Summary
The Three Musketeers is a 1933 American pre-Code film serial directed by Armand Schaeffer and Colbert Clark, and produced by Nat Levine for Mascot Pictures.[1] The film serial was very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel The Three Musketeers, with the musketeers changed into three soldiers in the French Foreign Legion, and d'Artagnan being reconfigured as Lt. Tom Wayne (played by John Wayne), a pilot in the United States military.[2][3]
| The Three Musketeers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | The Three Musketeers 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas |
| Produced by | Nat Levine |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Ray Snyder |
| Music by | Lee Zahler |
| Distributed by | Mascot Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 12 chapters (210 min) Film (96 min) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Wayne only received fourth billing behind Raymond Hatton, Francis X. Bushman Jr. and Jack Mulhall who play the three legionnaires.[4] Lon Chaney Jr. had a co-starring role in the serial, mainly appearing in chapters one and ten.[5]
Plot edit
In the harsh deserts of North Africa, the French Foreign Legion provides a military presence. Lt. Tom Wayne is framed for the murder of Armand Corday, the brother of his fiancé. He vows to capture the real killer, a mysterious Arab terrorist known only as El Shaitan. He encounters three bumptious legionnaires: Clancy, an Irishman always spoiling for a fight; Renard, a wily Frenchman; and Schmidt, a German who loves sausages. They are the surviving members of a Foreign Legion unit that was wiped out in an attack.
Nicknamed the "Devil of the Desert", El Shaitan remains a shadowy figure, hiding his face and his true identity, as a result of which many people are mistakenly suspected of being the cult leader in the course of the serial, while other characters impersonate him for their own ends. At a meeting place called, "The Devil's Circle", El Shaitan commands a fanatic desert cult, a secret society formed to fight against the French authorities.
When Clancy, Renard and Schmidt are trapped by a horde of Berber tribesmen, Lt. Wayne quickly stops the attack using the machine gun mounted on his aircraft. The three legionnaires are in constant danger but Wayne comes to their rescue many times, acting as a modern-day d'Artagnan. Eventually the trio, with the aid of their new friend, triumph over their adversaries.
Cast edit
- John Wayne as Tom Wayne
- Ruth Hall as Elaine Corday
- Jack Mulhall as Clancy
- Raymond Hatton as Renard
- Francis X. Bushman Jr. (Ralph Bushman) as Schmidt
- Noah Beery Jr. as Stubbs
- Al Ferguson as Ali, chief henchman
- Hooper Atchley as El Kadur
- George Magrill as El Maghreb
- Edward Peil Sr. as Ratkin
- Gordon de Main as Colonel Duval
- William Desmond as Captain Boncour
- Robert Warwick as Colonel Brent
- Creighton Chaney (Lon Chaney Jr.) as Armand Corday
- Robert Frazer as Major Booth.
Reception edit
Like many other serials, The Three Musketeers was reedited into a feature film version when it was rereleased. In 1946, Favorite Films Corporation edited the serial into a 60-minute feature film called Desert Command. The chapter screen titles were eliminated to create a more continuous flow.[7]
Chapters edit
- The Fiery Circle
- One for All and All for One
- The Master Spy
- Pirates of the Desert
- Rebel Rifles
- Death's Marathon
- Naked Steel
- The Master Strikes
- The Fatal Cave
- Trapped
- The Measure of a Man
- The Glory of Comrades
Source:[8]
John Wayne edit
During the 1930s, after starring in The Big Trail (1930), its subsequent commercial failure meant that Wayne was relegated to minor roles in A-pictures, or starring, with his name over the title, in many low-budget Poverty Row Westerns, mostly at Monogram Pictures and serials for Mascot Pictures Corporation. Wayne would star in two other Mascot serials: The Shadow of the Eagle (1932) and The Hurricane Express (1932).[9][N 2]
See also edit
References edit
Notes edit
- ^ Frazer played both the masked El Shaitan and Major Booth but, once unmasked, El Shaitan's identity turned out to be one of the other suspects. Cline considers this "all quite confusing."[6]
- ^ By Wayne's own estimation, he appeared in about 80 horse operas from 1930 to 1939.[10]
Citations edit
- ^ Weiss and Goodgold 1973, p. 43.
- ^ Rainey 2005, p. 542.
- ^ Harmon and Glut 1973, p. 325.
- ^ Harmon and Glut 1972, p. 326.
- ^ Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. ISBN 0-517-166259.
- ^ Cline 1984, p. 143.
- ^ "Profile:'Desert Command' (1946)."IMDb.com, 2019. Retrieved: July 8, 2019.
- ^ Cline 1984, p. 207.
- ^ Clooney 2002, pp. 195–196.
- ^ Clooney 2002, p. 196.
Bibliography edit
- Cline, William C. "9. They Who Also Serve (The Citizens)"; "Filmography", In the Nick of Time. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984, ISBN 978-0-89950-101-7.
- Clooney, Nick. The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen. New York: Atria Books, 2002. ISBN 978-0-74341-043-4.
- Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1972. ISBN 978-0-385-09079-7.
- Rainey, Buck. Serials and Series: A World Filmography, 1912–1956. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2010. ISBN 978-1-47660-448-0.
- Shaheen, Jack G. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. New York: Olive Branch Press, 2001. ISBN 978-1-56656-388-8.
- Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold. To be Continued ...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials. New York: Bonanza Books, 1973. ISBN 0-517-166259.
External links edit
- The Three Musketeers at IMDb
- The Three Musketeers at the TCM Movie Database
- The Three Musketeers at AllMovie
Download or view online edit
- The Three Musketeers is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- Episode 1 on Google Video