Adventure in Iraq (Warner Bros.) (1943)

PUBLICITY ‘Adventure in Iraq’ Opens Friday at Strand A new, exciting film about adventure and violence in the old-world country known as Iraq will be the screen fare presented at the Strand Theatre next Friday when Warner Bros.” “Adventure in Iraq” starts its local engagement. The fast-paced film featuring John Loder, Ruth Ford and Warren Douglas, is the thrilling story of three people stranded by a forced landing in the middle of the Syrian desert. Captured by the sinister Sheik Ahmid Bel Nor, the three innocent victims are held as hostages for the brothers of the Sheik who are to be executed by the British as Nazi spies. The three manage to make their escape but are apprehended by the natives who shoot John Loder and bring the other two back to face unspeakable tortures. But they are saved at the last moment by the timely arrival of a squadron of American bombing planes. “Adventure in Iraq” was directed by D. Ross Lederman from a screen play by George R. Bilson and Robert E. Kent, based on the play by William Archer. Others in the cast include Paul Cavanagh, Barry Bernard, Peggy Carson, Bill Crago and Manuel Lopez. Actor Brings Wide Background To Hollywood Warren Douglas, flying ace and adventurer of the new Warner Bros: film, “Adventure in Iraq,” now at the Strand Theatre, reached Hollywood by way of professional baseball, Mat 104 — 15c WARREN DOUGLAS A newcomer to the screen, he plays an important role in Warner Bros.’ “Adventure in Iraq,'' which opens today at the Strand Theatre. the railroad yards, the stage and radio. In other words, he was an experienced young man long before he experienced Hollywood. Young Douglas is a native of Minneapolis. He worked for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railways in Chicago, played ball on the side, acted on the radio, toured with a stock company as “Romeo” and appeared in a number of plays on Broadway all before he came to Hollywood. The play that finally did it was “Separate Rooms,” which was a hit, and forthwith Douglas got a long-term contract with Warner Bros. In “Adventure in Iraq’’ Douglas is cast as a former member of the Flying Tigers; bound for Cairo to join the American Air Force there. His plane is forced down in the desert and with two others, played by John Loder and Ruth Ford, he is captured by an unscrupulous Nazi agent. Won Contract on Photographer’s Recommendation When a girl’s mother tells her: ‘“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” a girl is apt to say, “OK, Mom, I love you, too” and go back to reading her magazine. But when a famed judge of beauty, such as Cecil Beaton, the photographer of royalty, cafe society and the famous, excitedly takes photographs of that girl and proclaims: “You are one of the ten most beautiful women in America” then the young lady in point is apt to get-a little giddy and squeai with delight. Beaton was speaking of young and talented Ruth Ford, currently featured in Warner Bros.’ “Adventure in Iraq” at the Strand Theatre. And it was his tribute which inspired Warner Bros. to look up Miss Ford. When they checked on her experience, amazingly lengthy for one so young, and found that Ruth Ford had done several Broadway plays, had been chosen by Orson Welles out of 400 applicants for an important part in his successful ‘The Shoemaker’s Holiday” and had played with Edward G. Robin -son in “Big Town,” they knew they’d found something. Beaton was sent a thank-you note and Miss Ford a contract. Both parties were pleased. “Adventure in Iraq” finds Ruth in a richly dramatic role that may well prompt Beaton to revise his statement to include... “and most talented.” Iraq Film Scenes Shot in California American Flying Fortresses and Warner Bros. pictures are doing — with quite different methods — a complete job of exploring little-known places of Asia, Africa, and Europe. For “Adventure in _ Iraq,” now at the Strand Theatre, the sands of Iraq and the mysterious castle on those’ sands weren’t, of course, actually photographed in Iraq, but they might as well have _ been. Camera crews were sent into Death -Valley and to the vast lonely expanse of a ranch in San Fernando Valley. Photographs of Iraq-ian scenes enabled designers to make California scenery resemble the Arabian Peninsula. An expert crew of technical experts ruled > on dress, language and social customs of the natives. Losing Girls Has Been John Loder’s Sad Film Fate John Loder, whom some people feel is too handsome to be anything but a villain in pictures, gets a chance to satisfy all those admirers in Warner Bros.’ “Adventure in Iraq.” He portrays a complete and thorough-going heel for all but one brief, heroic moment near the end of the picture. In many of his recent pictures, John Loder has lost the girl to less handsome and polished men. It has become almost a career with him, but as long he he is kept busy at it, he says he doesn’t mind. Someone has to play the other man — the opposition which prevents true love from running smoothly. Usually Loder finds himself as that opposition. He failed to win the affections of Bette Davis in “Now, Voyager,” although his rival there was only the memory of a man she couldn’t possibly marry. He also lost Alexis Smith to Errol Flynn in “Gentleman Jim.” Loder is the son of General Sir William Lowe and Lady Frances Lowe and his real name is John Muir Lowe. He was born in London and spent his boyhood there. He saw active service in World War I and was, at one time, the youngest combat officer in the English Army. He was wounded and captured by the Germans in 1918. After the war Loder tried