ALGIERS

Like millions of other fellow baby boomers, I grew up watching the classic Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons on television. The films were constantly shown on all three networks on Saturday mornings, endlessly repackaged (and, alas, edited). I watched them all and loved them all. My favorite Warner Brothers cartoon character was (and still is), Foghorn Leghorn. But I digress...

One of the characters featured in these films was Pepe Le Pew, an amorous (and odorous) French skunk who was constantly in search of love. Pepe, created by legendary animation directors Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese, made his debut in 1945 and starred in 18 cartoons between that year and 1962. But one cartoon in particular, THE CAT'S BAH (1954), stood out from all of the rest. 

Here, Pepe channeled the voice and personality of actor Charles Boyer in an animated riff on the classic film ALGIERS (1938). I had no idea that this cartoon (and it's signature line of dialogue "come with me to ze Casbah") was based on an old movie. But the audiences of the time surely recognized the reference, which only added to the overall cleverness of the character and his milieu. I had no clue that a film called ALGIERS existed, nor did I know who Charles Boyer was. All I knew was that the cartoon was funny and made me laugh every time I saw it. 

For the record, at no point in the 99 minutes of ALGIERS does Boyer ever utter the deathless phrase "come with me to ze Casbah." That's mainly because he's already in the Casbah, that area of Algiers that sits above the city proper and serves as a fortress for thieves and all sorts of illicit and illegal activities. ALGIERS is a remake of the 1937 French film PEPE LE MOKO, with Boyer playing master thief Pepe. He and his gang of thieves (which includes veteran character actor Alan Hale), operate with impunity within the limits of the Casbah, a labyrinthine maze of twisting, narrow alleys and connected rooftops which allow escape from the police when necessary. Pepe may be king of this North African underworld empire but he's also a prisoner. To leave the confines of the Casbah and enter the streets of Algiers proper will surely end in his capture and possible death. 

Pepe's main love interest is the smoking hot Ines (Sigrid Gurie) but she's soon eclipsed when Gaby enters the scene. Gaby, played by the astonishingly beautiful Hedy Lamarr in her first American film, comes to the Casbah dripping with jewels, gifts from her much older (and extremely wealthy ) fiance. Pepe is immediately attracted by the diamonds and pearls Gaby wears but soon becomes smitten with the woman herself. The two yearn to run away together back to Paris where they hope to find happiness. 

Alas, it is not to be. 

ALGIERS is skillfully mounted by director Enter John Cromwell with sinuous camerawork by the legendary James Wong Howe. Howe shoots the Casbah in cramped, low angle compositions, underlining how trapped Pepe is by both his lifestyle and his choice of living quarters. Intrigue abounds, with plots and schemes to capture Pepe launched by both crooks and cops, each meting with failure until the very end of the film.

ALGIERS clearly served as inspiration for CASABLANCA (1942). While it doesn't reach the heights of that masterpiece, ALGIERS is nonetheless a very impressive film. Boyer is at the top of his game, Lamarr is simply breathtaking and the story is fast moving and compelling. Plus, it's earned a place in the pop culture history of the twentieth century thanks to an animated cartoon skunk. Not many films can make that claim.

Recommended.