''The Legion of Missing Men'' is a 1937

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

film about the

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 ...

set in the

French protectorate of Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...

. Directed by

Hamilton MacFadden Hamilton MacFadden (April 26, 1901 – January 1, 1977) was an American actor, screenwriter and film director. MacFadden's parents were Rev. Robert A. MacFadden and Edith Hamilton MacFadden. His father died in 1909, leaving his mother to suppor ...

, it stars

Ralph Forbes Ralph Forbes (born Ralph Forbes Taylor; 30 September 1904 – 31 March 1951) was an English film and stage actor active in Britain and the United States. Early life Forbes was born in Wandsworth, London, the son of Ernest John "E.J." and Ethe ...

who had also served in the cinematic Foreign Legion in ''

Beau Geste ''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a rel ...

'' (1926) and ''

Beau Ideal ''Beau Ideal'' is a 1931 American pre-Code adventure film directed by Herbert Brenon and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film was based on the 1927 adventure novel ''Beau Ideal'' by P. C. Wren, the third novel in a series of five novels base ...

'' (1931). Singer and actress Hala Linda was married to Richard Gump, the composer of the film's "The Legionnaires Song".''The Pittsburgh Press'' Nov 3, 1937 It was the only film of Monogram's

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

imitator. The film features scenes reused from a silent film, presumably '' Under Two Flags''.

Plot

Bob Carter is a professional soldier of fortune whose expertise is in the use of the

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

. He has plied his trade for

Sun Yat-Sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

in the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a d ...

, the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

and with the Spanish in the

Rif War The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by History of France, France in 1924) and the Berbers, Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at ...

for de Rivera. Now he is content to be a Legionnaire in the 20th Marching Company of the

3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment The 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 3e Régiment étranger d'infanterie, 3e REI) is an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is stationed in French Guiana. Its mission includes the protection of the C ...

with his comrades in arms the American Muggsy and the Englishman Bilgey. Bob's world changes in a variety of ways. First half his company is lost in attacks by Shiek Ibrahim-Ul-Ahmed's insurgents who capture the company's cargo of crated machine guns and ammunition. Fortunately for the Legion the weapons are disassembled and none of the Shiek's band has the knowledge to get them into working order. Granted leave in the town of Zabala, Bob is romantically pursued by Nina De Bernay, a French

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

. Nina entertains the Legion but is romantically pursued herself by Bob's Sergeant Garcia; however Bob believes Nina to be his Sergeant's woman and does not pursue her. Arriving with a draft of replacements for the 20th Company is Bob's own younger brother Don who admires Bob's carefree action packed international lifestyle. Initially upset that Don has thrown away his university education and business potential away, Bob soon resigns himself to his brother's company. Problems arise when Nina, who can not have Bob and doesn't like Sgt Garcia makes a play for Don. Immature and oblivious to local custom and military disclipine, Don strikes Sergeant Garcia who gleefully has him arrested and vows to send him to the dreaded

Penal Battalion Penal military units, including penal battalions, penal companies, etc., are military formations consisting of convicts mobilized for military service. Such formations may contain soldiers convicted of offenses under military law, persons enrolled ...

. Bob breaks the

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

to appeal directly to his Regimental Commander to avoid ruining Don's life and the Colonel allows Don's release. Unknown to all, Nina uses her friendship with Shiek Ibrahim-Ul-Ahmed to have two of his men free Don and smuggle him to a port where he may leave French North Africa and

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

the Legion. Bob and his two friends Muggsy and Bilgey desert themselves to bring Don back. They track and ambush the party killing one of the Arabs, however the survivor brings reinforcements who capture the Legionnaires. The Shiek initially treats his captives kindly; in order to obtain information. He then uses the opportunity to have Don teach his men how to assemble and use the

Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun The Mle 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge became the standard machine gun of the French Army during the latter half of World War I. It was manufactured by the French arms company Hotchkiss et Cie, which had been es ...

s that they captured from the Legion. This is beyond Don's knowledge but the Shiek knows of Bob's expertise and tortures Don until Bob performs these duties. Bob agrees when Don is released. Bob has his party assemble the weapons but modify all but two of the machine guns by filing the extractors down so they will break after a few rounds are fired and jam the weapons. Meanwhile Nina arrives and sees that the Shiek has not got Don out of the country and instead plans to wipe out the French. Though trusted by the Shiek, Nina proves herself loyal to France by escaping and warning the Legion of the Shiek's proposed attack on a strategic French fort. The Shiek plans his assault with

fire support Fire support is defined by the United States Department of Defense as "Fires that directly support land, maritime, amphibious, and special operations forces to engage enemy forces, combat formations, and facilities in pursuit of tactical and oper ...

from the two machine guns manned by the legionnaires who are offered their freedom to switch sides. To ensure their loyalty they are covered by the two other machine guns that Bob has sabotaged. As the fort is attacked, the four disgraced Legionnaires turn their machine guns on the Shiek and his horde of insurgents.

Cast

... Bob Carter * Ben Alexander ... Don Carter * Hala Linda ... Nina De Bernay *

Roy D'Arcy Roy D'Arcy (born Roy Francis Giusti; February 10, 1894 – November 15, 1969) was an American film actor of the silent film and early sound period of the 1930s noted for his portrayal of flamboyant villains. He appeared in 50 different films ...

... Sheik Ibrahim-Ul-Ahmed *

Paul Hurst Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of club Grimsby Town. As a player, he was a defender from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, b ...

... Muggsy *

Jimmy Aubrey Jimmy Aubrey (23 October 1887 – 2 September 1983) was an English actor who worked with both Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, having gone with Fred Karno's theatrical company to America in 1908. However he left to start on his own in v ...

... Bilgey *

George Regas George Thomas Regas (Greek: Γεώργιος Θωμάς Ρεγάκος; November 9, 1890 – December 13, 1940) was a Greek American actor. Biography Regis was born in the village of Goranoi near Sparta, Greece, the brother of actor Pedro Regas ...

... Sgt. Garcia *

Frank Leigh Frank Leigh (18 April 1876 – 9 May 1948) was a British stage and film actor.Goble p. 232 Biography Born in London in 1876, Leigh settled in Hollywood and became a leading man during the silent era. Following the introduction of sound, his ro ...

... Colonel Laurente

Notes

External links

*
AllMovie.comLegion of Missing Men
available for free download a
Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legion of Missing Men 1937 films American black-and-white films Monogram Pictures films 1937 adventure films Films about the French Foreign Legion Films directed by Hamilton MacFadden Films set in deserts American action adventure films American romance films 1930s action films 1930s romance films Films set in Morocco 1930s English-language films 1930s American films