business for a time but when that didn’t interest him he accepted an offer made by Alexander Korda and became an actor of small roles in that producer’s pictures. His progress was rapid and he has continued his career in English, French and American pictures ever since. Paul Cavanagh’s Career Proves Hollywood Rule If Paul Cavanagh’s role for Warner Bros. in “Adventure in Iraq,” opening today at the Strand Theatre, proves nothing else, it certainly adds to the already overlong list showing that in Hollywood the paradox is simply the everyday garden variety of rule, rather than the exception. Cast as the suave, swarthy Arabian sheik who trys to incite an insurrection of his people against the English, Cavanagh is as British as tea and tiffin. He was major of the 202nd Canadian Infantry during the last war, became assistant legislative counsel for the province of Alberta in the 1920’s and then returned to England to pen his observations in a book under the title of ‘Caesar’s Wounds.” Cavanagh, like many another young man, got out of college — he attended Cambridge — determined to.become a millionaire. He went to Edmonton, Canada, and established a correspondence school and soon enough found himself with a handsome nest egg of $27,000. He then devised a “perfect system” for gambling and went to Monte Carlo. He emerged a couple of weeks later with neither the system nor the money. He returned to London, got the acting bug and went on the stage and, like most good footlighters, eventually made his way to Hollywood. Mat 203 — 30¢ Warren Douglas, John Loder and Ruth Ford are shown in a scene from the Strand Theatre's "Adventure in Iraq,’ a Warner Bros. action film which starts its engagement there on Friday. (Prepared Review) ‘Adventure in Iraq’ Film Of Action and Suspense With an unerring eye for a colorful background, Warner Bros. picked the sandy Syrian desert for the locale of its latest drama of action and suspense, “Adventure in Iraq,’ which opened at the Strand Theatre yesterday. John Loder, as an Englishman, Ruth Ford as his pretty American wife and Warren Douglas, as a restless Texan flyer questing for action with some of his buddies in the American Air Forces in Egypt, make a forced landing in the isolated stronghold of the Gazzis, a devil-worshipping tribe of Iraq. But the uncouth and unfriendly tribesmen are hardly as menacing as their suave and urbane chieftain, Sheik Ahmid Bel Nor, played by Paul Cavanagh, who startles them first by his cultured English accent and then by the polite announcement that they will have to die in reprisal for the execution of three of his halfbrothers, caught spying on the English on behalf of the Nazis. He is soon inclined, however, to spare the lovely lady, and to gain time for the men, she pretends to look with favor upon his infatuation. They escape with repair parts for the plane radio, the pursuit overtaking them just as Loder gets off a message to Cairo for help. The brave gesture costs Loder his life and the remaining two are led back to the temple where the religious rites preceding their sacrifice are nearing consummation. Douglas takes courageous advantage of the strange customs of the Gazzis by setting upon _ the Sheik and giving him a royal beating. For that he must be put through an elaborate series of tortures, but a squadron of American bombers’ drones overhead in time to effect a rescue. Loder, Ruth Ford and Warren Douglas, a newcomer to the screen, handle their swiftlydeveloping love-triangle convincingly and, aided by the compentent villainy of Paul Cavanagh, put over the dramatic climaxes of the story with zest and spirit. Peggy Carson, as Timah, the Sheik’s jealous favorite, is an exotic figure. The skilful direction of D. Ross Lederman exploits the elements of suspense and excitement to the full and delivers a thrilling and satisfying film. Adventure Film At Strand Friday “Adventure in Iraq,” an unusual film that packs both suspense and thrills from start to finish, will begin its local engagement at the Strand Theatre Friday. The new Warner Bros. picture is the exciting story of a fighting American pilot, fresh from daring exploits with the Flying Tigers, who makes a forced landing in the heart of a wild country where devil-worshipping natives and their Sheik are Nazi hirelings. His singlehanded efforts to break the enemy toe-hold and set the stage for the entry of American bombing squadrons make for exciting drama. “Adventure in Iraq,” directed by D. Ross Lederman, features John Loder, Ruth Ford, Warren Douglas and Paul Cavanagh. Others in the cast include Peggy Carson, Bill Crago, Martin Garralaga and Bill Edwards. Screen play for the film was written by George R. Bilson and Robert E. Kent from the play by William Archer. Action Thriller Now at Strand “Adventure in Iraq,” Warner Bros.’ thriller of action in the desolate desert of that Near Eastern country, opens today at the Strand Theatre. Featuring John Loder, Ruth Ford and Warren Douglas, the film includes Paul Cavanagh, Peggy Carson, Bill Crago, Martin Garralaga and Bill Edwards in its cast. The story deals with the adventures of Loder, Ford and Douglas as their airplane is forced down in the middle of the Iraq desert. The three take refuge in a nearby castle only to learn that the Sheik of the castle is a Nazi agent and they will be held as hostages for the pending executions of his half-brothers, condemned by the British for spying. How the three escape and break up the spy ring is the climax of the picture. D. Ross Lederman directed from the screen play by George R. Bilson and Robert E. Kent, based on the play by William Archer.