''Desert Sands'' is a 1955 American
adventure film
An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...
directed by
Lesley Selander
Lesley Selander (May 26, 1900 – December 5, 1979) was an American film director of Western (genre), Westerns and adventure film, adventure movies. His career as director, spanning 127 feature films and dozens of TV episodes, lasted from 1936 to ...
and written by
Danny Arnold
Danny Arnold (born Arnold Rothmann; January 23, 1925 – August 19, 1995) was an American producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing ''Barney Miller'', ''That Girl'', and ''Bewitched''.
Early life
Born in New York City, ...
,
George W. George
George W. George (born George Warren Goldberg; February 8, 1920 – November 7, 2007) was an American theater, Broadway and film producer. His credits included the film '' My Dinner With Andre'' (1981) and several hit Broadway productions.
...
and George F. Slavin. The film stars
Ralph Meeker
Ralph Meeker (born Ralph Rathgeber; November 21, 1920 August 5, 1988) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of '' Mister Roberts'' (1948–1951) and ''Picnic'' ...
,
Marla English
Marleine Gaile English (January 4, 1935 – December 10, 2012) was an American film actress during the 1950s.
Early years
She was born Marleine Gaile English in San Diego, California. As a teenager, she worked as a model and performed locally.
...
,
J. Carrol Naish
Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (January 21, 1896 – January 24, 1973) was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 credits during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Naish received two Oscar nominations for his supporting roles in the films '' Sahara ...
,
John Carradine
John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later Jo ...
,
Ron Randell Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...
,
John Smith and
Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen (born Keith Larsen Burt, June 17, 1924 – December 13, 2006) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who starred in three short-lived television series between 1955 and 1961.
Background
Larsen was born in Salt ...
.
The film was released on November 18, 1955, by
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
.
The film was based on the 1954 novel ''Punitive Action'', one of a series of French Foreign Legion novels written by John Robb. Unlike many Foreign Legion films the film was set in the 1950s.
Plot
A strong force of mounted tribal Arabs launches a surprise attack on a
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
fort in the
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
n desert, having previously intercepted and brutally massacred a relief column en route to the fort. After an
Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...
-like battle, the more numerous Arabs capture the fort. Addressing the surviving Legionnaires as captives, the Arab leader makes passing reference to
Pan-Islam as a motivation for the attacks.
Various sub-plots ensue, until eventually another Legion relief column approaches the fort, unaware that it has been captured. The Arabs create the appearance that all is well and ambush the relief column as it enters the fort. Meanwhile, the captive Legionnaire survivors from the original garrison escape and join the fighting. Another all-out, Alamo-style shootout follows, but this time the reinforced Legionnaires are victorious.
The French flag is raised over the fort once again as the captured Arab survivors are led away.
Production
The film was shot at the
Imperial Dunes in California. The first choice for the lead was
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
who was offered $20,000 however his agent wanted $35,000 that the producers would not pay.
[p. 174 Weaver, Tom ''A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers'' McFarland, 25 Feb 2010]
Cast
*
Ralph Meeker
Ralph Meeker (born Ralph Rathgeber; November 21, 1920 August 5, 1988) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of '' Mister Roberts'' (1948–1951) and ''Picnic'' ...
as Captain David Malcolm
*
Marla English
Marleine Gaile English (January 4, 1935 – December 10, 2012) was an American film actress during the 1950s.
Early years
She was born Marleine Gaile English in San Diego, California. As a teenager, she worked as a model and performed locally.
...
as Princess Zara
*
J. Carrol Naish
Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (January 21, 1896 – January 24, 1973) was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 credits during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Naish received two Oscar nominations for his supporting roles in the films '' Sahara ...
as Sergeant Diepel
*
John Carradine
John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later Jo ...
as Jala, The Wine Merchant
*
Ron Randell Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...
as Private Peter Ambrose Havers
*
John Smith as Private Rex Tyle
*
Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen (born Keith Larsen Burt, June 17, 1924 – December 13, 2006) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who starred in three short-lived television series between 1955 and 1961.
Background
Larsen was born in Salt ...
as El Zanal
**
Marc Cavell as Young Boy El Zanal
*
Lita Milan
Lita Milan also known as Lita Trujillo (born 1933) is an American actress. Her film credits include '' The Violent Men'' (1955), '' Desert Sands'' (1955), '' Gun Brothers'' (1956), '' The Ride Back'' (1957), '' Bayou'' (1957), ''The Left Handed G ...
as Alita
*
Philip Tonge
Philip Asheton Tonge (26 April 1897 – 28 January 1959) was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he was a child actor, making his stage debut at the age of five. Among the stars with whom he performed while he was a boy were Henry I ...
as Corporal Sandy McTosh
*
Peter Mamakos
Peter Mamakos (December 14, 1918 – April 27, 2008) was an American film and television actor.
Early life
Mamakos was of Greek descent. Mamakos' father owned Pilgrim restaurants in New England. Mamakos was sent to California to scout lo ...
as Private Lucia "Lucky" Capella
*
Otto Waldis
Otto Waldis (born Otto Glucksmann-Blum, May 20, 1901 – March 25, 1974) was an Austrian-American character actor in films and television from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was also billed as Otto Blum.
Years in Germany
Waldis was born Otto ...
as Gabin
* Jarl Victor as Lieutenant Gina Mackie
*
Mort Mills
Mort Mills (born Mortimer Morris Kaplan; January 11, 1919 – June 6, 1993) was an American film and television actor who had roles in over 150 movies and television episodes. He was often the town lawman or the local bad guy in many popular w ...
as Woloack
* Aaron Saxon as Tama
*
Nico Minardos
Nico Minardos (February 15, 1930, Pangrati, Athens – August 27, 2011, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California) was a Greek-American actor. He died in 2011 in Woodland Hills, California at age 81, from natural causes.
Work in Hollywood
His fir ...
as Gerard
*
Albert Carrier
Alberto Carrieri (October 16, 1919 – May 23, 2002) was an Italian-American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for playing "Pedro Quinn" in the 1983 film '' Scarface'', with also being known for playing the role of "Captain Ja ...
as Ducco
*
Terence De Marney
Terence Arthur De Marney (1 March 190825 May 1971) was a British film, stage, radio and television actor, as well as theatre director and writer.
Career
Actor
The son of Violet Eileen Concanen and Arthur De Marney, and the grandson of n ...
as Kramer
* Peter Bourne as Weems
* Peter Norman as Dr. Kleiner
* Joseph Waring as Dylak Spokesman
* Bela Kovacs as Major Henri Panton
References
External links
*
{{Lesley Selander
1955 films
1950s English-language films
United Artists films
American adventure films
1955 adventure films
Films directed by Lesley Selander
Films about the French Foreign Legion
Films based on British novels
Films set in Africa
Films set in deserts
Films shot in California
Films scored by Paul Dunlap
1950s American films