In 1805, the United States battles the pirates of Tripoli as the Marines fight to raise the American flag.
Production
San Diego standing in for North Africa with straight face.
Costume
O'Hara's gowns somehow spotless in desert warfare.
Director
Will Price
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Marines' Hymn lyric 'shores of Tripoli' references this actual 1805 campaign, making this perhaps cinema's most literal adaptation of a song lyric.
Released during the early Cold War, this film repurposed 19th-century Barbary conflicts to justify 1950s American military interventionism worldwide.