Operator 13
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| File:Operator 13 1934 Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Richard Boleslawski |
| Produced by | Lucien Hubbard |
| Screenplay by | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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| Story by | Robert W. Chambers |
| Starring | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
| Music by | William Axt |
| Cinematography | George J. Folsey |
| Edited by | Frank Sullivan |
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Production
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| Distributed by | MGM |
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Release dates
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $880,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,010,000[1] |
Operator 13 is a 1934 American romance film directed by Richard Boleslawski and starring Marion Davies, Gary Cooper, and Jean Parker. Based on stories written by Robert W. Chambers, the film is about a Union spy who impersonates a black maid in the early days of the Civil War, but complications arise when she falls in love with a Confederate officer.[2] The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.[2]
Plot
In the American Civil War, Union forces are in retreat after their defeat in the Second Battle of Bull Run. The Pauline Cushman Players are performing for wounded soldiers at a US military hospital. Pauline, a spy who works for Allen Pinkerton, persuades Gail to become a spy for the Union cause as Operator 13.
Gail, disguised in blackface, accompanies Pauline as her octaroon black maid. While washing General Stuart’s clothes, she hears he will attend a ball that night. At the ball, Captain Gailliard suspects that Pauline is a spy and finds evidence in her room. Pauline, trying to flee, is arrested and is to be a witness against Gail, who is later sentenced to death. Both women manage to escape and return to the Union lines.
Pinkerton decides to use Gail to trap Gailliard, and as part of the plan, she jeers at a parade of Union soldiers and is thought to be a heroine in the southern newspapers. Gail, as Anne Claibourne, is pardoned by Lincoln and heads south, where Captain Gailliard is attracted to her. However, Gail is later told by Stuart’s groom, a fellow spy, that she is known to be a spy and she flees in a Confederate uniform. Gailliard cannot believe she is a spy and finds her, but she strikes him with a gun and rides off. Others start in pursuit.
She and the groom hide in a farm house. When Gailliard finds her, she pours out her love for him. A group of Union soldiers pass by and the groom rushes out to them, forgetting he is wearing a Confederate uniform, and is shot down. The two hide in a well as the farm house is searched. They later part, and she watches as he heads southwards back to his own lines.
Cast
- Marion Davies as Gail Loveless (Operator 13)
- Gary Cooper as Captain Jack Gailliard
- Jean Parker as Eleanor Shackleford
- Katherine Alexander as Pauline Cushman
- Ted Healy as Doctor Hitchcock
- Russell Hardie as Lt. Gus Littledale
- Henry Wadsworth as Capt. John Pelham
- Douglas Dumbrille as General Stuart
- Willard Robertson as Capt. Cornelius Channing
- Fuzzy Knight as Pvt. Sweeney (Stuart’s groom)
- Sidney Toler as Major Allen Pinkerton
- Robert McWade as Colonel Sharpe
- Marjorie Gateson as Mrs Shackleford
- Wade Boteler as Officer Gaston
- Walter Long as Operator 55
- The Mills Brothers
Production
Curly Howard of Three Stooges fame was cast in a small speaking part, which was mostly deleted prior to release. Curly is briefly seen in the finished cut of the film.
Box office
The film grossed a total (domestic and foreign) of $1,010,000: $619,000 from the US and Canada and $391,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $226,000.[1]
