Operator 13 (1934)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Richard Boleslawski

Writers:

Robert W. Chambers (stories)
Harvey F. Thew (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 June 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Plot:

Gail Loveless (Marion Davies), a spy known as Operator 13 working for the Union and Federal cause during the Civil War...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Civil War | Medicine Show | Battle Of Bull Run | Washington D.C.

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Marion Davies	...	Gail Loveless
Gary Cooper	...	Capt. Jack Gailliard
Jean Parker	...	Eleanor Shackleford
Katharine Alexander	...	Pauline Cushman
Ted Healy	...	Capt. Hitchcock (medicine show doctor)
Russell Hardie	...	Capt. Hitchcock (the medicine show doctor)
Henry Wadsworth	...	Lt. Gus Lilttledale
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Confederate Capt. John Pelham (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Willard Robertson	...	Capt. Cornelius Channing
Fuzzy Knight	...	Pvt. Sweeney (Stuart's groom)
Sidney Toler	...	Maj. Allen, aka Allen Pinkerton
Robert McWade	...	Col. Sharpe
Marjorie Gateson	...	Mrs. Shackleford
Wade Boteler	...	Gaston
Walter Long	...	Operator 55

Also Known As:

Spy 13

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed

Company:

Cosmopolitan Productions

Trivia:

Curly Howard of the Three Stooges was originally to have appeared in this film.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Sleepy Head

Outstanding b&w cinematography highlights Civil War spy story.

If it weren't for George Folsey's extraordinary cinematography, this would be just another B film. The story is totally implausible and the film's structure is rather disjointed. Competent work from Cooper and Davies (if you can buy her in black face pretending to be a slave, you can buy just about anything). What is mesmerizing and what keeps one glued to the screen are the images. MGM had suddenly achieved its "look" in 1934. Compare to some of its 1933 releases when the photography was still "flat." Here there is a remarkable use of light and shadow, especially in the use of silhouettes. The soft focus in one early dawn river scene is breathtaking. Why MGM and Mr. Folsey would give this such class A treatment for visuals but betray it in other departments is an enigma. Whatever, it's an entertaining and odd little film whose cinematography makes it a must-see!