Algiers (1938)
Director: John Cromwell
Actors: Charles Boyer, Gene Lockhart, Hedy Lamarr, Sigrid Gurie, Alan Hale, Joan Woodbury
Runtime: 96 min.
Pepe Le Moko is an infamous French thief hiding out in Algiers. French officials arrive and want to go into the labyrinthine Casbah to find Pepe, but the Algerian authorities know that they just need to wait. Once Pepe meets the beautiful Gaby (Hedy Lamarr), who's visiting from Paris, he falls for her and starts to feel homesick.
Trivia: Algiers received four Academy Award nominations including Charles Boyer (Pepe Le Moko) for Best Actor and Gene Lockhart for Best Supporting Actor, but it won none of them. Charles Boyer was nominated four times for the best Actor award, but he never won. Cinematographer James Wong Howe was nominated nine times for the Best Cinematography Oscar, winning twice. This film also marked the Hollywood debut of Hedy Lamarr (Gaby) whose beauty became a great draw for cinema-goers. The animated cartoon character, Pepé Le Pew, was inspired by Pepe Le Moko.