''The Ninth Guest'', sometimes abbreviated as ''The 9th Guest'', is a 1934 American
pre-Code
Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...
murder mystery film
A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...
directed by
Roy William Neill and starring
Donald Cook and
Genevieve Tobin.
The film is an adaptation of the 1930
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
play ''The Ninth Guest'' by
Owen Davis
Owen Gould Davis (January 29, 1874 – October 14, 1956) was an American dramatist known for writing more than 200 plays and having most produced. In 1919, he became the first elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America. He received t ...
, which in turn is based on the 1930 novel, ''
The Invisible Host
''The Invisible Host'' is a 1930 American mystery/thriller novel written by the husband-wife team of Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning. It was published by The Mystery League, Inc. Though little remembered today, it did well enough in its own ti ...
'', by
Bruce Manning
Bruce Manning (July 15, 1902 – August 3, 1965) was a Cuddebackville, New York-born Hollywood filmmaker/screenwriter who entered the movie business following the publication of several novels that he co-wrote with wife, Gwen Bristow. Their fir ...
and
Gwen Bristow
Gwen Bristow (September 16, 1903 – August 17, 1980) was an American writer and journalist.
Early life
Bristow was born in Marion, South Carolina in 1903 to Baptist minister Louis Judson Bristow and Caroline Cornelia Winkler. Bristow became in ...
. The book, play and film all predate
Agatha Christie's extremely successful 1939 novel ''
And Then There Were None
''And Then There Were None'' is a mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, described by her as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939, as ...
'', which has a similar plot.
Plot
Eight guests at a deadly party are informed by the voice of their unknown host from the radio that they are his enemies, and will all meet his ninth guest:
Death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
.
Cast
*
Donald Cook as James Daley
*
Genevieve Tobin as Jean Trent
*
Hardie Albright
Hardie Hunter Albright (born Hardie Hunter Albrecht; December 16, 1903 – December 7, 1975) was an American actor.
Early years
Albright was born on December 16, 1903, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, to traveling vaudeville performers. He made his ...
as Henry Abbott
*
Edward Ellis as Tim Cronin
*
Edwin Maxwell as Jason Osgood
*
Helen Flint
Helen Flint (January 14, 1898 – September 9, 1967) was an American actress.
Flint debuted as a member of the chorus in the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' when she was 17. Her work on Broadway included more than 20 productions between 1921 and 1946.
Fl ...
as Sylvia Inglesby
*
Samuel Hinds as Dr. Murray Reid
*
Nella Walker
Nella Walker (March 6, 1886 – March 22, 1971) was an American actress and vaudeville performer of the 1920s through the 1950s.
Biography
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Walker, she was born and raised in Chicago. In 1910, she marrie ...
as Margaret Chisholm
*
Vince Barnett
Vince Barnett (July 4, 1902 – August 10, 1977) was an American film actor. He appeared on stage originally before appearing in more than 230 films between 1930 and 1975.
Early years
Barnett was born July 4, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...
as Butler (Jones)
*
Sidney Bracey
Sidney Bracey (born Sidney Bracy; 18 December 1877 – 5 August 1942) was an Australian-born American actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he performed in more than 320 films between 1909 and 1942.
Early li ...
as Butler (Hawkins; credited as Sidney Bracy)
External links
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American crime drama films
American mystery drama films
American black-and-white films
Columbia Pictures films
Films based on American novels
American films based on plays
Films directed by Roy William Neill
Films set in New Orleans
1930s mystery drama films
1934 crime drama films
1934 films
1930s American films
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