Although there are some blinkered reviews here,this is actually an enjoyable Civil War movie.Marion Davies acquits herself well as an Union spy in two guises:Initially as a mixed-race maid(Of French lineage from Martinique!),and latterly as a supposed Northern Sympathiser of the Confederacy.She is appealing in both roles. Gary Cooper also gives a decent performance as the Confederate Captain/ Counter-Spy who seeks to apprehend her and becomes her Paramour.Even though this is not exactly his strongest career role! Add to this a stalwart supporting cast(including Jean Parker as a Southern Belle),and some fine atmospheric cinematography:Note the early morning "fishing" scene,and also the Romantic interlude with Gary Cooper pushing Marion Davies on a sizeable swing as she sings the nice "Once In A Lifetime".This is one of several songs sung by her or the Mills Brothers. Approach this Film with an open mind and you may well find it entertaining!

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.

Marion Davies plays an actress recruited by the Union Army during the Civil War to be a spy. Gary Cooper plays an officer in the Confederate Army who is a spy in the north. Through a series of events they meet, but he doesn't quite know if she is a spy or not.Davies' initial disguise is as a Black maid (she has fun with the accent and looks great in the black wig), but when her "mistress" (another actress from the north working as a spy) is discovered, she bails the South only to return as a famous northern sympathizer of the Confederate cause. Back in the South, she again meets Cooper.Implausible story is made interesting by solid performances by the leads and some good cinematography (Oscar nominated). The battle scene montages are OK, but the ending seems choppy and hurried. Still, Davies looks great.Big supporting cast includes Katherine Alexander (as a spy), Jean Parker and Henry Wadsworth (as young lovers), Sidney Toler, Douglas Dumbrille, Marjorie Gateson, Sterling Holloway, Clarence Wilson, Ted Healy, Robert McWade, and silent film villain Walter Long (as Operator 55).Davies sings "Once in a Lifetime" and "The Colonel, Major and the Captain." The terrific Mills Brothers show up in a minstrel show and sing a few songs and are especially good with "Sleepy Head" and "Jungle Fever." There's a stunning scene where Davies is sitting on a staircase and crying; the long scene is shot from below looking up at her face. Another nice scene is with Davies on a huge swing, being pushed by Cooper.After this film, Davies left MGM and moved to Warners, where she made four more films before retiring.

I came across this movie by accident and found a strong drama about people involved in espionage on different sides of a civil wardated of course, with assumption no thinking person would accept today, over dramatic? but very much in the style and mood of its ageone well worth watching if you are able to watch movies outside of modern style and ethics