Desert Command

The film "Desert Command" is a condensed version of the 1933 serial "The Three Musketeers". I believe that it would be better to watch the entire serial than this edited version but this film will give you get jest of of it. It's merely "okay". I think it needed more of the serial added to the edited film version to make it better - a few things are missing to get a better story out of it.

I enjoyed this film to a degree, it's great to see the actors in something different. It's just the story that is lacking along with better editing to make this film more enjoyable.

Watch if you are a die hard John Wayne or Lon Chaney fan.

6/10

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.

This compilation from the serial "The Three Musketeers" (nothing to do with Alexandre Dumas' story) is probably more notable for it's more impressive aerial acrobatics than for anything we see from the actors. John Wayne leads the cast as one of a trio of French Foreign legionnaires dealing with renegade Arab forces led by the enigmatic "El Shaitan" who is smuggling weapons to the local tribes. It frequently uses the music to cover up for lack of decent audio and though it does try to make much more use of outdoor, rather then studio scenarios - quite brave (and expensive) for 1933, it is still a pretty ropey affair to look at. It's still worth a watch as an historical piece of cinema, but keep your sights aimed low...

Desert Command (1946), a feature version of a early John Wayne serial, was one of Republic's attempts to cash in on the box office appeal of one of their stars. In 1933, John Wayne, a struggling B actor, was working in serials for Mascot Pictures, the forerunner to Republic. The Three Musketeers was an updated version of Dumas' adventure classic using Foreign Legionnaires instead of royal swordsmen. The serial was the third of three chapter-plays Wayne made at this time. In 1946, he had become a major star, producing his own films at Republic. Desert Command was designed to play the bottom half of a double bill at second run theaters at a Saturday matinée, where a Roy Rogers or Gene Autry film might be the main feature. Autry had also appeared in a sci-fi western serial for Mascot, "Phantom Empire" which was re-edited into a 1940 feature, "Men With Steel Faces." Other Republic serials re-edited as features included "Hi-Yo Silver" (The Lone Ranger, 1938), Lost Planet Airmen (King of the Rocketmen, 1949), and Zorro Rides Again (same title as 1937 serial). In 1966, to cash in on the Batman "camp" craze, Republic re-released several of their serials as features under different titles for television in the "Century 66" package.

It's interesting that "Desert Command" is a 1946 movie release made from a condensed 1933 film. Apparently, the earlier film, "TheThree Musketeers," was put together from a series of short ones. Two earlier reviewers give some good information on that. In the early years of movies – and through the 1950s as I can recall, the standard movie fare on any given weekend was two movies and a cartoon. One film would be a short or a "B" grade movie. So, it's interesting to see this much later release of snippets put together in a single film from the 1933 film footage.

One thing very noticeable, is the difference in quality that 13 years made. By 1946, John Wayne had been in 110 movies. The quality of the films he had been in the past several years – whether A or B movies, was quite good. So, the snowy, scratchy, poor quality of this Mascot film from 1933 footage really stands out.

This film has lots of the action from the earlier film. But it suffers greatly in the plot, editing and all technical aspects. I think the plot has several holes where scenes don't connect well. For instance, Elaine Corday (played by Ruth Hall) rides to an Arab hideout to report a possible spy to an Arab chieftain. It sure looked like she was part of the evil network of El Shatan. So, when other scenes have her helping one side and then the other, it becomes quite confusing.

This film has some well known names of the time in the cast, besides John Wayne. But aside from the action in a very choppy and disoriented plot, there's little else to recommend it.