El Shaitan

El Shaitan is a fictional character in ("The Three Musketeers") 1933 series. An Arab terrorist, he plots against the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. He was portrayed by Robert Frazer.

Character
El Shaitan (named after The Devil in the Qu'ran) is nicknamed the Devil of the Desert, a human vulture who plots death and destructive schemes. He plots a conspiracy against local French authorities, and as an evil mastemind he has an army of accomplices, a secret society, a merciless desert cult and a rendezvous place called Devil's Circle, where all his lieutanants gather after they hear the Drumms of El Shaitan. He builds his power on violence and dread, so people are frightened even to spell his name, and that one who violates El Shaitan's order will die as quickly as he opens his mouth. El Shaitan kills Armand Corday just as Tom Wayne arrives to confront him. His ordinary methods include intimidation, blackmail, planting evidences, etc.

Nobody knows his real identity, because nobody sees his face, so Tom Wayne and his friends oftenly mistakenly recognize him in other prominent figures: El Kadur, local noble Arab and Colonel Duval, FFL Regiment Commander. At first, even Tom Wayne was suspected to be El Shaitan, after Armand Corday's mysterious death and gun running incident. Finally it turns out that even local government officials were involved in his net, and under the name El Shaitan acted Major Booth from U.S. Secret Service, who tries to destroy the French Foreign Legion. His evil plans are foiled by lieutanant Tom Wayne, and his sidekicks, Clancy, Renard and Schmidt.

Trivia

 * El Shaitan's stunts were performed by stuntman Yakima Canutt.


 * The voice of El Shaitan was supplied by Wilfred Lucas (uncredited).


 * El Shaitan is impersonated by Yakima Canutt, Robert Frazer, and Gordon De Main — who all have other roles - and by Wilfred Lucas.


 * In fact, the dubbing was so much improved, it was used to further obfuscate the real identity of El Shaitan


 * Robert Frazer, who played Major Booth in the cast, posed for all the lobby cards in the El Shaitan outfit and in the course of the serial both Frazer and Gordon De Main, portraying Colonel Duval, would occasionally disguise themselves as El Shaitan.


 * Robert Frazer was a master at keeping the audience guessing with his glowering expressions and menacing voice.


 * Arabs are seen in The Three Musketeers as the North African equivalent to American Indians, a people incapable of self-government. And anyone who inflamed anticolonial sentiments was exactly what the name El Shaitan imlied - "the Devil".

Sources for further reading

 * Alan G. Barbour "Days of thrills and adventure". London : Macmillan, 1970 - 168 p. OCLC Number: 213796582 (Pages 12,151)


 * R.R. Bowker Company "Bowker's complete video directory", vol.2. New Providence, N.J. : R.R. Bowker, 2002 ISBN 0835244792, 9780835244794 (Page 1442)


 * "Ecran", № 65–69, 1978. Paris : Editions de l'Atlante, 1978. Periodical. OCLC Number: 3265542 (Page 27)


 * William K. Everson "The bad guys: a pictorial history of the movie villain". New York : Citadel Press, 1964 - 241 p. OCLC Number: 224853072 (Pages 45,162)


 * Anthony L. Fletcher "Don't Dare Miss the Next Thrilling Chapter" Mill City Press, Inc., 2009 - 256 p. ISBN 193610718X, 9781936107186 (Page 145)


 * Roy Kinnard "Fifty years of serial thrills". Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1983 - 210 p. ISBN 081081644X, 9780810816442 (Page 56)


 * John Howard Reid "Best Western Movies: Winning Pictures, Favorite Films and Hollywood "B" Entries". Morrisville, NC : Lulu Press, 2006 - 240 p. ISBN 1847281818, 9781847281814 (Pages 174,175)


 * Jeff Rovin "The encyclopedia of super villains". New York: Facts on File Publications, 1987 - 416 p. ISBN 081601356X, 9780816013562 (Pages 116,118,119)


 * George Turner, Michael H. Price "Forgotten horrors: early talkie chillers from Poverty Row". A. S. Barnes, 1979 - 216 p. ISBN 049802136X, 9780498021367 (Pages 85-87)


 * Views & reviews, vol. 3–5. Milwaukee, Wisc.: Views & Reviews Productions, 1971. Periodical. ISSN: 0042-5923 (Pages 61,62,66,84)