Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937)

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

Harry Tugend (screenplay) and
Jack Yellen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 October 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

Plot:

A movie company is doing the Arabian Nights when a hobo enters their camp, falls asleep and dreams he's back in Baghdad as advisor to the Sultan...

Plot Keywords:

Dream | Sultan | Taxes | New Deal | Spoof

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Eddie Cantor	...	Ali Baba
Tony Martin	...	Yusuf
Roland Young	...	Sultan
June Lang	...	Princess Miriam
Gypsy Rose Lee	...	Sultana (as Louise Hovick)
Raymond Scott and His Quintet	...	Themselves (as Raymond Scott and his Quintet)
John Carradine	...	Ishak
Virginia Field	...	Dinah
Alan Dinehart	...	Boland
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Prince Musah (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Maurice Cass	...	Omar - The Rug Maker
Warren Hymer	...	Tramp
Stanley Fields	...	Tramp
Paul Hurst	...	Captain
Sam Hayes	...	Radio Announcer

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3640) | Finland:S

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Newsreel footage of the many stars appearing at the Carthay Circle Theatre premiere of _Wee Willie Winkie_ (1937) is used for the film's finale.

Quotes:

Ali Baba: Excuse me, who are these fellows? They're not even listening!
Sultan: They're my new musicians from Africa.
Ali Baba: Africa?
[to musicians]
Ali Baba: What part of Africa?
Sultan: I'm afraid they don't understand you. You see, they talk a strange tongue.
Ali Baba: [to musicians] Parlez-vous Français?
[No response]
Ali Baba: Se hable espanol? Capisce italian'?
[No response]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of Ali Baba (1991)

Soundtrack:

Laugh Your Way Through Life

Delightful satire on Hollywood, politics, society and the New Deal

This is a very funny, very sophisticated comedy - a satire aimed by Hollywood at itself as well as American society, politics and the New Deal. Cantor is in top form as an autograph-seeking, movie star-loving hobo, who wanders onto a set and is cast as an extra. A knockout has him thinking he is in old Baghdad and in the grand tradition of "A Connecticut Yankee", he is hailed as the magician, Ali Baba, and proceeds to reform the ancient empire along the lines of American Democracy. The writing is excellent (surprising it didn't get an Oscar nom in this category)and the lines and situations are still very funny. This is one topical film that does not date. There is a marvelous special effects sequence with a flying carpet, involving a fight thereon and a sequence where it is set afire with Cantor hurrying back to safety as it burns away around him - had there been a special effects Oscar category in 1937 it would most surely have garnered a nom here as well. Louise Hovick (Gypsy Rose Lee) plays the Sultana- badly. Roland Young is a bemused Sultan and Tony Martin sings a few songs. Musical Numbers: Laugh Your Way Through Life; Swing Is Here To Stay; Vote For Honest Abe. This is one to seek out and treasure - highly enjoyable.