The Royal African Rifles

1953 film by Lesley Selander

September 27, 1953 (1953-09-27)

Running time

75 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

The Royal African Rifles is a 1953 American Cinecolor First World War adventure film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Louis Hayward, Veronica Hurst and Michael Pate. It is set in British East Africa but filmed on location in the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.^[1] The film was the first production of Louis Hayward's production company Associated Film Artists, but Hayward's company made no other films. It was distributed by Allied Artists. The working title was The Queen’s African Rifles.^[2] In reality, there was never a military unit called “The Royal African Rifles”, although the King's African Rifles served in Africa during the war. The film was retitled Storm Over Africa in the United Kingdom.^[3]

Plot

In August 1914, a consignment of Vickers machine guns are stolen off a Royal Navy ship, HMS Marlin. An RN Lieutenant aboard the ship goes undercover as a white hunter through British East Africa to find the weapons before they get into the hands of the Germans and alter the balance of power in Africa.

Cast

Louis Hayward as Lt. James Denham RN
Veronica Hurst as Jennifer Cunningham
Michael Pate as Bill Cunningham
Steven Geray as Franz Van Stede
Angela Greene as Karen Van Stede
Bruce Lester as Saxon
Barry Bernard as Eakins
Robert Osterloh as Carney
Roy Glenn as Cpl. John
John Warburton as Col. Burke
Patrick Aherne as Capt. Curtis
Juanita Moore as Elderly Woman
Woody Strode as Soldier

References

^ Craig, Terrence L. (2017). The White Spaces of Kenyan Settler Writing: A Polemical Bibliography. BRILL. p. 114. ISBN 9789004346512. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
^ "The Royal African Rifles (1953) - Notes". TCM.com. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
^ Edwards, Paul M. (2016). World War I on Film: English Language Releases through 2014. McFarland. p. 172. ISBN 9780786498666. Retrieved 27 June 2019.