Complete credited cast: | |||
Yvonne De Carlo | ... | Princess Scheherazade | |
Richard Greene | ... | Omar - aka The Desert Hawk | |
Jackie Gleason | ... | Aladdin | |
George Macready | ... | Prince Murad | |
Rock Hudson | ... | Captain Ras | |
Carl Esmond | ... | Kibar | |
Joe Besser | ... | Prince Sinbad | |
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Anne P. Kramer | ... | Yasmin |
Marc Lawrence | ... | Samad | |
Lois Andrews | ... | Maznah | |
Frank Puglia | ... | Ahmed Bey | |
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Lucille Barkley | ... | Undine |
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Donald Randolph | ... | Caliph |
Ian MacDonald | ... | Yussef |
"2000 years ago" desert guerilla Omar, with henchmen Aladdin and Sinbad, opposes tyrannical Prince Murad. To prevent Murad from marrying caliph's daughter Schaharazade, disguised Omar marries her himself. When the trick is discovered, both prince and princess want Omar's head; but Murad has yet more dastardly plans, leading to more captures, rescues, and scimitar-play. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Once again Universal getting out of those sets that they created for Maria Montez and her films creates The Desert Hawk with romantic bandit leader Richard Greene romancing the Princess Scherazade played by Yvonne DeCarlo.. Fortunately Greene has two villains to contend with George MacReady and evil prince and Carl Esmond leader of a cult of assassins who work at cross purposes.
To keep DeCarlo from marrying MacReady in an arranged marriage Greene pretends to be MacReady and he has a clergyman in his gang marry them. These days we'd go to court for an annulment, but back then this is a beheading offense.
The film also has Jackie Gleason and Joe Besser playing Aladdin and Sinbad. Not those two legends from Arabian Night but a pair of burlesque comedians of those times who look jarringly out of place. Gleason looks like he crash dieted for this film, God only knows why.
Rock Hudson plays one of MacReady's henchmen and he was up and coming over at Universal at the time. Lucky this was early in his career or within two years he would have had the lead and this would be remembered as a Hudson picture.
Definitely one of Universal's lesser homages to the Arabian Nights.