Lost in a Harem (1944) User Reviews

A delightful film

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 23 March 2008]

This was always one of my favourite A&C's, and as a previous commenter stated, definitely their best for MGM! Imho their best period overall was with Universal during WW2, but this is on the same level and the generally higher production values more than compensating me for the loss of that special Universal atmosphere. It only came about because MGM wanted to re-use the sets from the film they'd just made of Kismet with Ronald Colman, so John Grant set about writing a pastiche version for the duo.

At Port Inferno in Africa Bud & Lou are travelling magicians Garvey & Johnson but only making a living thanks to the alluring insistence of the top star Marilyn Maxwell; they all get ravelled up in young Prince Ramo's attempts to overthrow the throne of his wicked uncle Nimativ (full of vitamins one supposes). On the way they also get ravelled up in many of A&C's wacky routines including Don't say Tin, a bit of piffle-diffle, the classic Pokomoko sketch, Lou trying to sleep with a mouthful of beard, and my favourite the Hi Mike sketch – poor devil: shot to death twice, once with a knife! Douglas Dumbrille played Nimativ perfectly as a despot with a human side, even wanting to take Maxwell as wife no. 38. Maxwell had a great song with What Does It Take, while Jimmy Dorsey and his Orch. unfortunately dressed as Arab tribesmen had a couple of interesting well staged and photographed numbers. I wonder if the scenes would have been condemned by todays professional critics if someone like Louis Armstrong (and his Orch.) had been ridiculously togged up thus instead of Dorsey?

For the fan there are many entertaining scenes, some snappy smart ass dialogue going on and the film is a toe-curling pleasure from start to finish; please refer to commenter no. 1 from 2000 if you're not a fan and have as much time to kill as he did.

Not the Best, Not the Worst

[backinthesaddl · 5/10 · 10 January 2006]

The review dated 21 May 2000 is indeed amazing. The reviewer states that he never cared for Bud and Lou. Well, dear reader, I sure hope that y-o-u never waste your time on a topic that you have no interest in. Profit from Ron's time-wasting and do what you enjoy. This film, which may be a step-up, budget-wise, may also be a step down in content, to some. It is definitely a product of its time and audiences of World War II couldn't get enough of Abbott & Costello. If you enjoy big band music, the idea of Jimmy Dorsey's band will excite you. To see one of the era's prettiest women, Marilyn Maxwell, this is a fine showcase. Just as every Bogart film isn't CASABLANCA, every A & C film isn't MEET FRANKENSTEIN. But this one will do ...

Mediocre and non-essential A&C outing

[jimtinder · 5/10 · 25 January 2001]

"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.

"I'll put a heavy price on their heads"!

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 19 December 2010]

There's a great sight gag at the beginning of this picture when the Arab is about to enter the Cafe of All Nations. There are two posters announcing the acts, with the main one showing photos of Marilyn Maxwell's character, Hazel Moon. The one off to the right, seemingly intended for a foreign audience, leaves the names of the entertainers in English, but substitutes Arabic characters for the pictures of Maxwell! A pretty clever gimmick, but you have to pay attention to catch it.

Speaking of Maxwell, I had to check something out as soon as I heard the line in her song about getting 'Frank Sinatra too'. Having just finished reading Shawn Levy's book "Rat Pack Confidential", I was struck by the number of celebrity women he bedded down, and the lineup reads like a cast of thousands. Sure enough, Marilyn Maxwell's on the list, and to save you a little time looking it up, it's page 199.

But hey, it's an Abbott and Costello picture, so I probably should mention something about them too. I was a big fan of theirs as a kid, and this one probably falls somewhere in the middle as far as entertainment value goes. I don't remember in which film I first saw the 'Slowly I Turned' schtick, but it's overdone here, with Niagara Falls replaced by Pokomoko. One thing I didn't expect was Abbott and villain Douglas Dumbrille reprising that Marx Brothers mirror gimmick from 1933's "Duck Soup". Then there's Jimmy Dorsey and his big band lending a few musical numbers to the picture. All the while I kept wondering how believable this movie might have played back in the Forties, whereas today the PC police would be all over it.

Apparently Universal Pictures liked the desert concept well enough to bring the boys back, along with Dumbrille no less, in 1950's "A&C in the Foreign Legion". Dumbrille was one of your all purpose villains, who appeared with A&C often enough (see also "Ride 'Em Cowboy), and his character here is Prince Nimativ (Vitamin backwards). Costello gets in a reference to his home town, but alas, unlike his stint in the Foreign Legion, he doesn't get to kiss any harem girls in this one.

