A remake of the early Monogram movie The Thirteenth Guest (1932), this 1943 release is perhaps less effective owing to weaker leads but nonetheless is entertaining. The basic plot is quite similar, but there are plenty of changes that eliminate some of the pre-Code elements of the original and increase the comedy. Mildly recommended.
Monogram Monday: The Thirteenth Guest (1932)
A young woman (Ginger Rogers) comes to a house where, thirteen years before, a wealthy man dropped dead during a family dinner party. Strangely, though the house has sat empty, both telephone and electricity are hooked up. Sudden death soon follows, with echoes of the long-ago dinner. This early Monogram picture is competently done overall, …
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Monogram Monday: Forbidden Trails (1941)
Recently released convicts attempt to kill the marshal (Buck Jones) who sent them to prison, so his pals, fellow marshals Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) and Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton), go undercover to thwart the bad guys’ plans. The easy performances of the likable leads make this another entertaining entry in Monogram’s Rough Riders series. Recommended.
Monogram Monday: Trail of the Yukon (1949)
In the first of ten movies pairing Kirby Grant and the dog actor Chinook as a Mountie and his canine assistant, the duo are pursuing bank robbers when a battle involving a split in the gang ends with one crook dead and Grant’s character (here named Bob McDonald, though for most of the series he …
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Funny Friday: Library Patron Problems
Monogram Monday: Port of Missing Girls (1938)
A woman (Judith Allen) who has witnessed a murder stows away aboard a freighter, but she is discovered by the first mate (Milburn Stone). The gruff captain (Harry Carey) warms to the fugitive despite his initial misgivings, and the two ship’s officers look for ways to help her out of her predicament. Mildly recommended.
