The 13th Knight

    As February comes to close I bring you a look at two recent releases from Warner Archive, both of which cover two quite different kinds of material. First up is a blu-ray of “The Blue Knight” the 1973 TV mini-series that pioneered the concept of “Novels for Television” and stars one of the greatest actors of the screen, William Holden. Then, Warner Archive brings us a double feature DVD with two versions of the stage mystery “The 13th Chair.” One version is an early talking picture from 1929, and the other is a late ‘30s version with a number of familiar faces. 

    Based off Joesph Wambaugh’s novel of the same name, “The Blue Knight” was a “major television event” (when was the last time you heard that phrase?) broadcast by NBC in November of 1973. The TV movie/mini-series starred William Holden, making his first major appearance on TV in years, alongside an amazing cast that included: Lee Remick, a VERY young Sam Elliott, and future Mrs. Peacock Eileen Brennan. Holden plays Bumper, an LA street cop who has been walking the same beat for 20 years, with either no desire to rank up higher in the police department, or turning down every promotion he’s been offered over those 20 years. 

    Bumper is torn about retiring from the police force, but his young girlfriend, a college professor (Remick) hopes he will retire so they can start a life together. 20 years of walking the same beat day in and day out has taken a toll on Bumper, mentally and physically—as he still acts like he’s in his 30s, but has to come to terms with the fact that he’s a man in his 50s. When he does decide he’s ready to hang his badge up, he’s haunted by a murder that he’s determined to solve so he can “go out with a big one.” 

    I had zero awareness of “The Blue Knight” before I saw the listening on Warner Archive’s website, but I will watch anything with the great William Holden. But “The Blue Knight” has Holden at his finest, in a role that he won an Emmy for. According to what I could find online “The Blue Knight” originally aired in four, one-hour segments. Making it one of the very first mini-mini-series to be broadcast, pioneering the format that would become a staple of TV during the 1970s and 1980s. 

    Though originally broadcast by NBC in hour-long segments, Warner Archive brings “The Blue Knight” to blu-ray uncut, but presented in two-90 minute segments. “The Blue Knight” was later re-edited into a film for overseas release and it’s entirely possible that it was edited into these 90-minute segments for a later repeat airing. No one was saving material in the way we do now, so it’s likely those original four, hour length segments don’t exist in any acceptable form for home video anymore. 

    Segment length aside, “The Blue Knight” looks amazing on blu-ray, unquestionably the best this has ever looked either on home video or TV. The picture is sharp, with a little bit of a haze at times that fit the story—that’s in the film, you can tell in the way some of the sunlight hits the lens. The original mono soundtrack is clear and sharp, you can’t ask for much more from this stellar presentation. A must own for fans of William Holden or TV mini-series/movies. 

    Remakes, though they seem to have gotten especially prevalent in the last decade or two, are nothing new. Hollywood has been remaking films for almost as long as they’ve been making films. Warner Archive brings an example of that to us with their new double-feature DVD of “The 13th Chair” featuring two versions of the film made by MGM. Based on the 1916 stage-mystery “The 13th Chair” is a grand old fashioned murder mystery. Full of tropes that make for a great deal of grand fun.

    In a luxurious mansion, a cad has been murdered. An inspector is dispatched to find the killer and arrives on a night when the cad’s friends have gathered to have a seance—during which the killer strikes again! From our modern eyes, it’s all so delightfully text book. Though two versions of “The 13th Chair” are presented here, the 1929 version isn’t the first film the story was put on a film. A 1919 silent version was made—which as far as I can tell is lost.

    The first version on this set, from 1929, was directed by Tod Browning—who today is best known for directing Universal’s original “Dracula” and the cult favorite, 1932’s “Freaks.” Browning’s version stars future “Dracula” Bela Lugosi in the role of the detective (Side note, there is an odd connection between directors of these two films and stars of each director’s other works. More on that when we get to 1937). 

    Like many early talking pictures, the 1929 version of “The 13th Chair” feels very “stage-bound.” The film is deeply rich with atmosphere, but even though it runs at a zippy 72 minutes, it also feels a bit slow at times. It was my least favorite of the two versions included. The story itself is solid, and I liked it a lot more in the 1937 version. Now, that could just be me and my tastes. You could watch this and find the 1929 take superior. Let’s jump to 1937.

    MGM’s 1937 version of “The 13th Chair” was directed by George B. Seitz—best known for directing MGM’s popular “Andy Hardy” film series, and like the 1929 film starring an actor who would soon star in Browning’s “Dracula,” Seitz’s film stars Lewis Stone in the role of the detective—Stone, who is best known for being Andy Hardy’s father in the long-running series. 

    The cast of this version also features a few more known people, Dame May Whitty in the role of the medium, and one of my favorite character actors, Henry Danell as one of the dead cad’s friends. At a shorter 66 minutes, this “more modern” version of “The 13th Chair” is really good. It plays like a dandy B movie of the era—and I have a soft spot for B mystery films from this period. 

    Both films look good on DVD, there is a lot more ware and dirt on the 1929 version, but that’s to be expected and it’s nice that the film has even survived at all. The “newer” stock of the 1937 film gives it a bit more depth and clarity. This is a fun set and one you should think about adding to your collection. Both of these titles should provide something for everyone if your tastes are all about William Holden and murdered Cads.