Lot #51: Vintage Movie Poster - Destination Gobi (1953) (Card 88)

This is an original lobby card from the movie Destination Gobi. It was released in 1953. This is card 8 from a set of 8. It measures 11x14 inches and is in good vintage condition. Movie Plot: In 1944, U.S. Navy Chief Sam McHale is pulled from duty aboard an aircraft carrier and assigned to lead a small group of weather specialists in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Their mission is to provide weather data critical to Allied operations in the Pacific theater. Isolated and unprepared for land-based hardship, the men struggle to adapt to the harsh environment. The American team sets up camp near a Mongolian tribe led by Kengtu. Initially wary of one another, the two groups slowly develop mutual respect. McHale and his men realize the Mongols’ exceptional horsemanship could make them valuable allies. McHale sends for Army saddles, and once equipped, the Mongols become an informal cavalry unit, offering protection and mobility. Japanese planes attack the camp, killing some Americans and Mongols and destroying their radio. With no way to communicate, and relief weeks away, McHale decides the only option is to lead his men across 800 miles of desert to reach safety. They eventually reunite with Kengtu, who agrees to help them disguise themselves as Mongols and travel with a caravan. The group is captured by Japanese forces posing as villagers. The Americans are held as spies, not prisoners of war, meaning execution is likely. However, with help from Wali-Akhun, a Mongol loyal to Kengtu, they escape. It’s revealed the capture was a ruse designed to sneak them aboard a Chinese junk bound for Okinawa. A Japanese patrol boat pursues them, and one American is killed in the firefight. Eventually, American planes locate the junk and rescue the survivors. McHale is awarded the Navy Cross. In the final scenes, the Mongol allies are flown home, and McHale gives them embroidered saddle blankets, honoring their role as the first U.S. Navy Mongolian cavalry. Pickup category timeslot {A}