Burlesque on the Arabian Nights, a delightful spoof.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 4 March 2013]

If Bob and Bing didn't have you laughing at modern Arabs in "The Road to Morocco", try Abbott and Costello as bumbling comics helping an Arab prince (John Conte) winning back his throne from an evil uncle (Douglas Dumbrille) and helping the heroine (Marilyn Maxwell). Elaborate sets, corny but funny gags ("Slowly I Turned!") and even some musical bits by Jimmy Dorsey make this one of the best of the Abbott & Costello pairings, ironic considering that this was at MGM, not their home studio of Universal.

Little on plot but mighty on gags, this is best remembered for the running gag concerning an imprisoned man who goes nuts every time he hears the phrase "Poco Moco". Stereotypical clichés of Arab life are made palatable by the vaudeville style routines. The mad man with an invisible friend serves invisible drinks in invisible glasses that makes smashing noises when dropped, an invisible piano that actually plays, and a mind reader smartly reacting to Costello's thoughts. After providing villainy to the comedy teams of the Marx Brothers and Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Dumbrille adds humor to the character of the evil uncle, even getting into drag! Just beware of his cat's eye rings...

The three MGM films that Abbott and Costello made were more lavish than the ones they made at Universal. There, the Andrews Sisters and Ella Fitzgerald were among those utilized for specialty musical sequences, but here, they get lavish production numbers. The famous Marx Brothers sequence from "Duck Soup" is burlesqued here, and even if unoriginal, is still funny. The result is one of MGM's great farces with a team whose comedy doesn't seem to date in spite of its corniness.

Good setting for standard Abbott & Costello fare

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 25 September 2015]

Another very funny vehicle for Abbott & Costello -- this time in a sultan's kingdom in the Middle East. I'd forgotten just how funny Lou Costello was...and he certainly is here. A highlight is the old "Slowly I turn, step by step" routine, with Costello being the recipient of the repeated rage.

Some things seem a bit odd, like how does Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra end up in Arabia? Depending on how enamored you are with certain routines by Abbott & Costello, you'll be pleased or disappointed when they show up...again. Some are classics, and bear repeating. But if you watch several of their films over a short period, it gets to be a bit much. There is one quite good dance number.

The plot here is pretty simple -- Abbott & Costello have to save an American girl from having to marry the local sheik. It's pretty standard Abbot & Costello fare, but it is funny!

A Few Funny Moments

[dougdoepke · 29 December 2012]

Mildly amusing A&C. Moving over to big-budget MGM means bigger production values than usual. And some of the Middle-East cityscapes are really impressive. The boys are helping the prince of the realm (Conte) regain the throne from the evil usurper Nimativ (Dumbrille). Needless to say, their help is a lot funnier than effective. The sketches are okay but the connecting narrative is flatter than usual. And too bad we don't see more of the harem than the pudgy little keeper who looks a lot like Costello—a funny bit.

Actually, my favorite part is the frenetic dance routine imaginatively set to the exotic strains of Scheherezade—the long scarves flying fast and furious. Surprisingly, we don't see much of Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra, despite their featured billing. At the same time, there's the lovely Marilyn Maxwell who mostly gets to stand around and look blonde.

Some of the funnier parts—pretending to be Hollywood talent scouts to get the harem girls on their side, the derelict (Leonard) doing his "Slowly I turn…" bit that usually ends with Costello looking like a pretzel, and the invisible man routine that turns Costello into a janitor. Anyway, it's a peppy 90-minutes and if not among their best, at least it has its share of laughs.

Not great...but watchable like most Abbott and Costello films.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 19 August 2009]

Like MGM's previous Abbott and Costello film, RIO RITA, LOST IN A HAREM has a sound and feel to it that is indicative of being filmed in a sound stage with lots of echo--an odd choice for a desert film. As a result, the film has a certain artificial and claustrophobic feel to it. Why MGM wouldn't take this immensely popular comedy team (one of the biggest box office draws of the era) and put them in a higher quality film is a mystery. MGM had a habit of misusing comedy teams--particularly in the post-Irving Thalberg era.

Now this doesn't mean that they cut lots of corners indoors, but what they did do wasn't exactly crowd-pleasing. These musical numbers were even more lavish than those in the Universal Pictures films the team made and starred Jimmy Dorsey and his famous orchestra--in the desert. All these songs didn't give the fans what they wanted--more Abbott and Costello. As a result, their three MGM films failed to make the money the studio had expected.

