The Thirteenth Chair (1929)

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Passed
1h 12min
Drama, Mystery
19 Oct 1929 (USA)
Movie

5.7 (728)

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Although his murdered friend was by all accounts a scoundrel a true "bounder" Edward Wales is determined to trap his killer by staging a seance using a famous medium. Many of the 13 seance participants had a reason and a means to kill, and... See more »

Director:

Tod Browning

Writers:

Bayard Veiller, Joseph Farnham

Stars:

Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Still of Bela Lugosi and Helene Millard in The Thirteenth Chair (1929)

Still of Bela Lugosi and Clarence Geldert in The Thirteenth Chair (1929)

Still of Holmes Herbert, Leila Hyams and Conrad Nagel in The Thirteenth Chair (1929)

Still of Holmes Herbert and Conrad Nagel in The Thirteenth Chair (1929)

Still of John Davidson (I), Mary Forbes (I), Holmes Herbert, Leila Hyams, Helene Millard, Conrad Nagel and Margaret Wycherly in The Thirteenth Chair (1929)

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15 photos

Cast verified as complete

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Conrad Nagel	...	Richard Crosby
Leila Hyams	...	Helen O'Neill
Margaret Wycherly	...	Madame Rosalie La Grange
Helene Millard	...	Mary Eastwood
Holmes Herbert	...	Sir Roscoe Crosby
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Crosby
Bela Lugosi	...	Inspector Delzante
John Davidson	...	Edward Wales
Charles Quatermaine	...	Dr. Philip Mason (as Charles Quartermaine)
Moon Carroll	...	Helen Trent
Cyril Chadwick	...	Brandon Trent
Bertram Johns	...	Howard Standish
Gretchen Holland	...	Grace Standish
Frank Leigh	...	Professor Feringeea
Clarence Geldert	...	Commissioner Grimshaw
Lal Chand Mehra	...	Chotee

Directed by

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Tod Browning

Written by

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Bayard Veiller	...	(from the play by)

Joseph Farnham	...	(titles: in sound version) (uncredited)

Produced by

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Tod Browning

...

producer

Cinematography by

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Merritt B. Gerstad

...

(photographed by)

Editing by

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Harry Reynolds

...

film editor

Editorial Department

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Ralph E. Winters

...

assistant editor (uncredited)

Art Direction by

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Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by

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Adrian

...

(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Lal Chand Mehra	...	technical director (uncredited)
William Ryan	...	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Douglas Shearer	...	recording engineer
Paul Neal	...	sound recording engineer (uncredited)

Music Department

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William Axt	...	composer: title music (uncredited)
Ernst Luz	...	music compiler: silent version (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Elliott J. Clawson

...

dialogue continuity (as Elliott Clawson)

Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated) (Tod Browning's production)

Distributors

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1929) (United States) (theatrical)
Regal Films (1929) (Canada) (theatrical) (as Regal Films Ltd.)
Jury Metro-Goldwyn (1930) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (acknowledgement)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	Although his murdered friend was by all accounts a scoundrel a true "bounder" Edward Wales is determined to trap his killer by staging a seance using a famous medium. Many of the 13 seance participants had a reason and a means to kill, and one of them uses the cover of darkness to kill again. When someone close to the medium is suspected she turns detective, in the hope of uncovering the true murderer. Written by Ron Kerrigan Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	psychotronic-film haunted-house ghost pre-code-era police-detective See All (56) »
Taglines	THE THRILL SENSATION OF THE YEAR! The celebrated mystery play that ran a year on Broadway! A Talking Picture you mustn't miss! See more »
Genres	Drama Mystery
Parents Guide	Add content advisory for parents »
Certification	Norway:9 (recommended rating) United States:Passed (National Board of Review)

Additional Details

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Also Known As	The 13th Chair (United States) The thirteenth chair (Spain) Тринадцатый стул (Soviet Union, Russian title) See more »
Runtime	72 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Color	Black and White
Aspect Ratio	1.20 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono (Western Electric System)
Filming Locations	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA See more »

Did You Know?

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Trivia	Completed July 16 1929, the first sound feature in which Bela Lugosi's famous Hungarian tones were heard. This was Bela Lugosi's first venture with Browning. Two years later, the director cast him in the film version of the Bram Stoker vampire tale after Chaney, Browning's first choice for the role, died. Lugosi and Browning made one other film together, Mark of the Vampire (1935), in which he played Count Mora, a knock-off of his more famous blood-sucking cousin. See more »
Goofs	It isn't a "goof" that the actors seem to be waiting for their cues before they start acting: many of the earliest MGM talkies employed a technique of long lingering inactive moments at the beginning and ending of reels, which apparently were supposed to take the place of leader when they changed over, perhaps accommodating the Vitaphone print versions. Years ago, when these titles appeared on TV, they didn't do that, so maybe Movietone versions were more succinctly edited. See more »
Movie Connections	Referenced in Bela and the Vampires (Bela & Boris Part 2) (2017). See more »
Quotes	Inspector Delzante: [Interrogating Madame La Grange, consulting his notes] Perhaps this will refresh your memory. See more »

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