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Comedy mystery

13 Washington Square

Year
1928
Length
70 minAFI 70-minute release record Version sources ↓

A status-conscious mother tries to prevent her son’s marriage while a burglar, a supposedly haunted house, and several competing schemes disrupt her control.

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FunnyMystery Great first watch · Easy Comedy mystery
The number 13 frames a cutaway house and concealed figures.

Image: Monocurator · source · Original Monocurator artwork

What to expect

The film turns an old New York house into a social and comic maze. Secret movement through rooms exposes how much respectability depends on who is allowed to enter, hide, or be believed.

How to ease in

The mother’s marriage scheme and Deacon’s burglary converge at the house. Let the mistaken identities accumulate; the architecture keeps the plot readable.

Heads-up

A quick, non-exhaustive note Includes class prejudice, burglary, threatened violence, deception, and period ethnic and gender stereotypes.
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Everyone believes the address proves something about the people inside it. I enjoy watching doors and hiding places make the house less obedient than its owner.

— Momo

Momo thinking about this film

Credits & versions

Version map

AFI 70-minute release record 70 min 70 minutes is attached only to the named AFI 70-minute release record. No unsupported cut, score, territory, frame rate, source element, or restoration detail is inferred. Source: American Film Institute — 13 Washington Square Runtime reference · Checked 2026-08-22

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