Despite these shortcomings, the film does have some laughs. While far from sophisticated, the prison skits with the seriously crazy cell-mate are pretty funny and are based on old Vaudeville routines--particularly the 'Pokomoko' skit. In fact, it was done in other films and by other comedy teams (such as The Three Stooges)--and was probably done by other comedy teams long before Abbott and Costello. Murray Leonard was very funny (though far from subtle) in these routines and worked well with the team.

As for the plot, it's a bit silly and unfortunately also has the formulaic lady and her love interest (who really do little in the way of plot or comedy). In this case, a beautiful blonde just happens to be in this desert country and the boys are trying to help her escape back to America. Unfortunately, there is an evil usurper (Douglass Dumbrille--who was pretty funny in a cartoony way) who has taken the throne and uses his cool hypno-rings to make people do his bidding. He immediately is taken by the blonde and the boys get caught up in a plot by the rightful monarch (is this an oxymoron?) to get the hypno-rings--helping him and the rebels to depose Dumbrille. Naturally, much of the film consists of the boys running about the palace and trying to avoid being executed.

Whether you like this film will depend a lot on whether or not you find these antics funny. Abbott and Costello fans will clearly find enough to merit watching, though those not familiar with the duo might find this hard-going, as the film is watchable but far from their best.

Abbott & Costello Meet An MGM Musical with Jimmy Dorsey

[SpaceComics · 9/10 · 24 September 2005]

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.

Harem Scarum

[lugonian · 7/10 · 29 August 2021]

LOST IN A HAREM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1944), directed by Charles Reisner, marks the second of three Abbott and Costello comedies for MGM. Taking another loan from their home base of Universal, this production is a spoof on either Paramount's "Road" comedies featuring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, or the then current Arabian Nights adventures minus the Technicolor backdrop. It does include a villain, wonderfully played by Douglass Dumbrille, who had menaced another comedy team of The Marx Brothers in A DAY AT THE RACES (1937) and THE BIG STORE (1941), as earlier menaced Abbott and Costello in RIDE 'EM COWBOY (Universal, 1942). For romantic subplot, Marilyn Maxwell and John Conte come along for the ride with plot that's mostly a series of vaudeville gags put together in story form for much of its 90 minutes of entertainment.

Following a narrative introduction from a crystal glazer (Milton Parsons), the story begins in a mythical city of Port Inferno where Hazel Moon (Marilyn Maxwell) works as a singer at the Cafe of All Nations, accompanied by Peter Johnson (Bud Abbott) and Harvey D. Garvey (Lou Costello), who had earlier helped her stranded troupe and now has acquired them jobs as magicians for their good nature. Prince Ramo (John Conte) wants to meet with Hazel, but while in need of her assistance to help him regain his throne taken from his wicket uncle, Nimativ (Douglass Dumbrille), she simply mistakes him for a masher. Following a riot that sends Pete, Harvey and Hazel to jail, Ramo agrees to their escape in return for Hazel's assistance, considering how Nimativ is attracted to rarely seen blondes. After Ramo and his caravan return to Barabeetla to get him out of power by stealing his uncle's hypnotic rings, Pete and Johnson pose as Hollywood talent scouts while Hazel, much to her dismay, to find herself chosen to become Nimatiy's wife number 37, among other unforeseen results. Others in the cast include: Lottie Harrison (Teema); J. Lockhard Martin (Bobo); Adia Kuzenikoff (Chief Gnamu); and Ralph Sanford (Mr. Ormulu). On the musical program is Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra with songs featuring: "What Does It Take to Get You?" (Sung by Marilyn Maxwell); "Sons of the Desert," (good tune) "Old John Silver," and "Noche De Ronda" (dance number).

Among the gags by John Grant involving Abbott and Costello, such as the opening magic act, other highlights include them with a third party, Murray Leonard as the Derelict, with their classic exchange of "Pokomogo! Slowly I turn. Step by step!" This familiar routine dating back to vaudeville has been performed by other comics as the Three Stooges as later by Lucille Ball in her classic 1950s show of "I Love Lucy." Leonard's character adds much to the story, especially when reappearing numerous times when least expected. He would do his "Pokomogo" routine again with Bud and Lou on television in "The Abbott and Costello Show." Another funny bit involves Bud and Lou hypnotized as termites and eating anything made of wood, followed by Costello disguised as one of Nimativ's harem wives. While some comedy material works, others such as the very extended one involving an invisible friend named Mike is often amusing, especially when sound effects are concerned, but is something that could have been shortened a bit before viewer's lost of interest sets in. Marilyn Maxwell plays a satisfactory heroine, but with Abbott and Costello around, she gets little to do except look pretty.

While Abbott and Costello got lost again in LOST IN ALASKA (Universal, 1952), the much better LOST IN A HAREM, formerly available on video cassette and later DVD, can be seen and appreciated the next time it turns up on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (**1/2 sheiks)

Lost Is Right.

