''Action in Arabia'' (also known as ''Danger in Damascus'' and ''International Zone'') is a 1944 American

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Leonide Moguy Leonide or Léonide is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Leonide or Leonid of Georgia (1861–1921), Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia * Leonid Berman (1896–1976), Russian Neo-romantic painter and theater and opera designer * Léoni ...

and starring

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous charac ...

and

Virginia Bruce Virginia Bruce (born Helen Virginia Briggs; September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Early life Bruce was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As an infant she moved with her parents, Earil and Margaret Briggs, ...

. The film was based on the 1943 novel ''The Fanatic of Fez'' by

M. V. Heberden M, or m, is the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet. M may also refer to: Companies and products * M (fragrance), a 2008 fragrance by Mariah Carey * M-series rangefinder, a series of Leica camera models * M (virtual assistant), a form ...

. ''Action in Arabia'' was written by Philip MacDonald and Herbert J. Biberman. The supporting cast includes

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

and Robert Armstrong. Despite the title, the plot involves trouble and intrigue with the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

s in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, who scheme to seize control of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

Plot

In the spring of 1941, American journalist Michael Gordon (

) and his colleague, William Chalmers (Robert Anderson), arrive in Damascus. When Chalmers is murdered, Gordon sets out to find out why. He is helped along by glamorous secret agent Yvonne (

), who is on the trail of a group of Nazi saboteurs. Intrigue centers around the actions of Josef Danesco (

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

) who offers to sell information, as well as French diplomatic official Andre Leroux (

André Charlot Eugène André Maurice Charlot (26 July 1882 – 20 May 1956) was a French-born impresario known primarily for the musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937. He later worked as a character actor in numerous American films. Born in ...

) and Eric Latimer (

Alan Napier Alan William Napier-Clavering (7 January 1903 – 8 August 1988), better known as Alan Napier, was an English actor. After a decade in West End theatre, he had a long film career in Britain and later on in Hollywood. Napier is best remembered f ...

), the owner of the Hotel International, both suspected of having connections with the Nazis. Gordon enlists the help of Mathew Reed ( Robert Armstrong), a member of the American

Legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legation ...

and uncovers a plot to maneuver the Arabs into an insurrection as a diversion for an attack on the Suez Canal by the Nazis. Abdul El Rashid ( H.B. Warner), the revered Arab leader, has been deceived by Kareem (Jamiel Hasson), a pro-Nazi chieftain. When Gordon proves Leroux to be a German provocateur to Abdul El Rashid, it results in the deaths of Reed and Leroux and the wounding of Gordon, but the plot to attack the Suez Canal is thwarted.

Cast

As appearing in ''Action in Algeria'', (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: Action in Algeria (1944)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: January 5, 2024. *

as Michael Gordon *

as Yvonne Danesco *

Lenore Aubert Lenore Aubert (born Eleonore Maria Leisner, April 18, 1913The book ''Women in Horror Films, 1940s'' says that Aubert was born "on April 18, 1913 (although 1918 was given in publicity)." – July 31, 1993) was a model and Hollywood actress best ...

as Mounirah al-Rashid *

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

as Josef Danesco * Robert Armstrong as Matthew Reed * H.B. Warner as Abdul El Rashid *

as Eric Latimer *

as Andre Leroux (as Andre Charlot) *

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) ...

as Chakka - Arab Henchman at Airport * Robert Anderson as William Chalmers (credited as Robert Andersen) * Jamiel Hasson as Eben Kareem *

Michael Ansara Michael George Ansara (; April 15, 1922 – July 31, 2013) was an American actor. A Syrian-American, he was often cast in Arabic and American Indian roles. His work in both film and television spanned several genres including historical epic ...

as Hamid (uncredited) * John Hamilton as Mr. Hamilton (uncredited) *

Frank Lackteen Frank Lackteen (born Mohammed Hassan Lackteen August 29, 1897 – July 8, 1968) was an American film actor best known for his antagonistic roles. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1965, including several Three Stooges shorts. ...

as Ali Omar (uncredited)

Production

Development

In April 1943 RKO announced they had bought the rights to an original story, ''The Fanatic of Fez'', about the work of American agents in Africa prior to the invasion of Africa. (A

novelisation A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of the story was published in May 1943. George Sanders had just finished a long term contract with 20th Century Fox and signed a three-picture deal with

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

of which this was to be the first.

Shooting

Filming started on 1 October 1943 under the title ''International Zone''. As world events turned to North Africa, the original setting of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

was dropped and Damascus became the locale, with a budget increase of $100,000 given to elevate the film to a higher status. (The New York Times said this was a 100% increase and it happened three weeks into filming.) The title was changed to ''Action in Arabia'' during filming. Shooting was delayed a week due to an illness to Virginia Bruce. (Another title was ''Danger in Damascus''. Set mainly on the RKO backlot, the production relied on the customary sets that had been used in a variety of other films including ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' (1939). In the opening scene, the Capelis XC-12 appears as an airliner; the venerable movie prop had been used in a number of films including RKO's ''

Five Came Back ''Five Came Back'' is a 1939 American black-and-white melodrama from RKO Radio Pictures produced by Robert Sisk, directed by John Farrow, written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo, and Nathanael West, and starring Chester Morris and Lucille Ball. ...

'' (1939) and

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

's ''

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

'' (1942). ''Action in Arabia'' does include a number of scenes of Arab life including a desert scene with numerous extras, horses and camel caravans. Years earlier, filmmakers Ernest B. Schoedsack and

Merian C. Cooper Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker, actor, producer and air officer. In film, his most famous work was the 1933 movie ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong'', and he is credited as co-inventor of ...

had shot footage for an unrealized film about Lawrence of Arabia, that they were planning as a follow-up to their hit, ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'' (1933). This footage was integrated into ''Action in Arabia''.HOLLYWOOD FOLLOWS THE HEADLINES: Current News Will Be Reflected in Three Forthcoming Films By FRED STANLEY HOLLYWOOD. New York Times 12 Dec 1943: X5.Nixon, Rob
"Articles: Action in Algeria (1944)."
'Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: January 5, 2024.

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reviewed ''Action in Arabia'', considering it better than the standard "B" film fare. "... 'Action in Arabia' is the sort of buncombe you get in the muscular fiction field. Not that it isn't pleasant buncombe. Leonide Moguy has directed it for that flair of exaggeration which distinguished the best B-grade intrigues."Crowther, Bosley
"Action in Arabia (1944);The Screen; Gordon of Arabia."
''The New York Times'', February 19, 1944. Retrieved: July 17, 2013.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Maltin, Leonard. ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia''. New York: Dutton, 1994. .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Action In Arabia 1944 films 1940s war films American black-and-white films American spy thriller films American war films Films scored by Roy Webb Films directed by Léonide Moguy Films set in Damascus RKO Pictures films World War II films made in wartime World War II spy films 1940s spy films 1940s English-language films 1940s thriller films English-language war films English-language spy thriller films

Plot

Cast

Production

Development

Shooting

Reception

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links