The 25 Dec 1926 LAT relayed producer John Considine’s day-old announcement of the “long-term contract” between filmmaker Lewis Milestone and Howard Hughes, the wealthy owner of Hughes Tool Company of Texas, whose interest in motion pictures led him to establish the Caddo Co., Inc. Two Arabian Knights was the first film to be produced under the contract between Hughes and Milestone, and the first film to be financed by Hughes, according to the 25 Dec 1926 LAT and 5 Sep 1928 Var.
       The 13 Jan 1927 LAT claimed that Donald McGibney, author of the 1924 short story upon which the film was based, was scheduled to travel to the West Coast the following week to begin work on the picture at the United Artists Corp. studio lot. A month later, the 14 Feb 1927 [St. Petersburg, FL] Tampa Bay Times noted that Louis Wolheim and William Boyd had begun shooting without a leading lady. Vilma Banky had been sought after for the role of “Anis Bid Adham,” but Samuel Goldwyn had “refused to lend her” out for the sum of $75,000. Meanwhile, location shooting got underway in Truckee, CA. The 13 Feb 1927 [Reno, NV] Nevada State Journal announced that the film company had completed snow scenes in Truckee and had since returned to Hollywood, CA, to film interiors. An item in the 23 Nov 1927 Var later claimed that production in Truckee had lasted eleven weeks. The Nevada State Journal added that the company planned to charter a cruise to San Francisco, CA, after interior shooting was completed in Hollywood, presumably to film aboard the ship.
       The casting of Alma Rubens was announced in the 11 Mar 1927 NYDN and 23 Mar 1927 Film Daily. Not long after, the 15 Apr 1927 Motion Picture News reported that Mary Astor had replaced Rubens. An item in the Jun 1927 Motion Picture stated that director Lewis Milestone had decided Rubens was wrong for the part. Rubens reportedly sought a portion of the salary she’d been promised based on a signed, four-week contract.
       Another glimpse of set happenings appeared in the Nov 1928 issue of Motion Picture, which profiled the film’s technical advisor Jamiel Hasson of Damascus (incorrectly identified as “Jamel Hassom” and “Jamil Hassan” in the article). Hasson’s thoughts on what it meant to be a technical advisor on the three films he had worked on—Two Arabian Knights, as well as Fazil and Woman Wise (1928, see entries)—were quoted: “If you do not know what is technical advisor, I will tell you: I explain how things are truly in a mosque or a harem, what a sheik is like and such things. They listen to me politely, and then they make it some other way. That is being a technical advisor.” Hasson lamented that Arabs were too often portrayed galloping on horses and kidnapping women, living in lavish silk tents and keeping female slaves, or praying on the ground at sundown. Despite the many Hollywood films set in the Arab region, Hasson claimed to be the “only true Arab in Hollywood,” while Arab characters were mostly portrayed by Turks, Persians, or Hindus.
       A production budget of $1 million was cited in the 27 Aug 1927 [Auckland, New Zealand] Auckland Star, which noted that Two Arabian Knights was the most costly “maiden production” ever to be made by a new film company. The 23 Nov 1927 Var later confirmed that Howard Hughes had spent over $1 million in the making of the film, despite United Artists’ insistence that the production should cost only $400,000. Var noted that $20,000 had been paid for the story, and that production had gone fifteen weeks over schedule. Filming was completed circa May 1927. Hughes hosted an expensive wrap party for the cast and crew at the Ambassador Hotel’s Cocoanut Grove nightclub, where he gave out $10,000 worth of gifts.
       The 8 Jul 1927 Motion Picture News announced a theatrical release date of 20 Aug 1927; however, it appears the film did not open until 23 Sep 1927. A Los Angeles, CA, premiere was held at the Million Dollar Theatre, emceed by actor John Barrymore, as noted in the 13 Oct 1927 Film Daily. Var reports from 26 Oct 1927 claimed the film had “a great run” at the Million Dollar, grossing $17,000 in its first week. A successful initial run in New York City was also reported in the 2 Nov 1927 Var. Meanwhile, an item in the 26 Oct 1927 Var contained a review that expressed concerns about the film, calling it “certain to be curtailed by the more conservative state censor bodies.” Two Arabian Knights continued to be successful at the box office, and by 5 Sep 1928, Howard Hughes had received his first $9,000 check for distribution profits on the film, according to that day’s Var. Hughes’s film investments, to that time, amounted to $4 million, including the $1 million he had spent on Two Arabian Knights.
       Film Daily reported on 18 Nov 1927 that United Artists executive Al Lichtman had announced a title change to Two Hot Yanks, due to confusion among certain exhibitors, who had assumed, based on its title, that Two Arabian Knights was a fantasy. However, just over a week later, the 30 Nov 1927 Var announced that Donald McGibney had “refused to sanction the change,” and therefore the original title was kept.
       Two Arabian Knights made history when Lewis Milestone won the Academy Award for Best Directing (Comedy Picture) at the first-ever Academy Awards, held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on 16 May 1929.
       Charles Griffin may have served as a technical director on this film.
       According to the Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database, this film is extant.

The History text for this record was written by Cynthia Nahhas, an AFI Catalog intern from American University of Beirut.