Sands of the Desert
| Sands of the Desert | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original UK quad poster | |
| Directed by | John Paddy Carstairs |
| Written by |
|
| Story by |
|
| Produced by | Gordon Scott |
| Starring | Charlie Drake |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Taylor |
| Edited by | Richard Best |
| Music by | Stanley Black |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Sands of the Desert is a 1960 British adventure comedy film directed and written by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Charlie Drake (his first lead role in a feature film), Peter Arne, Sarah Branch and Raymond Huntley.[1]
Plot
[edit]Charlie Sands, a British travel agent is sent to run a holiday camp in the Arabian Peninsula after his predecessor is assassinated because the property is sitting on a potential oilfield.
Cast
[edit]- Charlie Drake as Charlie Sands
- Peter Arne as Sheikh El Jabez
- Sarah Branch as Janet Brown
- Raymond Huntley as Bossom
- Rebecca Dignam as Nerima
- Peter Illing as Sheikh Ibrahim
- Harold Kasket as Abdullah
- Marne Maitland as advisor to sheikh
- Neil McCarthy as Hassan
- Derek Sydney as Mamud
- Alan Tilvern as Mustafa
- Martin Benson as Selin
- Eric Pohlmann as Scrobin
- Inia Te Wiata as Fahid
- Paul Stassino as pilot
- Beth Rogan as air hostess
Box office
[edit]Kine Weekly called it a "money maker" at the British box office in 1960.[2]
Critical reception
[edit]The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Charlie Drake's original comedy talent, as exploited by his television shows, here vanishes beneath a heavy, studio-bound hash-up of slapstick and obvious jokes about sheikhs, harems and mirages. Unconvincing model work, a sentimental sub-plot and the wooden playing of the heroine are further insurmountable difficulties besetting the comedian's attempts to lighten the mixture by his impish mannerisms of gait and speech."[3]
TV Guide described it as "a mildly amusing comedy that never really delivers its laugh quota, due primarily to its uneven script. Drake, a popular British television comic of the day, is good, though the movies are clearly not his metier."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Sands of the Desert (1960)". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
- ^ Billings, Josh (15 December 1960). "It's Britain 1, 2, 3 again in the 1960 box office stakes". Kine Weekly. p. 9.
- ^ "Sands of the Desert". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 27 (312): 131. 1 January 1960 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Sands Of The Desert". TVGuide.com.
External links
[edit]
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- 1960 films
- 1960s adventure comedy films
- British adventure comedy films
- British independent films
- Films about vacationing
- Films shot at Associated British Studios
- Films directed by John Paddy Carstairs
- Films with screenplays by John Paddy Carstairs
- Films set in the Arabian Peninsula
- Films set in deserts
- Films set in London
- 1960 comedy films
- 1960 independent films
- 1960s English-language films
- 1960s British films
- Films scored by Stanley Black
- English-language independent films
- 1960s British comedy film stubs