''The Desert Hawk'' is a 1944

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

. It was the 23rd serial produced by Columbia. Gilbert Roland played a dual role in this serial, that of Kasim, The Desert Hawk and also Hassan, his own evil twin brother. Co-stars included serial regulars Charles Middleton, Frank Lackteen and I. Stanford Jolley.

Plot

The sinister Hassan starts plotting against the recently crowned

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

, his twin brother Kasim. The evil twin engages the help of Faud who sends his man to the palace to kidnap the Caliph and murder him. These henchmen enter the palace and wound Kasim who manages to escape. A beggar named Omar finds him and cares for him until his health is restored. By the time the wounded Kasim recovers his brother has taken over the throne and plans to marry Princess Azala the daughter of the Emir of Telif who does not know that the current Caliph is an impostor. Kasim decides to fight for the throne and the princess after he finds a suit of chainmail displaying a hawk on the front.

Cast

Production

''The Desert Hawk'' is a "

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

" set in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

with swashbuckling elements.

Critical reception

According to reviewer William Cline,

Gilbert Roland Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso (December 11, 1905 – May 15, 1994), known professionally as Gilbert Roland, was a Mexican-born American film and television actor whose career spanned seven decades from the 1920s until the 1980s. He was twice no ...

was "superbly convincing as the dashing Hawk, and made memorable an otherwise routine thriller."

Chapter titles

# The Twin Brothers # The Evil Eye # The Mark of the Scimitar # A Caliph's Treachery # The Secret of the Palace # The Feast of the Beggars # Double Jeopardy # The Slave Traders # The Underground River # The Fateful Wheel # The Mystery of the Mosque # The Hand of Vengeance # Swords of Fate # The Wizard's Story # The Triumph of Kasim _Source:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Desert Hawk, The 1944 films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures film serials Films directed by B. Reeves Eason 1944 adventure films American adventure films 1940s American films