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Although it is Jessie Matthews who receives top billing, Friday the
Thirteenth (1933) is, in fact, an excellent ensemble piece, featuring the
complex stories of a diverse range of characters expertly interwoven by director
Victor Saville. The script, a collaboration between Sidney Gilliat, G.H.
Moresby-White and Emlyn Williams (who also appears in the film, as the
villainous Blake), is propelled by snappy dialogue and punctuated by efficient
action sequences, creating a narrative that switches its focus seamlessly from
one character's life to the next. Some of the stories are full of pathos, others
full of humour; all are deftly tied up at the conclusion of the film.
Featuring an outstanding cast, the film is particularly notable as the first
screen pairing of Matthews with real-life husband Sonnie Hale; both are charming
in their roles. In addition, performances by Robertson Hare, as the henpecked
husband, and Eliot Makeham, as the sweet-natured Jackson, are especially
effective. Also memorable is Max Miller as the fast-talking, likeable villain
Joe; the comedian kept Jessie Matthews amused off-camera, as he had done when
they had appeared together in The Good Companions (d. Saville), released the
same year. Ralph Richardson, starring opposite Matthews as her fiancé, found her
"charming and delightful" to work with; he could see no signs of the impending
nervous breakdown that Matthews was to suffer later that year.
Indeed, Matthews believed that the film would be lucky for her. It had been
on Friday the 13th February 1925 that she had taken the first decisive steps in
her career as a performer, stepping in as understudy when actress Gertrude
Lawrence was taken ill. Although Friday the Thirteenth did not provide Matthews
a real chance to shine, it did perhaps bring with it some good fortune. It led
to a further collaboration with Victor Saville, the hugely successful
Evergreen (1934), which finally secured Matthews' position as a bona fide
British screen star.
Jenny Hammerton
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1. At the cinema (4:34)
