The Lost Patrol (1934)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay)
Garrett Fort (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

16 February 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | War

Tagline:

BLISTERING SUN...BLAZING BULLETS! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

A dozen British soldiers, lost in a Mesopotamian desert during world war I, are menaced by unseen Arab enemies.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Sergeant | Sniper | Arab | Cavalry

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Victor McLaglen	...	The Sergeant
Boris Karloff	...	Sanders
Wallace Ford	...	Morelli
Reginald Denny	...	Brown
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Quincannon
Billy Bevan	...	Hale
Alan Hale	...	Cook
Brandon Hurst	...	Bell
Douglas Walton	...	Pearson
Sammy Stein	...	Abelson
Howard Wilson	...	Aviator
Paul Hanson	...	MacKay
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Abdullah Abbas	...	Last Arab (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	Rescue Patrol Colonel / Arab Shot By Sergeant (uncredited)
Neville Clark	...	Lieutenant Hawkins (uncredited)
Francis Ford	...	Arab (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
Dudley Nichols		(screenplay)
Garrett Fort		(adaptation)
Philip MacDonald		(story "Patrol")

Produced by
Merian C. Cooper	....	executive producer
Cliff Reid	....	associate producer
John Ford	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
Harold Wenstrom		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Paul Weatherwax

Art Direction by
Van Nest Polglase
Sidney Ullman

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Argyle Nelson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Philip Faulkner Jr.	....	sound (as P.J. Faulkner)
Clem Portman	....	sound

Special Effects by
Vernon L. Walker	....	process photography (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Louie Anderson	....	grip (uncredited)
James Lee Davis	....	grip (uncredited)

Music Department
Murray Spivack	....	music recordist
Bernhard Kaun	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Frank Baker	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Louis Shapiro	....	utility man (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures (as Radio Pictures)

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1934) (USA) (theatrical)
• Bio-Kuva (1936) (Finland) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (edited)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (edited)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1967) (Finland) (TV) (MTV2)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1978) (Finland) (TV) (2002) (TV2)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1988) (USA) (video)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Pan Vision Oy (2003) (Finland) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:73 min (original release) | USA:66 min (1954 reissue length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #1345-R, re-release)

Filming Locations:

Buttercup Dunes, Imperial County, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Victor McLaglen, who plays The Sergeant, is the brother of Cyril McLaglen, who played The Sergeant in the earlier 1929 version of this film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the plane is circling the encampment, you can see tire marks in the sand.

Quotes:

Sanders: [after telling the Sergeant that Brown has left] He wrote something in my Bible... for you.
The Sergeant: Deserted, hunh? Insubordinate swine! Bilged out! Left us like a rat when we needed every man! Why didn't you tell me? You're a party to this, you know! Well, get your rifle and get out of here. You take his place.
Sanders: [With a crazed look in his eyes] Yes, Yes, that's it, Sergeant! Yes!
The Sergeant: [Reading Brown's note] 'Sorry, Sergeant, but Quincannon was right. He knocked one off for Jock. I'll get another for Matlow. Taking a long swing to come around behind them. Fine moon tonight. Should be good hunting. Yours contritely, George Brown. P.S. Not a good name, but the best I could think of when I enlisted.'

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Petticoat Junction: The Lost Patrol (#2.12)" (1964)

Soundtrack:

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile

The Lost Patrol

Exciting desert warfare film, compelling today, 60 years later. A fine Max Steiner soundtrack with excellent performances by Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, Reginald Denny and rest of cast. Unlike Gunga Din (1939) where the British were armed with U.S. Springfield '03 rifles and Colt revolvers of the early 1900's the weapons in Lost Patrol are authentically British WWI -- Lee Enfield rifles, the Lewis Gun from the airplane and it seems the officer's revolver is an Enfield of the period and attached to a lanyard in one scene. I see an underlying theme here that seems to have been overlooked. It is strongly anti-Christian throughout. Karloff as the religious fanatic soon to go mad brings on much of this, but not all. A couple of instances: Karloff reading the religious service over the body of the lieutenant is cut short by McLaglen, "Amen". Karloff confronts Reginald Denny telling of his pleasures of the flesh: "You must have faith!" Denny: "Why?" Karloff cannot answer. When Pvt. Pearson is buried, one suggests building a wooden cross for the grave. McLaglen: "Put his sword there. I think he would like that." Strange direction for John Ford, I would say! I have not read the novel "Patrol" that this film was based on. It would be interesting to learn if this theme is apparent. By the way, Lost Patrol was remade as "Sahara"(1943) with Humphrey Bogart. It is not nearly as good, but at the time it was a good wartime morale booster.