Dark Sands (1937)

During WWI, action hero Robeson escapes an unjust death sentence to ramble around Arabia.

Director:

Thornton Freeland

Writers:

George Barraud, Walter Futter (story)

Stars:

Paul Robeson, Henry Wilcoxon, Wallace Ford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Robeson	...	Cpl. Jericho Jackson
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Capt. Mack
Wallace Ford	...	Mike Clancy
Kouka	...	Gara
John Laurie	...	Hassan
James Carew	...	Maj. J.R. Barnes
Lawrence Brown	...	Pvt. Face
Rufus Fennell	...	Sgt. Gamey
Ike Hatch	...	Pvt. Tag
Frank Cram	...	Col. Lake
Frank Cochrane	...	Agouba
George Barraud	...	Explorer
Frederick Cooper	...	Explorer
Henry Aubin	...	Explorer

Storyline

During the Great War, a Negro corporal, Jericho Jackson, disobeys an order and saves crewmen trapped below deck after an attack. A sergeant dies in the incident; Jackson is court-martialed and sentenced to death. He bolts, and his captain unjustly gets a five-year sentence for aiding his escape; the captain vows to bring Jackson to justice. Meanwhile, Jackson has stolen a boat and sailed from Bordeaux to Morocco where his skills as a physician give him a new lease on life. He becomes a chief responsible for negotiating peace among tribes and leading the annual great salt caravan. A confrontation with his old captain is, however, unavoidable. Can there be justice?

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Plot Keywords:

tap dancing | dancing | captain | sergeant | salt | 

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Adventure

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Sands

Filming Locations:

Cairo, Egypt

Company Credits

Production Co:

Buckingham Film Productions, Capitol Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first telecast on New York City's pioneer television station WNBT Wednesday 5 June 1940. It is one of over 200 titles in the list of independent feature films made available for television presentation by Advance Television Pictures announced in Motion Picture Herald 4 April 1942. At this time, television broadcasting was in its infancy, almost totally curtailed by the advent of World War II, and would not continue to develop until 1945-1946. Its earliest documented Post-WWII telecast took place in New York City Wednesday 27 April 1949 on WPIX (Channel 11).

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Soundtracks

It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary
(uncredited)
Written by Jack Judge and Harry Williams
Played and sung at the Songfest

User Reviews

Well-made fantasy tale

Great entertainment with several interesting aspects. Tailored for Robeson's self-preferred Black Superman persona, this movie has scenes of Robeson ordering Wallace Ford ("Old Pa" from Patch of Blue) to tend to his camel, and Robeson commanding an army into battle. All this is done with a genial sense of humor that keeps it fun! Robeson is a man on the run, who is also a college-educated doctor. Remember, this was 20 years before Sidney came along.