Action in Arabia (1944)

Interesting facts

Action in Arabia is a 1944 American spy thriller film directed by Leonide Moguy and starring George Sanders and Virginia Bruce. The film was based on the 1943 novel The Fanatic of Fez by M. V. Heberden. Action in Arabia was written by Philip MacDonald and Herbert J. Biberman. The supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart and Robert Armstrong. Despite the title, the plot involves trouble and intrigue with the Nazis in Damascus, who scheme to seize control of the Suez Canal.

Production

In April 1943 RKO announced they had bought the rights to an original story, The Fanatic of Fez, about the work of American agents in Africa prior to the invasion of Africa. (A novelisation of the story was published in May 1943.

George Sanders had just finished a long-term contract with 20th Century Fox and signed a three-picture deal with RKO of which this was to be the first. It was Virginia Bruce's first film in a year, having taken time off following the death of her husband, J. Walter Ruben.

Filming started on 1 October 1943 under the title International Zone.

As world events turned to North Africa, the original setting of Algiers was dropped and Damascus became the locale, with a budget increase of $100,000 given to elevate the film to a higher status. (The New York Times said this was a 100% increase and it happened three weeks into filming.) The title was changed to Action in Arabia during filming. Shooting was delayed a week due to an illness to Virginia Bruce.

Set mainly on the RKO backlot, the production relied on the customary sets that had been used in a variety of other films including Gone with the Wind (1939).

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