From the late 1940s Pine-Thomas increased their budgets to tackle the challenge of television - they would have bigger stars and often colour, although they remained action tales.
This one's a period piece about the Barbary War, which enjoyed a post war vogue in Hollywood. John Payne is plays a character based on the real life bloke who raised the American flag above the Arabs. Payne does sturdy work as the hero - I always liked him as an actor. He's matched with Maureen O'Hara, who actually has a character to play - a woman who has wound up living with an Arab prince and is trying to marry him for money. She's got some good banter with maid Connie Gilchrist and Payne, even if there is that taming-of-the-spitfire stuff with slight rape-y overtones.
The film was directed by Will Price, O'Haras husband who she slagged off in her memoirs as being a drunken, spongeing closeted gay. But he does a decent job - or the Pine Thomas team was just super smooth.
There's enjoyable colour and production values and a support cast including Phil Terry and Alan Napier. Most of all there's Howard da Silva as a local mercenary, engaging and unscrupulous and hugely likeable - it's one of his best performances. Unpretentious and the slightly novel setting is of interest.
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