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If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably wondered what film box office sensation Douglas Fairbanks’ favorite was to make. And if you’re not like me...excellent choice. But in any event, today we’re delving into his pet project, the visually stunning, Arabian Nights-inspired “The Thief of Bagdad”. And the fact that the glorious Anna May Wong had a pivotal role in the film makes us love it that much more...
In 1922, Douglas began his move from comedy films to action films, with his starring role in “Robin Hood”. By 1924, when “The Thief of Bagdad” was released, he had established himself as THE man for daring, dashing, swashbuckling roles. Which, if you’re going to be a star, is the best kind to be.
It’s a small wonder then that Douglas decided to go ALL OUT and make a whopper of an epic that reportedly cost $1,135,654.65 - in 1924 funds. Yes, this was one of the most expensive films ever made in the 1920s! But Douglas believed in his project and took on not only the role of leading man, but also writer and producer. He supervised production design, musical score (in those days, sheet music was often provided to accompany the films in theaters), and the special effects. He even took charge of directing the more difficult scenes!
A film of this scale needed a large number of extras, to be sure. And one of them was none other than Jesse Lasky, Jr. (son of movie mogul Jesse L. Lasky). As the story goes, teen Jesse wanted to earn some money all his own, without his father’s involvement. In those days, extras were simply selected out of a large group that gathered outside of the studios - no one knew who they were, and no one cared. So Jesse, a rather crafty young man, went “incognito” and made his way into the group entering the studio...
Donning an impressive Arabian costume and instructed to lead a camel in the scene, Jesse went unrecognized and almost got away with his scheme...until his camel answered the “call of nature” in the middle of shooting! This got Douglas’ attention, and when he got a good look at the boy who was with the camel, he recognized him immediately. Jesse Jr. often played with Douglas Jr. (a budding young actor himself at the time) and the two were very good friends. Douglas had a good laugh, exchanged pleasantries and went back to filming the scene. Jesse was paid at the end of the day.
Word quickly reached the newspapers, but before the story could reach the general public, Jesse Sr. paid the press to shut it down. This, he felt, was a huge embarrassment - the son of a very important man in Hollywood...being a lowly, underpaid extra? And not even in a Paramount movie! The shame. Incidentally, Douglas Jr. had recently been put on a contract...acting in Paramount films. The headlines would have run wild over THAT: "Fairbanks' son works for Lasky, Lasky's son works for Fairbanks"! Jesse Jr. got a stern talking-to, and thus ended his “career” as an extra.
What were the special effects in this Arabian fantasy adventure? Well, a flying carpet (held aloft by piano wires, as seen below) - not to mention a magic rope and a flying horse. And they did it all without CGI, folks. As a side note, Douglas would use charts to plot out his films - and judging by all of the precise action that his films include, it makes complete sense!
From start to finish, “The Thief of Bagdad” took 65 weeks to finish (yep, more than a year), and the only days off were Sundays...and Christmas Day. Shooting itself lasted 28 weeks (yep, about 6 months). The sets covered SIX AND A HALF ACRES at Pickford-Fairbanks Studios in West Hollywood (yep. Six. And a half.). The bazaar set alone covered more than 2 acres, and Nottingham Castle from “Robin Hood” was refashioned as the stunning palace of Bagdad.
You wanna talk post-production? Film editor William Nolan was given 480,000 feet of film to edit. Which would have sent this girl packing, but OK. William the Great chopped it down to 15,000 feet, which became the final cut. Douglas, a stickler for details, also hired a composer to create an original music score - which was not yet common in Hollywood.
For the traveling “road show” presentations of the film that followed, Douglas hired master showman Morris Gest to oversee the productions, featuring “full scenic and stage effects, a band of Arabian musicians with the instruments of their native country, as well as a Mohammedan Prayer Man.” Douglas was so involved in all of the details pertinent to the film that he even had a hand in deciding how many billboards to reserve!
Sid Grauman's Egyptian Theater went all out for the film!
“The Thief of Bagdad” premiered at the Liberty Theater in New York City on March 18th, 1924. The critics were agog:
“It is an entrancing picture, wholesome and beautiful, deliberate but compelling, a feat of motion picture art which has never been equaled and one which itself will enthrall persons time and again,” -New York Times
“The greatest thing that ever has been put on the screen!” -New York Herald Tribune
“Here is magic. Here is beauty. Here is the answer to the cynics who give the motion picture no place in the family arts … It is a work of rare genius ….” -Photoplay Magazine
“Fairbanks has gone far beyond the mere bounds of possibility; he has performed the superhuman feat of making his magic seem probable.” -Life Magazine
...but even in the face of all of this praise...”The Thief of Bagdad” was not the financial success that Douglas hoped it would be. It did, however, remain his all-time favorite project, and rightly so. Have a look at the trailer for its restoration below!
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