Lost in a Harem (1944)

Director:

Charles Reisner

Writers:

Harry Ruskin (screenplay) &
John Grant (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

December 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A Show That Chases the Blues From Start to Finish!

Plot:

Two bumbling magicians help a Middle Eastern prince regain his rightful throne from his despotic uncle.

Plot Keywords:

Magician | Uncle | Prince | Palace | Guard

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

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

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)

Trivia:

Leon Askin's film debut.

Quotes:

Prince Ramo: [from inside his jail cell] Don't worry! I'll get you out!
Peter Johnson: [being locked up in a nearby cell] Who's gonna get YOU out?

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sobre las Olas (Over the Waves)

Abbott & Costello Meet An MGM Musical with Jimmy Dorsey

Lost In A Harem is one of the best Abbott & Costello films for 3 reasons: One, unlike most of their films in the 1940s which were produced at Universal Studios (and available on DVD in a Universal set), this one was done at MGM with that studios usual higher production standards, including a few spectacular musical numbers. Two, it is one of only about a dozen filmed appearances of big band great Jimmmy Dorsey, who performs, with his band, a number called John Silver ("15 men on a dead man's chest") which I haven't found elsewhere, and a few other songs. Three, the "Pokomoko" routine ("Slowwwwly I turned, step by step I crept upon him . . .") is done to perfection by A&C with Murray Leonard as the Derelict, which I've always remembered as one of my favorite A&C routines since I was ten years old. Furthermore, there's a real live giant (Lock Martin), full costumes and exotic sets as you would expect from MGM, a magic skit by A&C, hypnotism, a fine performance from Douglas Dumbrille as the bad guy, and more good music. I would rate it below Abott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, In The Navy, In Society, The Naughty Nineties, and perhaps 3 or 4 others, but definitely in their top ten or twelve. But since it's not in the Universal set, it's not available on DVD anywhere.