简介：EverhearoftheFirstMongolianCavalry,UnitedStatesNavy;ortheSino-AmericanCooperativeOrganizationorArgosVIinInnerMongolia? Well,agroupofartisansatTwentiethCenturyFoxhave.AndtheyhaveculledfromthiscuriosaasexoticandamiableanadventureasanytohavecomeoutofWorldWarII.Titled"DestinationGobi,"theTechnicolorednewcomer,nowattheGlobe,intriguinglyparlaysawillingcast,afairshareoflaughs,crispdialogueandunusuallocaleandsomeplausibleandimprobablederring-dointoalightbutengagingandengrossingentertainment. ChancesarethattheFirstMongolianCavalry,U.S.N.,isaninspiredfigmentoftheimaginationsofEverettFreemanandEdmundG.Love,thewritersofthisyarn.AndwhileitistruethatSACOandthemeteorologicalteams,whichweresentintothearidwastesoftheGobiDeserttoflashweatherreportstotheAlliedforces,reallydidexist,thesefactsareofsmallmoment.WhatisimportantisthegenuinefunandactiontheMessrs.FreemanandLoveandDirectorRobertWiseandhiscastaregettingoutoffactandfiction. TheyarerecountingthetaleofChiefPettyOfficerSamMcHale,acase-hardenedveteranofsixteenyearsofcampaigning,whoisyankedoffthecarrierEnterprisetoheadameteorologicalteamintoInnerMongolia,whichisdifferentfromOuterMongolia,someonesays,"becauseit'sdrierandhotter." TheyarealsotellingoftheaidtheygetfromKengtu,theinscrutableleaderofatribeofMongols(dubbedtheFirstMongolianCavalry),whopromisestohelptheAmericancontingentfightofftheJapaneseincaseofanattackonlyiftheNavywillcomethroughwithsixtyUnitedStatesCavalrysaddles,acommoditythatseemstobeprizedaboveallelse.AndtheyarerecallingtheOriental-typehelping-handthenomadsgivetheparty,nowstrafedoutofitscampandleggingitsome600milestotheChinacoast. CreditthedialoguewithbeingpleasinglyflipandinthebestG.I.vernacular.CaseyAdams,oneofthesailorsintheseparchedwastes,desperatelytriestolearnthenameofaMongolmaidenbyexplaining—withgestures—"meTarzan,youJane."Another,rebelliousathavingtomakethelongtrekontheordersofMcHaledisgustedlysays,"wegottalegit500milesoverthisdesertonlybecauseCaptainBlighherelikessaltwater." Andtheprincipalsactasthoughthey'vebeenthroughtheNavymill.RichardWidmark,astheC.P.O.,whohastoassumecommandwhenthelieutenantcommanderiskilled,doesaconvincingstintasamanmakingthebestofhisknow-howdespitebeingoutofhissaltyelement.MurvynVye,asthenomadleader,isaforbiddingbutfriendlychieftain,arolemarredbytheunlikelynotethathespeaksEnglishwhiletherestofhisclancan't.DonTaylor,RossBagdasarian,DarrylHickman,whosebraveryhelpsthedetachmentescapeinaChinesejunk,andMartinMilnerarenaturallyunrestrainedastheothergobs. DirectorWisehascapturedsomefineshotsofwindswept,vastdesertscenesandtheeeriesoundsofkeeninggustsalongthedunes.But,basically,hemakesgoodoneoftheopeningremarksbyWidmarktotheeffectthat"DestinationGobi"isoneofthewar's"strangeststories."It'sstrangeandsurprisinglysatisfying.…