IMDb RATING
5.9/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Union spy Gail Loveless impersonates a black maid in the early days of the Civil War, but complications arise when she falls in love with a Confederate officer.Union spy Gail Loveless impersonates a black maid in the early days of the Civil War, but complications arise when she falls in love with a Confederate officer.Union spy Gail Loveless impersonates a black maid in the early days of the Civil War, but complications arise when she falls in love with a Confederate officer.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Douglass Dumbrille
- Gen. Stuart
- (as Douglas Dumbrille)
The Mills Brothers
- Medicine Show Singers
- (as The Four Mills Brothers)
Ernie Adams
- Orderly
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough Curly Howard of The Three Stooges played the part of a Confederate soldier in this film, most of his part was cut prior to release. However, he can still be seen briefly in one sequence.
- GoofsEarly in the film, the bugler is ordered to sound "Officers Call". He does so, and a distant bugler in the camp repeats the call. However, the second call is sounded in a much higher key. In reality, both bugles would play in the same key.
- Quotes
Major Allen aka Allen Pinkerton: Operators 27 and 13 are not men.
'Doctor' Hitchcock: What are they, mules?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies (2001)
- SoundtracksOnce In a Lifetime
(1934) (uncredited)
Music by Walter Donaldson
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Played during the opening credits
Sung by Confederate soldiers in Richmond, Marion Davies and soldiers
Played as background music often
Featured review
Totally Bizarre
"Operator 13" might have the fixings of a cult classic if it was a better movie -- even cult classics have to meet a certain standard.
This film finds Marion Davies playing a female Union spy during the American Civil War, who disguises herself as a black maid in order to infiltrate Confederate camps. She spends much of her time donning black face and a grotesque, exaggerated accent that I guess was Davies' own best guess at what a black slave during the Civil War would sound like. It's all utterly cringey and uncomfortable, and at times damn near unwatchable.
Gary Cooper is a Confederate soldier who meets Davies when she's in disguise, then falls for her when she's not in disguise, and has that feeling that he's met her somewhere before. Even granting the film some leeway given its time period and the fact that white actors were frequently cast as people of color, Davies is so implausible as a black woman that the idiocy of anyone believing her ruse mostly ruins the film.
Aside from that, the whole film is weirdly disjointed, full of abrupt and disorienting scene transitions and ragged editing. It's like the film was edited by multiple people who each took a section of the movie and didn't communicate with one another. Hell, maybe that is what happened.
"Operator 13" has some entertainment value as one of those "you have to see it to believe it" curios, but it's not good enough to enjoy as a legitimate film nor quite outrageous enough to maintain your interest for other reasons.
The supremely unlucky George Folsey received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography for this film. It was his second of fourteen unsuccessful attempts to win an Academy Award.
Grade: C.
This film finds Marion Davies playing a female Union spy during the American Civil War, who disguises herself as a black maid in order to infiltrate Confederate camps. She spends much of her time donning black face and a grotesque, exaggerated accent that I guess was Davies' own best guess at what a black slave during the Civil War would sound like. It's all utterly cringey and uncomfortable, and at times damn near unwatchable.
Gary Cooper is a Confederate soldier who meets Davies when she's in disguise, then falls for her when she's not in disguise, and has that feeling that he's met her somewhere before. Even granting the film some leeway given its time period and the fact that white actors were frequently cast as people of color, Davies is so implausible as a black woman that the idiocy of anyone believing her ruse mostly ruins the film.
Aside from that, the whole film is weirdly disjointed, full of abrupt and disorienting scene transitions and ragged editing. It's like the film was edited by multiple people who each took a section of the movie and didn't communicate with one another. Hell, maybe that is what happened.
"Operator 13" has some entertainment value as one of those "you have to see it to believe it" curios, but it's not good enough to enjoy as a legitimate film nor quite outrageous enough to maintain your interest for other reasons.
The supremely unlucky George Folsey received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography for this film. It was his second of fourteen unsuccessful attempts to win an Academy Award.
Grade: C.
helpful•23
- evanston_dad
- May 26, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Špijun 13
- Filming locations
- Stage 8, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(mansion, army camp and country road "exterior" sets)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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