Thirteen Women - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Thirteen Women is a 1932 American Pre-Code psychological thriller film, produced by David O. Selznick and directed by George Archainbaud. It stars Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne and Ricardo Cortez. The film is based on the 1930 bestselling novel of the same name by Tiffany Thayer and was adapted for the screen by Bartlett Cormack and Samuel Ornitz.

Several characters were deleted from the film's final release, including those played by Leon Ames, Phyllis Fraser, and Betty Furness (in what would have been Furness' film debut at the age of 16). The film portrays only eleven women, not thirteen, with Fraser and Furness playing the two characters edited out of the film.

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The film premiered in October at the Roxy Theater in New York City on October 15, 1932, then released in Los Angeles, and a few other cities in November 1932. A limited national release came in 1933. Originally running seventy-three minutes, the studio edited fourteen minutes out of the picture prior to release. The film was re-released in 1935 (post-Code) by RKO, hoping to turn a profit by cashing in on the growing popularity of stars Dunne and Loy. Thirteen Women has been cited as an early "female ensemble" film.

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Plot summary

Thirteen women, who were sorority sisters at the all girl's college St. Alban's, all write to a clairvoyant "swami" (C. Henry Gordon) who by mail sends each a horoscope foreseeing swift doom. However, the clairvoyant is under the sway of Ursula Georgi (Myrna Loy), a half-Javanese Eurasian woman who was snubbed at school by the other women owing to her mixed-race heritage, eventually forcing Georgi to leave school. She now seeks revenge by manipulating the women into killing themselves or each other. She also goads the clairvoyant into killing himself by falling into the path of a subway train.

The victims are set up and killed off one by one until only Laura Stanhope (Irene Dunne), living in Beverly Hills, is still alive. With the help of Laura's chauffeur and lover (played by Edward J. Pawley), Ursula tries to kill Laura's young son, Bobby, with both tainted candy and an explosive rubber ball, but is thwarted. Ursula follows Laura and Bobby as they flee Beverly Hills by train, unaware that police sergeant Barry Clive (Ricardo Cortez) is escorting them. After confronting Laura, and apparently hypnotizing her into falling asleep, Ursula enters Bobby's room and is caught by Clive. She then flees to the back of the train and jumps to her own death.