Sinbad the Sailor is a 1947 fantasy adventure film directed by Richard Wallace. The film stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O’Hara, Walter Slezak, and Anthony Quinn. The film is based on the character Sinbad from the Arabian folktales collection One Thousand and One Nights.
Director: Richard Wallace
Production Company: RKO Radio Pictures
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O’Hara, Walter Slezak, Anthony Quinn, George Tobias, Jane Greer, Mike Mazurki
US Box Office: $7,000,000 ($176,300,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date: January 13, 1947 (premiere)
Plot Summary: After discovering an abandoned ship named Prince Ahmed and finding a map to the island of Deryabar, Arabian sailor and adventurer Sinbad (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) decides to embark on a voyage to the island to uncover its long-lost treasure. The sinister Emir (Anthony Quinn) of Daibul, the mysterious Melik (Walter Slezak), and the Emir’s mistress Shireen (Maureen O’Hara) all seek the treasure as well and believe that Sinbad is the actual Prince Ahmed [the heir to the Deryabar throne] who can lead them to the treasure. Shireen’s desire for the treasure becomes complicated once she develops romantic feelings for Sinbad.
Production: In March of 1944 RKO Radio Pictures began working on Technicolor adventure film based on the character Sinbad from the classical Arabian folktales collection One Thousand and One Nights. William Pereira, an architect and production designer who also had a short career as a producer, was originally announced as the film’s producer, but was later replaced with Stephen Ames. The Strange Adventures of Sinbad, Strange Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor and The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor were all working titles for the film before Sinbad the Sailor was chosen. The screenplay for Sinbad the Sailor was written by John Twist based on a story by Twist and George Worthing Yates. Richard Wallace was chosen to direct the film. Wallace was best known for directing comedy films such as Bride by Mistake (1944) and Kiss and Tell (1945). His most recent adventure film was Captain Caution (1940) starring Victor Mature and Alan Ladd.
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was cast as Sinbad, the film’s main protagonist, in December of 1945. Sinbad the Sailor was Fairbanks’ first film in more than five years, as he was commissioned as a reserve officer in the United States Navy when the US entered World War II. His last film had been the adventure The Corsican Brothers (1941). As part of his new contract with RKO, Sinbad the Sailor was the last film in which Fairbanks was given a set salary, he was also given an office with a secretary and could give input on the screenplay, sets, and wardrobe. Maureen O’Hara was cast as Shireen, the film’s leading lady. O’Hara recently starred in the Technicolor adventure films The Black Swan (1942) and The Spanish Main (1944), and in the Technicolor western Buffalo Bill (1944). RKO borrowed George Tobias from Warner Bros. to play the role of Abbu, Sinbad’s comic relief sidekick.
Director Richard Wallace began filming Sinbad the Sailor in February of 1946. The film was primarily shot on set at RKO Studios in Hollywood, California. Miniature ships were used for the battle sequences and the long-distance shots. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. convinced RKO to hire several actors and stuntmen who previously worked on his late father’s silent adventure films including actor Charles Stevens and bullwhip expert Dave Kashner.
Fun Facts and Trivia: Maureen O’Hara and Walter Slezak recently appeared together in The Spanish Main (1945), another seafaring and swashbuckling adventure film from RKO. The two had also both previously appeared in This Land is Mine (1943) and The Fallen Sparrow (1943), the latter of which was directed by Richard Wallace. O’Hara and Anthony Quinn appeared together in several films. The two previously appeared in The Black Swan (1942) and Buffalo Bill (1944). O’Hara and Quinn later appeared together in Against All Flags (1952), The Magnificent Matador (1955), and in the comedy Only the Lonely (1991) which was Maureen O’Hara’s last film.
Actor Brad Dexter had an early role in Sinbad the Sailor as the character Muallin. Sinbad the Sailor was only Dexter’s second credited film role and he was credited as “Barry Mitchell,” his stage name at the time. Dexter would later be known for starring in the iconic western The Magnificent Seven (1960) and for appearing with Frank Sinatra in the war films None but the Brave (1965) and Von Ryan’s Express (1965).
Reception: RKO originally wanted to release Sinbad the Sailor in December of 1946 to be the studio’s major film for the Christmas holiday season, however this would not come to pass. A strike at the Technicolor production plant delayed the processing of color prints. RKO instead chose to release the black & white It’s a Wonderful Life as its featured 1946 Christmas film. The release date for Sinbad the Sailor was moved to January 13, 1947.
Sinbad the Sailor earned a modest profit for RKO, but given the film’s high budget and RKO’s high expectations, it was considered to be a box office disappointment. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. later noted in an interview, “Errol Flynn told me I’d made a big mistake because nobody was interested in swashbuckling, and I had to agree. Receipts were thin.” Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave Sinbad the Sailor a mixed review. Crowther praised the film’s action and Fairbanks Jr.’s performance, however he was very critical of the plot, which he thought was too confusing. Sinbad the Sailor wasn’t nominated for any Oscars, but it did receive three awards from the magazine Photoplay. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Walter Slezak both received “Best Performances of the Month” awards, and the film itself was ranked as one of the “Best Pictures of the Month.”
Why You Should See It: Sinbad the Sailor is a good swashbuckling adventure film. Although he mainly directed comedies Richard Wallace did a skillful job directing the film’s exciting action sequences. Sinbad the Sailor‘s Technicolor cinematography and production design is fantastic. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is debonair and charming as Sinbad. He and Maureen O’Hara have good chemistry together.