. . . each more politically incorrect than the last, concerning ten little somethings. But when viewers went to their local drive-in to see the actual film version of Dame Agatha's tale, there actually were TEN of something (plus a Who-Done-It break to place your bet will the other folks in the Microbus as to WHO the killer was, and buy some concessions, of course). The skimpy movie studio behind THIRTEEN WOMEN (run by notorious tightwads) takes its source material less literally, however. At least two of the titular females were left on the cutting room floor (which sounds like a good start at producing a better horror feature than THIRTEEN WOMEN). Obviously, the producers of THIRTEEN WOMEN should have bought the rights to the title ELEVEN WOMEN, but I assume that the copyright holders may have demanded 50 cents too much.

Watching Thirteen Women I wonder what Merle Oberon must have thought. She lived in real life what Myrna Loy's character was experiencing in the film. It was only after she died that it came out that Merle was of mixed racial origin. She successfully passed her entire life.Loy who was in fact Caucasian until she became the incarnation of the perfect wife and mother played a whole lot of these exotic characters. She borrows a bit from her performance as Fu Manchu's daughter in playing a woman who is exacting terrible revenge on members of a sorority at a finishing school who discovered her background and used it to get her expelled. It was her ticket into the white world and respectability as she saw it.Using C. Henry Gordon as a phony swami she has unpleasant horoscopes made against her thirteen enemies. Loy doesn't want to just kill them, she wants to torment them and uses Gordon as her means. Loy wants maximum satisfaction.In the case of Irene Dunne who she sees as her chief enemy Loy also has plans for Dunne's child as well.A whole lot of women dominate this film as the sisters like Kay Johnson, Jill Esmond, Florence Eldridge and more. Ricardo Cortez plays the police sergeant who tracks down Loy and Edward Pawley plays another of the men she uses in her fiendish schemes.As this was a before the Code film, there was some frank talk about racism under the guise of snobbery. No doubt that Dunne and the rest were guilty of it. It drove Loy off the deep end and she enacts a terrible vengeance.A really good before the Code film that should be better known.

There may have originally been 13 women targeted for revenge but the cutting of the film obviously lessened that number considerably. Nevertheless, this story of one woman's mission to do away with the girls who snubbed her for sorority membership is worth watching.Myrna Loy, again playing the role of an Eurasian, is beautiful and mysterious as the revenge seeker. Due to her unusual beauty, she made her early career playing exotics and the low-key lighting of this film served her well in some of her scenes. Included in the cast are the then Mrs. Laurence Olivier (Jill Esmond), Irene Dunne and Peg Entwhistle (whose tragic real-life leap from the Hollywoodland sign is her only claim to fame). I could not identify Ms. Entwhistle so it is possible that her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.Ricardo Cortez plays the detective although he usually was cast as a villain, mob boss or gigolo. He doesn't appear until late in the film which might also say something about the cutting of part of the story. C.Henry Gordon, a stalwart in 1930s film, plays a swami advising Loy with his usual panache. She has her way with him eventually adding to the body count.It's true that the film is dated and a bit overwrought but for my money it is a good entry into the early RKO thriller category

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