Desert Command Backdrop Blur
Desert Command Poster

Desert Command

"A Story of the Modern Escapades of the Most Famous Adventurers in all Fiction!"

Tom Wayne rescues Clancy, Renard and Schmidt in the Arabian desert and they join him in going after El Shaitan, a bad guy who is never seen as he tries to wipe out the Foreign Legion. Feature version of the movie serial, The Three Musketeers (1934).

Top Cast

  • John Wayne

    John Wayne

    Tom Wayne

  • Ruth Hall

    Ruth Hall

    Elaine Corday

  • Jack Mulhall

    Jack Mulhall

    Clancy

  • Raymond Hatton

    Raymond Hatton

    Renard

  • Francis X. Bushman Jr.

    Francis X. Bushman Jr.

    Schmidt (archive footage)

  • Noah Beery Jr.

    Noah Beery Jr.

    Stubbs

  • Robert Frazer

    Robert Frazer

    Maj. Booth

  • Robert Warwick

    Robert Warwick

    Col. Brent

  • Hooper Atchley

    Hooper Atchley

    El Kadur

Overview

Tom Wayne rescues Clancy, Renard and Schmidt in the Arabian desert and they join him in going after El Shaitan, a bad guy who is never seen as he tries to wipe out the Foreign Legion. Feature version of the movie serial, The Three Musketeers (1934).

Rating

4.2 / 10
12 Reviews
0 Popular

2 Reviews

  • bfry24
    bfry24
    Oct 10, 2012

    An old creaker of a 12 chapter Foreign Legion serial actually puts John Wayne in the forefront of the action despite having him appear only fourth in the credits. The production standards of course were nothing to write home about then and are certainly slapdash now but the action has some nifty inventive moments and it was all shot on location which was a big plus. The good natured comraderie between the "musketeers" was definitely used as a prototype for Gunga Din, made six years later by RKO. Some notable appearances by Noah Beery Jr, Lon Chaney and Yakima Canutt will interest film historians and the adventure is entertaining enough even if you can't get through all the chapters in one sitting. Not the greatest old-time serial ever made I'm sure but I'll watch John Wayne in anything and the DVD was worth the purchase.

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    4 Jul 7, 2022

    This compilation from the serial "The Three Musketeers" (nothing to do with Alexandre Dumas' story) is probably more notable for it's more impressive aerial acrobatics than for anything we see from the actors. John Wayne leads the cast as one of a trio of French Foreign legionnaires dealing with renegade Arab forces led by the enigmatic "El Shaitan" who is smuggling weapons to the local tribes. It frequently uses the music to cover up for lack of decent audio and though it does try to make much more use of outdoor, rather then studio scenarios - quite brave (and expensive) for 1933, it is still a pretty ropey affair to look at. It's still worth a watch as an historical piece of cinema, but keep your sights aimed low...

Recommendations