Basil Brings His Movie Camera To Work

Brit Cast Defends The Empire in The Sun Never Sets (1939)

The British Empire upheld by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Basil Rathbone, with encouragement from granddad C. Aubrey Smith. These alone are tip-off to The Sun Never Sets being irresistible, but in case further spur is needed, there is Lionel Atwill as munitions dealer intent on starting World War Two, and just on eve of actual one getting underway. Clearly it's not reality of any sort we're dealing with. Atwill chooses Africa's Gold Coast as staging area for global conquest, issuing commands from a '39-vintage mobile home, a sleek forebear to RV's we drive today. Universal made The Sun Never Sets, a bid for "A" dates, as was two more that year directed by Rowland V. Lee, Son Of Frankenstein and Tower Of London, the trio coincidentally starring Rathbone as well. These are very much a matched set, and essential viewing for whoever grew up with Uni horrors on TV, The Sun Never Sets a first cousin to the Frankenstein pic in terms of dialogue joust between Basil and insidious Atwill. You'd think this was a serial for every twenty minute pause to cliff-hang. In fact, The Sun Never Sets has that too. Children must have loved it, whatever the incredulity of parents that brought them.

Priceless By-play Between These Two Make Viewing a Must

Young Doug is top-billed. He was lately off The Prisoner Of Zenda and renewed marquee value after sojourn in England and a slump over here. Doug was All-American but could play Brit for having adopted some of their pretensions. On the other hand, he does wicked mimic of lordly types we're otherwise asked to take serious. The Sun Never Sets was really setting sun on this type of melodrama, the for-real war about to sweep that away along with Hollywood (or anyone's) celebration of class distinction, all a more reason to treasure antiquity this is. Duty and honor get a workout, plus ultimate sacrifice for Empire interests, in this case put-down of Atwill scheme, occasion for the film's one-only action spasm. The Sun Never Sets is essentially a B boasting an A cast. There's not even bother of stock footage to simulate Africa, us taking U's backlot for the Dark Continent and liking it. Situations recall The Lives Of A Bengal Lancer and much of imports from Alex Korda, who, of course, led in this field. Too bad The Sun Never Sets is so obscure, not having run since the old AMC used it, from which booted discs came to rescue of collectors unto present day. Mine looks OK provided I don't project on too large a screen. Pity we have to look at it circumscribed, but as with so much ... better than nothing.

Interesting sidelight to production was Rathbone bringing along his home movie camera to record offscreen action. He had taken such souvenirs from shows done previous --- there are 16mm backstage reels from Romeo and Juliet and The Adventures Of Robin Hood that I know of. Bonus aspect was these being shot in color, and by Rathbone himself, unless he was being photographed. Several stars brought cameras to work, Loretta Young and Tyrone Power among others besides Rathbone. I'm told Ty had a room at home set aside for editing and storage. Linda Christian did an autograph show during the 90's at which I asked if any of his stuff survived. She said not to her knowledge --- who knows but what Power's library ended up with the last wife, or to present day with his children. I know fate of at least a few Rathbone reels, sold by the Player's Club to assist widow Ouida Rathbone several years after Basil's death. Studios eventually forbade cast/crew members shooting their own footage on sets and location. This must have been policy in place by the 40's, for I don't know offhand of home movies extant after the late 30's and late example of The Sun Never Sets (although there are stills of Humphrey Bogart on the Casablanca set with his own camera).