Beau Geste

French Legionnaires after a party night in North Africa, sneaky Rasinoff (J. Carrol Naish) snoops on brothers Beau (Gary Cooper), Digby (Robert Preston) and newly-arrived John (Ray Milland), in William A. Wellman's Beau Geste, 1939.

First scenes for the principals as adults, youngest brother John (Ray Milland) with cousin Isobel (Susan Hayward) then Beau (Gary Cooper) with Digby (Robert Preston) and a mouse, in William A. Wellman's Beau Geste, 1939.

Prologue and director William A. Wellman's gripping opening, Major Beaujolais (James Stephenson) dispatching his bugler Digby (Robert Preston) to the fort manned by dead legionnaires, in Beau Geste, 1939.

Helping French Foreign Legion commander Markoff (Brian Donlevy) thwart a mutiny, John (Ray Milland) and especially brother Beau (Gary Cooper) are unwilling to execute the guilty, a point of honor in Beau Geste, 1939, from the Christopher Wren novel.

John (Ray Milland) learns that one older brother has followed the other to the French Foreign Legion, each taking blame for a jewel theft, then explaining to cousin Isobel (Susan Hayward) in Beau Geste, 1939.