The Night of June 13

In the new, pricey suburban development, it's an ill-assorted group of neighbors: climbing new money, snobbish old money, younger people who don't care, and aging wives who very much care about their husbands being gallant to pretty girls. Clive Brook comes home on the late train to find his wife, depressed Adrianne Allen, has committed suicide and left a note explaining that she has done it because he has run off with Lila Lee. To keep Miss Lee's name out of it, he burns the suicide note and puts his faith in the legal system. When, however, his neighbors lie about what they heard and saw to cover up their own peccadilloes, it looks like his reward will be the hangman's noose.

Stephen Roberts directs from an early novel from Vera Caspary in which she rips apart the morals and pettiness of people. Roberts gets a lot of comedy from the satire, and there are performances from such well-remembered performers as Charles Ruggles, Gene Raymond, Mary Boland, Charley Grapewin, and Helen Jerome Eddy. The production is more efficient than cinematic, but works very well for all that.

What we have here is a virtually forgotten gem of a film. Several Paramount contract players mix in a blend of comedy and melodrama. Gene Raymond is in love with neighbor Frances Dee but his mother deems her unsuitable.Adrienne Allen is a former pianist who had an accident and nervous breakdown and is jealous of husband Clive Brooks' innocent friendship with Raymonds' sister Lila Lee. Charley Grapewin is Charlie Ruggles father who is at odds with daughter-in-law Mary Boland. The story is very cleverly put together as we are introduced to the neighbors and how they all affect each others lives. There is a murder trial and all of the witnesses have something to hide. The film is written very well and it all comes together very neatly. It is a shame this film hasn't been seen in recent years, I found it very enjoyable.Hopefully TCM will air it one day until then it will languish on the shelf.

What a hidden gem!

Taut story woven beginning to end in only 77 minutes and delivers with the correct mix of pathos and humor.

Neighbors on a 'suburban' (before the word was coined) street embrangle themselves in each others lives to the detriment of all. Some nosy, some judgmental, some overbearing; all misunderstood by the others. Such a commentary on human nature to see what they want to see. And the ultimate harm that can come from such assumptions.

Straight up and solid performances from all. First-credited Clive Brook is OK if slightly wooden. Solid comic relief (as always) from Mary Boland and Charley Grapewin. Ruggles, usually the one with all the zingers, is more of a straight man here as the henpecked husband who gets paid off in the end. Helen Ware and Helen Jerome Eddy are perfect as the over the top moms. Special shout out to Adrianne Allen as the troubled young bride and Arthur Hohl as the nasty prosecutor.

If you like ensemble pictures with character actors showing their skills, this one's for you.

This one would be well remembered and more often studied today if only it had bigger stars in it. To all but the most seasoned early talkie fan, virtually everyone in this film is a complete unknown. For example, top billed is Clive Brook, who today is buried in obscurity.

The film concerns four households on the same street in a suburban town in 1932. Virtually everyone takes the train into work each day, thus showing us the beginnings of modern suburbia in which the place one works and the place one lives are separated by significant distance. These four households are intertwined through various relationships. One household consists of a hen-pecked husband (Charles Ruggles), his overbearing wife who is one of the last true believers in prohibition in its waning days, and the husband's dad who is an alcoholic and always in search of an odd dollar and an odd job in the neighborhood so he can go buy some more bootleg liquor. Another household consists of a young girl and her roommate who are just scraping by. One of these girls is in love with Herbert (Gene Raymond), who is in constant fear of his mother who thinks the girl is not good enough for her son and has threatened to annul any marriage that takes place between the two. Herbert is six months away from being 21 back when that was the age of majority. Herbert's sister Trudie has an innocent enough friendship going with lonely John Curry (Clive Brook). The reason John is lonely is that his wife has been an emotional wreck since the couple was involved in a serious automobile accident. The two have recovered physically, but the emotional scars are still there in the case of Mrs. Curry. Mrs. Curry's emotional state is only made worse by the fact that she believes that her husband is falling out of love with her and in love with Trudie.

All of these situations come together perfectly on the night of June 13 when one member of these four households is found shot to death and another member of one of these four households is falsely accused of murder. Collectively, there are several people on the street that could help to support the alibi of the accused, but they each are hiding something of a personal nature that they would have to publicly reveal if they came forward, plus none of the facts privy to each individual truly exonerates the accused, so they all remain silent. Or do they? This is a great little crime drama on top of being an engaging character study. I highly recommend it as - with the exception of the prohibition angle - it is not dated at all.

As stated on the website, Universal owns all the Paramount films made between 1929-49, and like most of the others, this one presumably sits on a shelf collecting dust. That's a shame, because this picture must be one of Paramount's best features - even at the age of 80. I imagine Universal feels it is too dated, but it is not. The ensemble cast are today all forgotten, but they had relevance in 1932, and all turn in outstanding performances. Starting with Charles Grapewin and all the way down the credits to Arthur Hohl, acting is several cuts above the norm.

If you read the summary or read through contributor's reviews, you think it plays like "Peyton Place" or a TV soap opera - but you'd be wrong. It is a character study set in a suburban neighborhood but with greater depth and plot development than either of the above. It is also a crime drama, and not really a mystery as shown on the title page. We are privy to the lives of nearly all of the characters, and this is accomplished in 76 minutes in a plot that is as absorbing and engrossing as well as concise.

Previous reviewers have rehashed the storyline, but you need to see it for yourself to get the full effect; It is way better than it sounds. Charles Grapewin and Mary Boland are outstanding, as is Arthur Hohl in a smaller role. "The Night Of June 13" is a sadly neglected gem from Paramount via Universal and which sits in a vault at Universal City.

Shown at Capitolfest, Rome N.Y., 8/12.