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Desert Nights with John Gilbert and Mary Nolan: Enjoyable Sahara-set adventure – which happened to be Gilbert's last silent film – dares to ask the age-old philosophical question, “Is there honor among thieves?” John Gilbert late silent adventure 'Desert Nights' asks a question for the ages: Is there honor among thieves? The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer release Desert Nights arrived in theaters at the tail end of the silent era. By 1929, audiences wanted lots of singing and dancing – talkies! And they might have been impatient to hear John Gilbert's speaking voice. I can't tell whether sound would have improved it or not, but Desert Nights has a lot of title cards filled with dialogue. Directed by the prolific William Nigh,[1] the film tells the story of diamond thieves who get stranded in the Sahara and almost die of thirst. (At first, Desert Nights' was appropriately titled Thirst.) Cinematographer James Wong Howe perfectly captures the hot, dry...

Ernest Torrence, John Gilbert, Mary Nolan, Desert Nights Desert Nights (1929) Direction: William Nigh Screenplay: Endre Bohem and Lenore J. Coffee, from a treatment by Willis Goldbeck; titles by Ruth Cummings and Marian Ainslee; story by John Thomas Neville and Dale Van Every Cast: John Gilbert, Mary Nolan, Ernest Torrence Desert Nights arrived in theaters on the coattails of the silent era. By 1929, audiences wanted lots of singing and dancing — talkies! And they might have been impatient to hear John Gilbert's speaking voice. I can't tell whether sound would have improved it or not, but Desert Nights has a lot of title cards filled with dialog. The film tells the story of diamond thieves who get stranded in the African desert and almost die of thirst. Cinematographer James Wong Howe perfectly captures the hot, dry, burning sands of the Sahara — which in reality was likely the Mojave in Hollywood's [...]...