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Diamond Safari
Original film poster
Directed by	Gerald Mayer
Written by	Larry Marcus
Produced by	Gerald Mayer
Starring	Kevin McCarthy
Music by	Woolf Phillips
Production companies	Regal Films Inc Schlesinger Film Organisation
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	1958 (1958)
Running time	67 minutes
Countries	USA South Africa UK
Language	English

Diamond Safari is a 1958 American crime film directed by Gerald Mayer and starring Kevin McCarthy, Betty McDowall and André Morell.

Filmed in South Africa in 1955, the film features the first (and only) two 30-minute episodes of a television series called African Drumbeat.

Plot

An American battles diamond smugglers in Africa.

Cast

• Kevin McCarthy – Harry Jordan
• Robert Bice – Reubens
• Tommy Buson – Medicine Man
• John Clifford – Doc
• Joanna Douglas – Petey
• Frances Driver – Glass Blower's Wife
• Joel Herholdt – Sergeant van der Cliffe
• Hanna Landy – Wanda
• Betty McDowall – Louise Saunders
• Michael McNeile – Phillips
• Harry Mekela – Police Boy
• André Morell – Williamson
• Patrick Simpson – Carlton
• Geoffrey Tsobe – Stephen Timbu
• Gert Van den Bergh – Compound Manager

Production

African Drumbeat is a TV series produced by Gerard Mayer for Edward Dukoff, personal manager of Danny Kaye. It was done in partnership with the Schlesinger Organization of South Africa and Great Britain.

Larry Marcus wrote three scripts for the series which focused on Harry Jordan, an American soldier of fortune in South Africa. Kevin McCarthy was cast in this role. Filming began in South Africa on 1 July 1955.

There was location filming in Krueger National Park. Filming was completed by October 1955.

No TV series resulted. The episodes were cut together and released as a feature film.

References

1. BFI.org
2. "Diamond Safari (1958) - Notes - TCM.com". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22.
3. Billboard 26 Nov 1955
4. "DIAMOND SAFARI". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 26. 1959. p. 18. ProQuest 1305822199.
5. "DIAMOND SAFARI (20th century-fox)". Picture show. No. 72. Feb 21, 1959. p. 10. ProQuest 1879631842.
6. "MOVIELAND EVENTS". Los Angeles Times. Aug 31, 1955. ProQuest 166853399.
7. THOMAS M PRYOR (Aug 31, 1955). "MANKIEWICZ SUED FOR PLAGIARISM". New York Times. ProQuest 113271683.
8. Ames, W. (May 25, 1955). "Kevin McCarthy to star in 'african drumbeat'; TV theater celebrates". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166784944.
9. Ames, W. (Jul 7, 1955). "Producer almost finds ideal actor; O'herlihy signs for svengali role". . Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166823323.
10. Ames, W. (Jul 25, 1955). "Arms haunted by old western on TV; gusher gushes on sound stage". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166814000.
11. Schallert, E. (Oct 15, 1955). "Drama". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166881837.
12. Ames, W. (Aug 20, 1956). "Afternoon shows for GOP confab on radio and TV". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166992003.

External links

• Diamond Safari at IMDb

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• 1958 films
• 1958 crime films
• Films set in South Africa
• Films shot in South Africa
• Television pilots not picked up as a series
• 20th Century Fox films
• Television films as pilots
• 1950s English-language films
• American crime films
• 1950s American films
• English-language crime films
• 1950s crime film stubs
• 1950s American film stubs