Escape in the Desert (1945)
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Escape in the Desert is a thinly disguised remake of The Petrified Forest (1936), updated with a WW II angle. Cynical Dutch pilot Philip Artveld (Philip Dorn) pays a visit to the American desert before being shipped off to the Front. He wanders into a lonely inn, where he befriends starry-eyed watiress Jane (Jean Sullivan). Before long, Philip, Jane, and several other innocent bystanders find themselves being held captive by a group of escaped German POWS, led by Captain Becker (Helmut Dantine). The existentialist philosophy of the original Robert E. Sherwood play is replaced with a great deal of Nazified prattle and All-American flagwaving, with misplaced moments of comedy relief from Alan Hale and Irene Manning. While Petrified Forest is regarded as a classic, Escape in the Desert is generally dismissed as a contrived propaganda piece. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Jean Sullivan - Jane
- Irene Manning - Mrs. Lora Tedder
- Alan Hale - Dr. Orville Tedder
- Bill Kennedy - Hank Albright
- Rudolph Anders - Hoffman
- Blayney Lewis - Danny, 10 years old
- Philip Dorn - Philip Artveld
- Helmut Dantine - Capt. Becker
- Samuel S. Hinds - Gramp
- Kurt Kreuger - Lt. von Kleist
- Hans Schumm - Klaus
- Director(s):
- Edward A. Blatt
- Writer(s):
- Thomas Job
- Producer(s):
- Alex Gottlieb
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