''Quicksands'' is a 1923 American silent

crime drama film In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

directed by Jack Conway, written by Howard Hawks, and starring

Helene Chadwick Helene Chadwick (November 25, 1897 – September 4, 1940) was an American actress in silent and in early sound films. Early life and career Chadwick was born in the small town of Chadwicks, New York, which was named for her great-grandfather ...

and

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

. The supporting cast features

Alan Hale Sr. Alan Hale Sr. (born Rufus Edward Mackahan; February 10, 1892 – January 22, 1950) was an American actor and director. He is best remembered for his many character roles, in particular as a frequent sidekick of Errol Flynn, as well as f ...

, Noah Beery Sr. and

Jean Hersholt Jean Pierre Carl Buron (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956), known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is best known for starring on the radio series '' Dr. Christian'' (1937–1954) and in the film '' Heidi'' (1937).Obitu ...

. The film was released on February 28, 1923, by

American Releasing Corporation The American Releasing Corporation was an American film distribution company active during the silent era.Soister, Nicolella & Joyce p.380 The company was founded in 1920, but was primarily active from 1922 until 1923, producing or handling film ...

Plot

Lt. Brill, a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

officer assigned to stop a narcotics ring on the

Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border trave ...

, breaks up with his girlfriend after discovering her working as a dancer the drug kingpin 'Silent' Krupz's cantina. However, he discovers she is actually an undercover

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

agent working with her father Farrell at the U.S. Customs Service. The three are captured by Krupz but are rescued by the Army.

Cast

Production

The film was shot both on a studio in

Melrose Avenue Melrose Avenue is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard, at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It ends at Lucile Avenue in Silver Lake. Melrose runs north of Bev ...

, Hollywood, and on location in Fort Huachuca,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Real U.S. Army soldiers, including United States Colored Troops, were used as extras. After the American Releasing Corporation went out of business, it was purchased by the

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...

for re-release as ''Boots and Saddles''. Dix tried to stop the re-release and offered $1 million to be released from his contract with Paramount, but the studio refused.

Preservation

With no prints of ''Quicksands'' in any film archives,Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''Quicksands''
/ref> it is currently a

lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...

References

External links

* * {{Jack Conway 1923 films 1920s English-language films Silent American drama films 1923 drama films Films directed by Jack Conway American black-and-white films American silent feature films Films about drugs Films about the illegal drug trade Films about the United States Secret Service Films about the United States Army Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Arizona 1920s American films