Casbah (film)
| Casbah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | John Berry |
| Written by | Leslie Bush-Fekete |
| Story by | Henri La Barthe (as Detective Ashelbe) |
| Produced by | Nat C. Goldstone |
| Starring | Yvonne De Carlo Tony Martin |
| Cinematography | Irving Glassberg |
| Edited by | Edward Curtiss |
| Music by | Walter Scharf |
Production company | Marston Productions[1] |
| Distributed by | Universal International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.3 million[2] |
| Box office | $1,092,283 (rentals)[2] |
Casbah is a 1948 American musical film directed by John Berry, starring Yvonne DeCarlo and Tony Martin, and released by Universal Studios.
Plot
Casbah is a musical remake of Algiers (1938), which was in turn an American remake of the French film Pépé le Moko (1937). The plot, which follows that of the 1938 film faithfully, deals with Pépé le Moko (Tony Martin), who leads a gang of jewel thieves in the Casbah district of Algiers, where he has exiled himself to escape imprisonment in his native France. Inez (Yvonne De Carlo), his girl friend, is infuriated when Pépé flirts with Gaby (Märta Torén), a French visitor, but Pépé tells her to mind her own business. Detective Slimane (Peter Lorre) is trying to lure Pépé out of the Casbah so he can be jailed. Against Slimane's advice, Police Chief Louvain (Thomas Gomez) captures Pépé in a dragnet, but his followers free him. Inez realizes that Pépé has fallen in love with Gaby and intends to follow her to Europe. Slimane knows the same and uses her as the bait to lure Pépé out of the Casbah.
Cast and roles
- Yvonne De Carlo - Inez
- Tony Martin - Pépé Le Moko
- Peter Lorre - Slimane
- Märta Torén - Gaby
- Hugo Haas - Omar
- Thomas Gomez - Louvain
- Douglas Dick - Carlo
- Herbert Rudley - Claude
- Gene Walker - Roland
- Curt Conway - Maurice
- Katherine Dunham - Odette
Cast notes:
- Eartha Kitt plays an uncredited bit part.[3] This was her film debut.
Production
The film was made by Marston Productions, Tony Martin's production company. The Bank of America lent $800,000 to finance the film; Universal provided some of the balance.[2]
Reception
The film only recouped $600,000 of its negative cost. Universal succeeded in getting a court judgment against Marston of $350,000. They bought all rights to the film at public auction for $5,000. This purchase was subject to an unsatisfied lien against the property of $195,000 to the Bank of America.[2]
Awards
In 1949, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song "For Every Man There's a Woman" by Harold Arlen (music) and Leo Robin (lyrics).
References
- ^ DRAMA AND FILM: Noyes Poem Purchased; De Carlo, Martin Lead Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 09 June 1947: A7.
- ^ a b c d COLBERT SIGNED FOR LEAD IN 'EVE': Mankiewicz to Direct Film for Fox--Studio Revives 'American Guerrilla' Bids $5,000 for "Casbah" By THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 04 Feb 1950: 19.
- ^ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/70401/Casbah/