''Action in Arabia'' (also known as ''Danger in Damascus'' and ''International Zone'') is a 1944

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Leonide Moguy Leonide or Léonide is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Leonide or Leonid of Georgia (1861–1921), Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia * Leonid Berman (1896–1976), Russian Neo-romantic painter and theater and opera designer * Léon ...

and starring

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

and

Virginia Bruce Virginia Bruce (born Helen Virginia Briggs; September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Early life Bruce was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As an infant she moved with her parents, Earil and Margaret Briggs, ...

. The film was based on the novel ''The Fanatic of Fez'' by

M. V. Heberden ( ; ; plural, pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the Ancien Régime in France, French royal court. It has now become the ...

. ''Action in Arabia'' was written by

Philip MacDonald Philip MacDonald (5 November 1900 – 10 December 1980) was a British-born writer of fiction and screenplays, best known for Thriller (genre), thrillers. Life and work MacDonald was born in London, the son of author Ronald MacDonald and actress ...

and Herbert J. Biberman. The supporting cast includes

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

and Robert Armstrong, and the plot involves trouble and intrigue with the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, who scheme to seize control of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

Plot

In the spring of 1941, American journalist Michael Gordon (

) and his colleague, William Chalmers (Robert Anderson), arrive in Damascus. When Chalmers is murdered, Gordon sets out to find out why. He is helped along by glamorous secret agent Yvonne (

), who is on the trail of a group of Nazi saboteurs. Intrigue centers around the actions of Josef Danesco (

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

) who offers to sell information, as well as French diplomatic official Andre Leroux (

André Charlot André Eugène Maurice Charlot (26 July 1882 – 20 May 1956) was a French impresario known primarily for the successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937. He also worked as a character actor in numerous films. Early li ...

) and Eric Latimer (

Alan Napier Alan William Napier-Clavering (7 January 1903 – 8 August 1988), better known as Alan Napier, was an English actor. After a decade in West End theatre, he had a long film career in Britain and later, in Hollywood. Napier is best remembered for ...

), the owner of the Hotel International, both suspected of having connections with the Nazis. Gordon enlists the help of Mathew Reed ( Robert Armstrong), a member of the American Consulate and uncovers a plot to maneuver the Arabs into an insurrection as a diversion for an attack on the Suez Canal by the Nazis. Abdul El Rashid (

H.B. Warner Henry Byron Warner (born Henry Byron Lickfold, 26 October 1876 – 21 December 1958) was an English film and theatre actor. He was popular during the silent era and played Jesus Christ in '' The King of Kings''. In later years, he successfu ...

), the revered Arab leader, has been deceived by Kareem (Jamiel Hasson), a pro-Nazi chieftain. When Gordon proves Leroux to be a German provocateur to Abdul El Rashid, it results in the deaths of Reed and Leroux and the wounding of Gordon, but the plot to attack the Suez Canal is thwarted.

Cast

As appearing in ''Action in Algeria'', (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: Action in Algeria (1944)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: July 17, 2013. *

as Michael Gordon *

as Yvonne Danesco *

Lenore Aubert Lenore Aubert (born Eleonore Maria Leisner, April 18, 1913The book ''Women in Horror Films, 1940s'' says that Aubert was born "on April 18, 1913 (although 1918 was given in publicity)." – July 31, 1993) was a model and Hollywood actress best ...

as Mounirah al-Rashid *

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

as Josef Danesco * Robert Armstrong as Matthew Reed *

as Abdul El Rashid *

as Eric Latimer *

as Andre Leroux (as Andre Charlot) *

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, ''La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and ''The Rules of the Game'' (1939). ...

as Chakka - Arab Henchman at Airport * Robert Anderson as William Chalmers (credited as Robert Andersen) * Jamiel Hasson as Eben Kareem

Production

Development

In April 1943 RKO announced they had bought the rights to an original story, ''The Fanatic of Fez'', about the work of American agents in Africa prior to the invasion of Africa. (A novelisation of the story was published in May 1943. George Sanders had just finished a long term contract with 20th Century Fox and signed a three-picture deal with

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

of which this was to be the first.

Shooting

Filming started on 1 October 1943 under the title ''International Zone''. As world events turned to North Africa, the original setting of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

was dropped and Damascus became the locale, with a budget increase of $100,000 given to elevate the film to a higher status. (The New York Times said this was a 100% increase and it happened three weeks into filming.) The title was changed to ''Action in Arabia'' during filming. Shooting was delayed a week due to an illness to Virginia Bruce. (Another title was ''Danger in Damascus''. Set mainly on the RKO backlot, the production relied on the customary sets that had been used in a variety of other films including ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Win ...

'' (1939). In the opening scene, the

Capelis XC-12 The Capelis XC-12 was a failed 1933 aircraft design that most notably was used as a Theatrical property, prop in the films ''Five Came Back'', ''Flying Tigers (film), The Flying Tigers'', ''The Falcon in Danger'', and ''Immortal Sergeant''. The a ...

appears as an airliner; the venerable movie prop had been used in a number of films including RKO's ''

Five Came Back ''Five Came Back'' is a 1939 American black-and-white melodrama from RKO Radio Pictures produced by Robert Sisk, directed by John Farrow, written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo, and Nathanael West, and starring Chester Morris and Lucille Ball. ...

'' (1939) and

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

's ''

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

'' (1942). ''Action in Arabia'' does include a number of scenes of Arab life including a desert scene with numerous extras, horses and camel caravans. Years earlier, filmmakers

Ernest B. Schoedsack Ernest Beaumont Schoedsack (June 8, 1893 – December 23, 1979) was an American motion picture cinematographer, producer, and director. Schoedsack worked as a cameraman in World War I, where he served in the Signal Corps. At the conclusion of ...

and

Merian C. Cooper Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker and Academy Award winner, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Air Force and Polish Air Force. In film, he is credited a ...

had shot footage for an unrealized film about

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

, that they were planning as a follow-up to their hit, ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'' (1933). This footage was integrated into ''Action in Arabia''.HOLLYWOOD FOLLOWS THE HEADLINES: Current News Will Be Reflected in Three Forthcoming Films By FRED STANLEY HOLLYWOOD. New York Times 12 Dec 1943: X5.Nixon, Rob
"Articles: Action in Algeria (1944)."
'Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: July 17, 2013.

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewed ''Action in Arabia'', considering it better than the standard "B" film fare. "... 'Action in Arabia' is the sort of buncombe you get in the muscular fiction field. Not that it isn't pleasant buncombe. Leonide Moguy has directed it for that flair of exaggeration which distinguished the best B-grade intrigues."Crowther, Bosley
"Action in Arabia (1944);The Screen; Gordon of Arabia."
''The New York Times'', February 19, 1944. Retrieved: July 17, 2013.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Maltin, Leonard. ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia''. New York: Dutton, 1994. .

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Action In Arabia 1944 films 1940s war films American black-and-white films American spy films American war films Films scored by Roy Webb Films directed by Léonide Moguy Films set in Damascus RKO Pictures films World War II films made in wartime World War II spy films 1940s spy films 1940s English-language films

Plot

Cast

Production

Development

Shooting

Reception

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links