Quicksands (1923 film)

Quicksands is a 1923 American silent crime drama film directed by Jack Conway, written by Howard Hawks, and starring Helene Chadwick and Richard Dix. The supporting cast features Alan Hale Sr., Noah Beery Sr. and Jean Hersholt. The film was released on February 28, 1923, by American Releasing Corporation.[1][2]

Quicksands
Trade advertisement
Directed byJack Conway
Screenplay byHoward Hawks
Produced byHoward Hawks
StarringHelene Chadwick
Richard Dix
Alan Hale, Sr.
Noah Beery, Sr.
J. Farrell MacDonald
George Cooper
Tom Wilson
CinematographyGlen MacWilliams
Harold Rosson
Production
company
Agfar Corporation
Distributed byAmerican Releasing Corporation
Release date
  • February 28, 1923 (1923-02-28)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Plot

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Lt. Brill, a U.S. Army officer assigned to stop a narcotics ring on the Mexico–United States border, breaks up with his girlfriend after discovering her working as a dancer the drug kingpin 'Silent' Krupz's cantina. However, he discovers she is actually an undercover Secret Service agent working with her father Farrell at the U.S. Customs Service. The three are captured by Krupz but are rescued by the Army.[3]

Cast

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Production

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The film was shot both on a studio in Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, and on location in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Real U.S. Army soldiers, including United States Colored Troops, were used as extras.

After the American Releasing Corporation went out of business, it was purchased by the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation for re-release as Boots and Saddles. Dix tried to stop the re-release and offered $1 million to be released from his contract with Paramount, but the studio refused.[3]

Preservation

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With no prints of Quicksands in any film archives,[4] it is currently a lost film.

References

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  1. ^ Janiss Garza (2015). "Quicksands - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  2. ^ "Quicksands". silentera.com. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Quicksands". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: Quicksands
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