Officer 13

Lovely Lila Lee is the top-billed female, but she is generally upstaged by pert Frances Rich, who is given a juicier, if smaller, part.

Both deserved a long and well-paid career. Alas, today they are unknown.

Monte Blue had a very long career, though he too is not very well known today. He had looks and talent and did keep busy as long as he wanted.

Mickey McGuire didn't exactly disappear: He became Mickey Rooney, one of the biggest stars of the century. Deservedly. Here, as a child, he was probably the best actor on the set. Until he got just a few years older, he was controlled and in control, always perfectly under-stated and perfectly believable.

Alas, later, he needed firmer directorial hands than he usually got and he was too often over the top.

Again, here he was perfect, one of the finest actors in motion picture history.

He had a partner in the child part of the story, Jackie Searle. Young Mr. Searle was another extraordinary actor, but one who never reached the heights he also deserved.

They and a generally very good cast had a slow-moving story that still keeps one's attention in a taut drama that seems about to let the bad guys win, as is so often true in real life.

"Officer Thirteen," or "Officer 13," is a low-budget but more than adequate entertainment, one I can recommend, even in the not-so-hot print at YouTube.

It might have more historical than entertainment value, but it does have both.