Sahara (1943)

After the fall of Tobruk in 1942, during the Allied retreat in the Libyan desert, an American tank picks-up a motley group of survivors but they face advancing Germans and a lack of water.

Director:

Zoltan Korda

Writers:

John Howard Lawson (screenplay), Zoltan Korda (screenplay)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennett, J. Carrol Naish

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Sgt. Joe Gunn
Bruce Bennett	...	Waco Hoyt
J. Carrol Naish	...	Giuseppe
Lloyd Bridges	...	Fred Clarkson
Rex Ingram	...	Sgt. Major Tambul
Richard Aherne	...	Capt. Jason Halliday (as Richard Nugent)
Dan Duryea	...	Jimmy Doyle
Carl Harbord	...	Marty Williams
Patrick O'Moore	...	Osmond 'Ozzie' Bates
Louis Mercier	...	Jean Leroux, 'Frenchie' (as Louis T. Mercier)
Guy Kingsford	...	Peter Stegman
Kurt Kreuger	...	Capt. von Schletow (as Kurt Krueger)
John Wengraf	...	Maj. Von Falken

Storyline

Sergeant Joe Gunn and his tank crew pick up five British soldiers, a Frenchman and a Sudanese man with an Italian prisoner crossing the Libyan Desert to rejoin their command after the fall of Tobruk. They and the Germans are greatly in need of water.

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | strafing | white flag | wounded soldier | british soldier | 

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Taglines:

Their dramatic story can now be told!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Italian French

Release Date:

11 November 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Port Said

Filming Locations:

Zzyzx, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,300,000, 31 December 1943

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's opening prologue states: In June, 1942, a small detachment of American tanks with American crews, joined the British Eighth Army in North Africa to get experience in desert warfare under actual battle conditions. History has proved that they learned their lesson well - - .

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Goofs

As in most of the films made about WWII before 1946, the German helmets are WWI vintage. They look somewhat similar. This movie, however, being made in 1942-43 would make it very difficult to obtain German WWII helmets.

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Quotes

Sgt. Joe Gunn: [Speaking about his tank's engine that won't start] Well, you don't feed her enough. It's like a dame. You don't feed 'em they won't do nothin'.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: In June, 1942, a small detachment of American tanks with American crews, joined the British Eighth Army in North Africa to get experience in desert warfare under actual battle conditions.

History has proved that they learned their lesson well - -

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Connections

Referenced in M*A*S*H: The Moon Is Not Blue (1982)

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Soundtracks

Oh! Susanna
(uncredited)
Music by Stephen Foster
Played on the harmonica by Patrick O'Moore.

User Reviews

Bogey Battles The Germans In The Desert

I guess this is what you'd call a "man's movie," a tough war story with no female characters in the cast. Humphrey Bogart is an effective tough-guy American sergeant leading an international group of Allies in a tank across the Sahara desert.

Eventually they battle huge odds against an onrushing German forces. intent on getting water from a well that was being tapped by Bogart's crew. There are a few lulls when characterizations are made, and the anti-German fervor in here is a little overdone. However, since it made right in the middle of World War II, that's understandable.

There is some good photography in here with nice shadows form the sand dunes. Overall, a pretty solid war film that has decent action without overdoing it. Complementing Bogart in he cast are the likes of Bruce Bennett. Lloyd Bridges, Dan Duryea and J. Carrol Naish