Desert Nights (1929)

A con man with his beautiful accomplice and a hostage steals a half million dollars worth of diamonds but finds they're all lost in the desert without water.

Director:

William Nigh

Writers:

John T. Neville (story), Dale Van Every (story),

Stars:

John Gilbert, Ernest Torrence, Mary Nolan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Gilbert	...	Hugh Rand
Ernest Torrence	...	Lord Stonehill
Mary Nolan	...	Lady Diana Stonehill

Storyline

Hugh Roland is the manager of an African diamond mine, when Lord Stonehill and his daughter Diana arrive to visit the mine. He immediately takes a liking to the lovely Diana, but unfortunately they turn out to be imposters who seize a tray of diamonds and kidnap him while escaping to the desert. Not knowing how to survive in the desert, the two eventually must rely on Hugh to find water and get them out.

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Plot Keywords:

diamond | desert | water | hostage | con man | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thirst

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Silent (alternate version) Mono (Movietone) (musical score and sound effects)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Gilbert's last silent film. Later that year he would make his disastrous sound debut in His Glorious Night.

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Quotes

Assistant manager: [after reading telegram] A woman from home! Haven't seen a white woman in years.
Hugh Rand: Don't expect too much. No beauty would come to this desolate hole.
[Takes the telegram]
Hugh Rand: I bet she's an old maid - bow-legged and cross-eyed.

User Reviews

The Great John Gilbert

The great John Gilbert stars as manager of a diamond company in South Africa. He is kidnapped by a pair posing as English aristocrats (Mary Nolan, Ernest Torrence) after they steal $500,000 worth of diamonds.

They head into the dessert and quickly get lost. Their accomplices soon perish after drinking from a poisoned water hole (poisoned by Torrence himself). Gilbert is tied up in a wagon pulled by oxen, but the power soon shifts as they get hopelessly lost and the water is used up. Gilbert is freed and gets the upper hand.

Terrific little action film with great bits of comedy, and the three stars are solid.

Gilbert's last starring silent film. He looks great and has great fun as the man who hasn't seen a white woman in 3 years. Nolan is beautiful, and Torrence has one of his best roles as the villain.

Gilbert had begged MGM to make this as a talkie but LB Mayer refused. Too bad. This might have been a real classic and a solid success for Gilbert in the new medium. Rather, they stuck him in a sappy romance, HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT, and he flopped. It was all downhill for John Gilbert after that. MGM's stupidity was cinema's great loss. John Gilbert was a great star and should have had a great career in the 30s.