A bumbling bellboy is mistaken for a spy and sent behind Confederate lines during the American Civil War.
Hapless hotel bellboy Aubrey Filmore (Red Skelton) finds himself recruited into the Union’s secret service after a notorious Confederate spy is captured. Tasked with impersonating the captured agent, Filmore ventures behind enemy lines to gather crucial intelligence. His mission becomes complicated when he encounters and falls for a beautiful Southern belle, Sallyann Weatharby (Arlene Dahl), forcing the accidental agent to bumble his way through romance and espionage.
The film’s physical comedy bears the distinct, uncredited mark of a silent-era master. Buster Keaton was responsible for devising most of Red Skelton’s finest comic set pieces, lending the film a classic structure for its gags. The production also saw a change in leadership behind the camera. S. Sylvan Simon was the film’s principal director but left the project before its completion. Edward Sedgwick stepped in for the final two weeks of production and ultimately received the sole directorial credit.
Production Co: MGM / 90 mins / 1948
Director: Edward Sedgwick
Screenplay: Harry Tugend
Main Cast: Red Skelton (Aubrey Filmore), Brian Donlevy (Kurt Devlynn), Arlene Dahl (Sallyann Weatharby), George Coulouris (Maj. Jack Drumman), John Ireland (Capt. Jed Calbern), Lloyd Gough (Capt. Steve Lorford)
