Trivia / Sahara (1943)

• Enforced Method Acting: Rex Ingram got caught up in the moment when Tambul kills von Schletow and started pressing Kurt Kreuger's face hard into the sand. The crew was apparently transfixed by Ingram's passion and didn't realize Kreuger was losing consciounsness and on the verge of suffocating. Fortunately, director Zoltán Korda called cut in time.
• Playing Against Type: Humphrey Bogart had been pigeonholed in gangster roles before this film. Reportedly, he was growing tired of gangster films and got the role of Joe Gunn because Brian Donlevy was getting tired of making war films and the two swapped roles (with Bogart getting Sahara and Donlevy getting My Friend Curly^note although that part would ultimately be taken by Cary Grant) for a change of pace.
• What Could Have Been: Gary Cooper, Glenn Ford, and Brian Donlevy were offered the role of Joe Gunn before Humphrey Bogart was considered.