its plot revolving around a series of murders, it is also a very early example of a slasher film — a genre which has since became very popular.
It is notable for providing the only movie role for Peg Entwistle, who achieved notoriety when she committed suicide by jumping from the Hollywood sign shortly after the film's release.
Originally running for 73 minutes, the studio edited 14 minutes out of the picture after it received poor reviews. Several characters were deleted, including those played by Leon Ames and Betty Furness (in her film debut at the age of 16). It was re-released in 1935 by RKO, hoping to turn a profit by cashing in on the growing popularity of stars Irene Dunn and Myrna Loy.
Not a popular success either critically or financially, Thirteen Women has achieved a "cult classic" status in recent years. Modern critics have stated that its theme was ahead of its time and out of step with the tastes of 1930s cinema patrons.
[edit] Plot summary
Thirteen women, former members of a college sorority, go to a clairvoyant who reads their horoscopes. The clairvoyant is under the influence of a woman named Ursula Georgi (played by Myrna Loy), who was a student at the college along with the sorority members. Subjected to bigotry during her school days because of her mixed-race heritage and forced out of the college, Ursula decides to exact revenge by killing the thirteen women (or members of their family) who were cruel to her. The film follows a staple formula of slasher films, new at the time of its release, by setting up the victims and killing them off one by one. By the end of film, and before she is apprehended, Loy's character has caused the deaths of all but one of the women.
[edit] Credited Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Irene Dunne | Laura Stanhope |
| Ricardo Cortez | Police Sergeant Barry Clive |
| Jill Esmond | Jo Turner |
| Myrna Loy | Ursula Georgi |
| Mary Duncan | June Raskob |
| Kay Johnson | Helen Dawson Frye |
| Florence Eldridge | Grace Coombs |
| C. Henry Gordon | Swami Yogadachi |
| Peg Entwistle | Hazel Clay Cousins |
| Harriet Hagman | May Raskob |
| Edward Pawley | Burns, Laura's Chauffeur |
| Blanche Friderici | Miss Kirsten, Seminary Official |
| Wally Albright | Robert 'Bobby' Stanhope |
[edit] External links
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