The Painted Desert selected Higgin to direct the film, as well as naming the stars of the film, William Boyd and Dorothy Burgess. Later in the month it was reported that Higgin would head to Arizona to begin location scouting for the film, accompanied by fellow director, Tay Garnett, however in August Higgin began scouting in the Arizona desert with the screenwriter, Tom Buckingham. It was announced that the film would employ over 300 extras. Higgin was familiar with the area, having working in and around Flagstaff, Arizona as a lumberjack prior to his entering the film industry. Towards the end of August
In the Desert larger purpose of the narrative. They do not hold importance due to their individual characteristics. "In the Desert" presents an ambiguous state of mind, but affirms a stance toward God and the Universe. In this poem, no particular sin is pointed out to the reader; instead, Crane shows that human nature is inherently sinful and corrupt. Max Cavitch writes, that "In the Desert" is well-deserving of a permanent place in American literature along with Crane's "The Black Riders". In the Desert "In the Desert" is the name given to a poem written by Stephen Crane (1871–1900), published in 1895 as