IMDb > Lost in a Harem (1944)

Lost in a Harem (1944) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   518 votes
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Director:
Charles Reisner
Writers:
Harry Ruskin (screenplay) &
John Grant (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Lost in a Harem on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
December 1944 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Tagline:
A Show That Chases the Blues From Start to Finish! more
Plot:
Two bumbling magicians help a Middle Eastern prince regain his rightful throne from his despotic uncle. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Mediocre and non-essential A&C outing more (9 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Bud Abbott ... Peter Johnson
Lou Costello ... Harvey Garvey
Marilyn Maxwell ... Hazel Moon
John Conte ... Prince Ramo
Douglass Dumbrille ... Nimativ
Lottie Harrison ... Teema
Lock Martin ... Bobo (as J. Lockard Martin)
Murray Leonard ... The Derelict
Adia Kuznetzoff ... Chief Ghamu
Milton Parsons ... Crystal Gazer
Ralph Sanford ... Mr. Ormulu
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra ... Themselves
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
89 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #10118) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:15
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Two songs were written for the movie but not used: "I Know It's Wrong" by Gene de Paul and Don Raye and "It is Written" by Sammy Fain and Ralph Freed. "Noche De Ronda" written in 1935 by Maria Teresa Lara was recorded but cut from the final release version. more
Quotes:
The Derelict: Quiet! People will think you're crazy.
Harvey Garvey: Oh, and I suppose you're all right?
The Derelict: Of course!
Harvey Garvey: Of course?
The Derelict: I have a brother who is crazy -
[screaming]
The Derelict: but I'm all right!
Harvey Garvey: [gasping] Who told you?
The Derelict: My brother!
Harvey Garvey: That does it, brother!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V) more
Soundtrack:
John Silver more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Mediocre and non-essential A&C outing, 25 January 2001
5/10
Author: jimtinder from US

"Lost In A Harem" is Abbott and Costello's second Universal loan-out to MGM. As such, the film benefits from MGM's always excellent production values, but loses much in the fact that MGM didn't have a big comedy unit.

Bud and Lou play entertainers stranded in the Middle East with singer Marilyn Maxwell. They are enlisted by a Sheik who schemes to overthrow his evil uncle with their help.

A&C aren't bad, but there appears to be some energy missing from their performance. This is probably due to Lou's tough year in 1943; his bout with Rheumatic Fever, coupled with his son's tragic death, undoubtedly contributed to this (this was their first filmed effort in 1944, although "In Society," filmed after this, was released earlier.) A&C's carbon copy of the Three Stooges' "Niagara Falls" routine doesn't help either. Musical numbers abound, padding the film length to an unwieldly (at least, for A&C) 89 minutes. Also probably contributing to the downturn in humor was the team's pay cut at MGM! The print used in the video version is scratchy, which also doesn't help matters.

There are other funny moments, including seeing Jimmy Dorsey in a fez, but the tedium in the film outweighs moments of hilarity, keeping "Lost In a Harem" a notch below the team's middling efforts. All in all, A&C were better off at Universal. 5 out of 10.

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