Desert Command (1946)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
Tom Wayne rescues Clancy, Renard and Schmidt in the Arabian desert
and they join him in going after El Shasta, a bad guy who is never seen
as he tries to wipe out the Foreign Legion.
Summary written by Ed Stephan

Full Cast
John Wayne ... Tom Wayne (archive footage)
Ruth Hall ... Elaine Corday (archive footage)
Robert Frazer ... Maj. Booth (archive footage)
Noah Beery Jr. ... Stubbs (archive footage)
Lon Chaney Jr. ... Lt. Armand Corday (archive footage) (as Creighton Chaney)
Jack Mulhall ... Clancy (archive footage)
Raymond Hatton ... Renard (archive footage)
Ralph Bushman ... Schmidt (archive footage) (as Francis X. Bushman Jr.)
Hooper Atchley ... El Kadur (archive footage)
Gordon De Main ... Col. Duval (archive footage)
Al Ferguson ... Ali (archive footage)
Edward Peil Sr. ... Ratkin (archive footage) (as Edward Piel)
William Desmond ... Capt. Boncour (archive footage)
George Magrill ... El Maghreb (archive footage)
Robert Warwick ... Col. Brent (archive footage)
Rodney Hildebrand ... Col. Demoyne (archive footage)

Original Music
Lee Zahler

Cinematography
Tom Galligan
Ernest Miller

Stunts
Yakima Canutt .... stunts (uncredited)
Ken Cooper .... stunts (uncredited)
George Magrill .... stunts (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard .... stunts (uncredited)

Trivia
Edited version of the 1933 Mascot serial "The Three Musketeers," first released in 1946.

Filming Locations
Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon,
Buttercup Valley, Arizona, USA
Imperial County, California, USA
Yuma, Arizona, USA

Desert Command was a 1946, adventure movie.
It was an edited version of the 1933 Mascot serial
The Three Musketeers, first released in 1933.

The series and movie updates Dumas' The Three Musketeers
by setting the story in contemporary North Africa.
The Musketeers are soldiers in the French Foreign Legion,
and D'Artagnan (renamed Lt. Tom Wayne and played by John Wayne),
is a pilot in the United States military.
Directed by Armand Schaefer. Starring Robert Frazer, John Wayne.

User Review

Quote

Heavily trimmed to say the least!
8 December 2012 | by planktonrules (Bradenton, Florida) – See all my reviews

Originally, this film was part of a 12-part serial from tiny Mascot Films. However, like many of the old serials, it was later trimmed significantly to make it feature length. So, from 210 minutes, it now is about 72! Not surprisingly, the film seems choppy and vague--the result getting rid of 2/3 the serial!

The film begins with three French Legionnaires trapped in the desert with the enemy about to wipe them out once and for all. However, out of no where comes an American plane (flown by John Wayne) to wipe out the baddies and help French colonialism to flourish (is that really such a good thing?!). Now the men are best friends with Wayne and vow to be like the Musketeers of old (hence the original title, "The Three Musketeers"). But, the evil leader of the rebels, El Shaitan, and his Devil's Circle, vow to split them up and destroy the French. Will he do it or will the Legion be victorious? What do you think?!

The biggest thing you'll notice apart from how choppy the film can be is that the acting (including Wayne) is pretty limp at times. The same can be said for a young Lon Chaney Junior (billed under his real name, Creighton Chaney). The writing isn't any better--and I had to laugh at all the times Wayne DIDN'T shoot people or take out baddies once and for all. For the most part, this is a pretty poor film and is probably only of interest to die-hard John Wayne fans and fans of good 'ol colonialism. Otherwise, it's very easy to skip.

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