''Malaga'' is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Richard Sale and starring Maureen O'Hara,

Macdonald Carey Edward Macdonald Carey (March 15, 1913 – March 21, 1994) was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member. ...

and

Binnie Barnes Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. Early life Barnes was born in Islington, London, the daughter of Rosa Enoy ...

. O'Hara appears as a former O.S.S.

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

and Carey a

smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

. The film takes its title from Málaga in Spain where it was primarily shot on location. It was distributed in Britain by British Lion Films and by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

in America under the

alternative title An alternative title is a media sales device most prominently used in film distribution. Books and films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small change to the ...

''Fire Over Africa''.

Production

Although an international cast of primarily British and German actors was involved, American producer Mitchell "Mike" Frankovich and director Richard Sale crafted a thriller set in the

international city An international city is an autonomous or semi-autonomous city-state that is separate from the direct supervision of any single nation-state. Rationale for establishment International cities have had either one or both of the following characte ...

Tangiers Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

Location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

took place around Málaga in Andalucía with studio footage shot at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

, London from early November to mid-December 1953. The film's sets were designed by the art directors

Vincent Korda Vincent Korda (22 June 1897 – 4 January 1979) was a Hungarian-born art director, later settling in Britain. Born in Túrkeve in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he was the younger brother of Alexander and Zoltan Korda. He was n ...

and

Wilfred Shingleton Wilfred Shingleton (January 24, 1914 – June, 1983) was an English art director. He enjoyed a distinguished career in the British film industry from his debut in 1937. Some of his early assignments were several George Formby vehicles – hugely ...

. During pre-production,

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

and Indian actress

Nimmi Nawab Bano (18 February 1933 – 25 March 2020), better known by her stage name Nimmi, was an Indian screen actress who achieved stardom in the 1950s and early 1960s in Hindi films. She was one of the leading actresses of the "golden era" of Hin ...

were considered for lead roles before casting was completed. While Maureen O'Hara played a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

-type spy, her personal life was in turmoil after a messy custody battle following a divorce. Her casting in ''Malaga'' was instrumental in winning a court case against the tabloid ''

Confidential Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise usually executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access or places restrictions on certain types of information. Legal confidentiality By law, lawyers are often required ...

''.

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

reportedly dubbed at least six actors in the cast without credit, with one account listing as many as 14 roles being dubbed.Sellers and Morecamb
2000, p. 38.
/ref> One of the cast was Irish-born American actor James O'Hara, Maureen O'Hara's brother.

Plot

Joanna Dane ( Maureen O'Hara) is sent to Tangiers to get information on, and close down, an international smuggling ring. Dane is adept at

jiu jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subd ...

, firearms, and wisecracks that she uses on anyone who tangles with her. Her beauty, attractive outfits and skill with playing cards get her a position as a

croupier A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos. Origin of the word Originally a "croupier" meant ...

at a smuggler's hangout called Frisco's, run by the hard blonde Frisco (

). Joanna also is pursued by smuggler Van Logan (

MacDonald Carey Edward Macdonald Carey (March 15, 1913 – March 21, 1994) was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member. ...

), who she uses by having him take her to Ali Baba's, a parfumerie run by the suspicious Mustapha (

Ferdy Mayne Ferdy Mayne (or Ferdie Mayne) (born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel; 11 March 1916 – 30 January 1998) was a German-British stage and screen actor. Born in Mainz, he emigrated to the United Kingdom in the early 1930s to escape the Nazi regi ...

). During her work at Frisco's, Joanna is pestered by Danny Boy (James Lilburn), Logan's Irish assistant, who ignores her insults and warnings to let her alone. When the embarrassed Danny Boy threatens Joanna, she grabs him and throws him to the floor. Augie (Harry Lane) – another target of Joanna's surveillance—beats Danny Boy's head with his cane, knocking him unconscious. Logan fights with Augie, revealing he carries a

sword cane A swordstick or cane-sword is a cane containing a hidden blade. The term is typically used to describe European weapons from around the 18th century, but similar devices have been used throughout history, notably the Roman ''dolon'', the Japanes ...

by tossing the blade at Logan. Joanna accompanies Logan, Danny Boy and his crew on their boat the ''Banshee'' to smuggle goods into Spain where they are hijacked by a boat led by Augie. The ''Banshee'' manages to escape but without their cargo. Logan is arrested by the Civil Guard but manages to escape with Augie unsuccessfully attempting to assassinate Joanna. Joanna tracks down the smuggling ring, shooting Logan and discovers the real head of the smuggling ring whom she has eliminated by the Civil Guard.

Cast

* Maureen O'Hara as Joanna Dane *

as Van Logan *

as Frisco *

Guy Middleton Guy Middleton Powell (14 December 1906 – 30 July 1973), better known as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor. Biography Guy Middleton was born in Hove, Sussex, and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before tu ...

as Soames Howard * James O'Hara as Danny Boy *

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated t ...

as Paul Dupont * Harry Lane as Augie *

Bruce Beeby Bruce Edward Beeby (21 October 1921 – 20 October 2013) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in British films and television. He was probably best known for portraying Stephen "Mitch" Mitchell in the 1950s BBC radio serials '' Journ ...

as Potts *

Meinhart Maur Meinhart Maur ( hu, Grünbaum Menyhért, 18 August 1891 – 27 November 1964) was a Hungarian-German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1919 and 1954. He was born in Hajdúnánás, Hungary and died in London, England. Selec ...

as Jakie * Hugh McDermott as Richard Farrell *

as Mustapha * Eric Corrie as Pebbles * Derek Sydney as Signor Amato * Jacques Cey as Monsieur Duclois *

Gérard Tichy Gerard Tichy (also Gérard Tichy, Gerhard Tichi and Gerardo Tichy, 11 March 1920 – 11 April 1992) was a Spanish actor of German descent, who appeared in numerous movies, including several international productions. He was born in Weißenfels ...

as Cronkhite * Mike Brendel as Tiger *

Antonio Casas Antonio Casas (11 November 1911 – 14 February 1982) was a Spanish footballer turned film actor who appeared in film between 1941 and his death in 1982. Casas originally began as a footballer for Atlético Madrid, but entered film in 1941 and ...

as Aziz *

Dino Galvani Dino Galvani (born Candido Galvanoni; 27 October 189014 September 1960) was an Italian-British actor, who made his career in Britain on stage and radio and in films. He is remembered for his role in the popular BBC radio comedy series '' ITMA'' ...

as Hotel Clerk *

Harold Kasket Harold Kasket (26 July 1926 – 20 January 2002) was an English actor in theatre, films and later television from the 1940s. Kasket usually played Arabs or mainland European types in many films and TV programmes such as ''Maigret'', '' The Sain ...

as Police Chief *

Larry Taylor Samuel Lawrence Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee L ...

as Mustapha's Henchman

References

Bibliography

* Sellers, Michael and Gary Morecambe. ''Sellers on Sellers''. London: André Deutsch, 2000. * Walker, Alexander. ''Peter Sellers: The Biography''. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1981. .

External links