The Desert Hawk
Directed byB. Reeves Eason
Written bySherman L. Lowe
Leslie Swabacker
Jack Stanley
Leighton Brill
Produced byRudolph C. Flothow
StarringGilbert Roland
Mona Maris
Ben Welden
Kenneth MacDonald
Frank Lackteen
I. Stanford Jolley
Charles Middleton
CinematographyJames S. Brown Jr.
Music byLee Zahler
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • July 7, 1944 (1944-07-07)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Desert Hawk is a 1944 Columbia film serial. It was the 23rd serial produced by Columbia. Gilbert Roland played a dual role in this serial, that of Kasim, The Desert Hawk and also Hassan, his evil twin brother. Co-stars included serial regulars Charles Middleton, Frank Lackteen and I. Stanford Jolley.

Plot

The sinister Hassan starts plotting against the recently crowned Caliph, his twin brother Kasim. The evil twin engages the help of Faud who sends his man to the palace to kidnap the Caliph and murder him. These henchmen enter the palace and wound Kasim who manages to escape. A beggar named Omar finds him and cares for him until his health is restored. By the time the wounded Kasim recovers, his brother has taken over the throne. Hassan plans to marry Princess Azala, the daughter of the Emir of Telif, who does not know that the current Caliph is an impostor. Kasim decides to fight for the throne and the princess after he finds a suit of chainmail displaying a hawk on the front.[1]

Cast

Production

The Desert Hawk is a "western" set in the Middle East with swashbuckling elements.[2]

Critical reception

According to reviewer William Cline, Gilbert Roland was "superbly convincing as the dashing Hawk, and made memorable an otherwise routine thriller."[2]

Chapter titles

  1. The Twin Brothers
  2. The Evil Eye
  3. The Mark of the Scimitar
  4. A Caliph's Treachery
  5. The Secret of the Palace
  6. The Feast of the Beggars
  7. Double Jeopardy
  8. The Slave Traders
  9. The Underground River
  10. The Fateful Wheel
  11. The Mystery of the Mosque
  12. The Hand of Vengeance
  13. Swords of Fate
  14. The Wizard's Story
  15. The Triumph of Kasim

Source:[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036754/plotsummary/ [user-generated source]
  2. ^ a b Cline, William C. (1984). "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 29. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
  3. ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 238. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.

External links

Preceded byThe Phantom (1943) Columbia Serial The Desert Hawk (1944) Succeeded byBlack Arrow (1944)
Columbia serials
Films directed by B. Reeves Eason
Categories