Fort Algiers ** (1953, Yvonne De Carlo, Carlos Thompson, Raymond Burr, Leif Erickson, Anthony Caruso, John Dehner) – Classic Movie Review 12,548

Lesley Selander’s 1953 American black and white adventure film Fort Algiers stars Yvonne De Carlo (as a secret agent pretending to be a night club singer), Carlos Thompson, and Raymond Burr. 

Director Lesley Selander’s 1953 American black and white adventure film Fort Algiers stars Yvonne De Carlo, Carlos Thompson, Raymond Burr, Leif Erickson, Anthony Caruso and John Dehner.

Yvonne De Carlo stars as Yvette, a secret agent posing as a night club singer sent to investigate the massacre of a French Foreign Legion outpost in French North Africa, where she discovers a treacherous Arabian leader planning an attack on strategic oil fields.

Carlos Thompson plays French Foreign Legionnaire Jeff, who romances secret agent Yvette (Yvonne De Carlo) to stop the dastardly Arabian ruler Amir (Raymond Burr) blowing up the oil fields and organising a revolt against the French.

Fort Algiers has some appeal, mostly in the cast, but it is dim, clichéd adventure stuff, with an unpromising Hollywood début by Argentine star Carlos Thompson and just a touch of pep from De Carlo and Burr.

De Carlo (as a secret agent pretending to be a night club singer) trills the song ‘I’ll Follow You’, for which she wrote the words.

The screenplay is by Theodore St John, based on a story by Frederick Stephani.

Also in the cast are Robert Boon, Henry Corden, Joe Kirk, Bill Phipps, Sandra Gale, and Charles Evans.

It is made by Atlantic Productions, the company of Russian-born film producer Joseph N Ermolieff (1889–1962). The film reuses action sequences from Ermolieff’s film Outpost in Morocco (1949).

Filming started on 15 December 1952 and it was released by United Artists on 15 July 1953.

Yvonne de Carlo met Carlos Thompson on the set of a movie in South America and recommended him for the male lead. De Carlo put her own money into the film.

The cast are Yvonne De Carlo as Yvette, Carlos Thompson as Jeff, Raymond Burr as Amir, Leif Erickson as Kalmani, Anthony Caruso as Chavez, John Dehner as Major Colle, Robert Boon as Mueller, Henry Corden as Yessouf, Joe Kirk as Luigi, Lewis Martin as Colonel Lasalle, Leonard Penn as Lt. Picard, William Phipps as Lt. Gerrier, Michael Couzzi as Richetti, Charles Evans as General Rousseau, Sandra Bettin as Sandra, and Robert Warwick as Haroon.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,548

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