Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks (1931) [NR]
Release Date:
November 19, 1931
Original Title:
Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks
Alternate Titles:
Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks
Around the World in Eighty Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks
Genres:
Documentary
Production Companies:
Elton Corporation
United Artists
Production Countries:
United States of America
Ratings / Certifications:
US: NR
Runtime: 80
Here's reality in the making, from all corners of this cockeyed globe.
With the advent of sound, the world's leading screen idol, Douglas Fairbanks, experienced a downturn in his fortunes. His thin, reedy voice was not suited to the talkies, his marriage to Mary Pickford was on the outs, and his son, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., had replaced him as a major box-office draw. Faced with the Hollywood equivalent of a mid-life crisis, Doug called up three of his best friends - director Victor Fleming, cinematographer Henry Sharp, and production manager Charles Lewis - and took them on a six-month tour of Asia, ostensibly to shoot a travelogue for United Artists (of which Fairbanks was still a major shareholder.) Their first stop is Honolulu, followed in quick succession by Japan, China, Peking, Hong Kong, Indochina, the Philippines, Siam, and India. Fairbanks and company spend time at such noteworthy spots as the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, the Summer Palace and the Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum.