Thanks for the memories!

Pretty Good

best movie i've ever seen.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

We all pretty much know that Marion Davies will always be known as the "kept" girl of William Randolph Hearst but for a fleeting time she had a basic acting career...and not even Hearst's oodles of money could have made her big.To be fair, Davies was actually a fairly good comedienne. Try Cain and Mabel and see. In this she gets to show off both sides...Comedy and Drama...but in the end this film is just pretty ordinary.The plot itself is a pretty interesting premise. The northern Spy network during the Civil War decides to try out a young actress as a spy in a Southern area. She decides to dress in black face and play a light skinned black slave girl. Her partner in this caper is a seasoned actress who has done a few jobs for the network and they both are sent to the South to steal enemy troop placements. They succeed but Davies falls in love with a Southern Spy master played by Gary Cooper.Your not gonna be real surprised by anything in this old and dated film but the real treat is seeing the Mills Brothers sing. They have a couple of amazing numbers in this. Seeing Marion Davies playing black-face isn't too huge a deal but she does her best. Gary Cooper is as wooden as he always was.Watching this you'll see why Ms. Davies decided to skip acting altogether and let her sugar daddy take care of her. Knowing what we all know now, it was a wise move.

During the United States Civil War, singer Marion Davies (as Gail Loveless) is recruited to become a spy for the North. Darkening her skin and hair, speaking in husky drawl, and codenamed "Operator 13", Ms. Davies becomes the "Negro" maid working for Katharine Alexander (as Pauline "Operator 27" Cushman). While in her African guise, Davies meets handsome young Gary Cooper (as Jack Gailliard), a confederate spy. Believe it or not, romance ensues… Davies found her niche in a series of fine late 1920s silent comedies. Then, she braved a successful, albeit shaky, transition to talking films. But, by "Operator 13", Davies was back in the inappropriate film rut earlier represented by films like "Janice Meredith". This was the type of film sponsor William Randolph Hearst seemed to want for Davies, and she did not learn how to market herself honestly. It gets better after Davies washes the black paint off her face. George Folsey's photography received an "Academy Award" nomination. And, The Mills Brothers are wonderful.**** Operator 13 (6/8/34) Richard Boleslawski ~ Marion Davies, Gary Cooper, Jean Parker, Katharine Alexander

I can't believe this movie was only 85 minutes long. It felt much longer.My dislike of this film is not due to the racist stereotypes or Marion Davies in black-face. I disliked this film because it's just not a good movie.While the story is an interesting concept, the movie did not pull it off at all. The whole film feels very disjointed and poorly put together.I usually like Davies, but I could see her acting (and over acting) in Operator 13. She is not convincing as a northern spy.Gary Cooper did a good job with the material that he was given. He was completely underutilized in this film but that is understandable: this movie was a Marion Davies movie. If Cooper had been given a better part he would have easily overshadowed her.Operator 13 really tried to be a good movie. It cast good actors as the leads, the costumes were fabulous and the battle scenes were well done. Nothing though, could save the movie from a horrible script.

I can't believe that Gary Cooper made this movie even in those days. It showed the wonderful lives of blacks in the Confederacy. I betcha' some of Duh-bya friends were brought to yearning for the good ol' days. It showed William Randolph Hearst wife in blackface. Unbelievable!!! Henry Long was seen by me for the 1st time in a straight part. Interesting. The Mills brothers were OK, but not nearly as good as in "Twenty Million Sweethearts".