[AaronCapenBanner · 3/10 · 27 October 2013]

Abbott & Costello play two inept magicians on tour in the Middle East who somehow get mixed up with a young prince who has been cheated out of his rightful place on the throne by his scheming uncle who has used two magical rings to maintain his power base. The team evades all kinds of obstacles, and go to all kinds of lengths to help out. Marilyn Maxwell plays the leader of the title harem. One of the few films not made at Universal Studios(their main home), but instead MGM. Too bad this unfunny and inept film is one of them, because it is mostly beneath their talents, since their routines don't work so well in this setting, being too forced and outlandish to succeed.

Boy Are You in Trouble, Prince

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 25 May 2004]

John Conte is the renegade Prince in hiding with his desert tribesmen, with both a yen for Marilyn Maxwell and an interest in getting back the throne that his Uncle, Douglass Dumbrille, has stolen from him. The first I can understand, but who does he get to aid him in his second objective. Marilyn, stranded showgirl in the desert, and her sidekicks Abbott and Costello. If you're willing to suspend reality and believe' that anyone looking to pull off a coup d'etat is looking for help from Abbott and Costello, well then sit back and enjoy the fun.

I have to say that the boys are up to their usual monkeyshines and Marilyn Maxwell is inclined to make any self-respecting prince drool, but the real treat is Douglass Dumbrille. Dumbrille was a fine character actor who usually played smooth villains. He's probably best remembered for being the lawyer trying to cheat Gary Cooper out of his inheritance in Mister Deeds Goes To Town. However there are moments went Dumbrille shows a nice sense of comic timing and plays a very good straight man for Costello. Hypnosis is one of the tricks in Dumbrille's bag and he hypnotizes the boys, Marilyn Maxwell, and even the whole Jimmy Dorsey band. I guess they like swing music on the desert.

Dumbrille played a similar function in The Big Store with the Marx Brothers. He gets right into the clowning with them also.

There's a woman who plays one of Dumbrille's hare girls who looks a lot like Rosie O'Donnell. Naturally at one point the plot calls for Costello to get into drag and disguise himself as her to fool Dumbrille.

Good, funny, Abbott and Costello nonsense. Easily the best of the films they did on that MGM loan out from Universal.

Abbott and Costello in the middle east

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 12 August 2021]

In Port Inferno, singer Hazel Moon performs in a club with bumbling magicians, Peter Johnson (Bud Abbott) and Harvey Garvey (Lou Costello). The guys' act goes badly and the trio gets thrown in prison. They encounter a crazed prisoner who goes nuts whenever he hears the word Pokomoko. Prince Ramo helps them escape and they join him to regain his throne from his uncle Nimativ.

This is Abbott and Costello going crazy in a lot of unreal situation comedy. See this for their comedic routines. There is lots of it. They can get long but enjoy them for what they are. It's a couple of comedy masters doing their work.

Funny at first, but loses steam quickly

[cherold · 4/10 · 15 November 2017]

This movie starts decently. The first A&C scene is an amusing one in which Costello screws up a magic act. It's completely idiotic, but it's funny, which can also be said of a scene in prison.

But as the movie continues, the funniness contracts as the stupidity expands. By the time the duo is running around the titular harem I was thoroughly bored. I gave up on the movie altogether about a third of the way through, annoyed the the lack of laughs combined with a particularly dumb story.

The movie is slickly made, with tolerable musical numbers, but it's decidedly weak in terms of A&C films.

Lost in a Harem (1944) **1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 6/10 · 3 January 2008]

One of the slick films Abbott and Costello made when they were loaned out to MGM in between work at their main studio, Universal. It's pretty good, if not among their best work. Here they play two lame comics traveling in a show with a beautiful blonde singer (Marilyn Maxwell), who get stranded in a weird city in the East. All three then join forces in helping a young sheik overthrow his uncle, who is a wicked sultan. A few good routines are included (the classic "Slowly I Turned" for one), but this adventure is also a little too bulky at nearly 90 minutes length, with a few typical musical routines sprinkled throughout. Also features an out of place performance by Jimmy Dorsey (who wears a fez!) and his orchestra. **1/2 out of ****

"Pokomoko!"

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 6 April 2015]

The second of three films Bud and Lou did for MGM is an improvement over the first, Rio Rita. The plot, such that it matters, has the boys in the Middle East with singer Marilyn Maxwell trying to help a prince regain his throne from his evil uncle (Douglas Dumbrille). Marilyn provides the pretty. Dumbrille is a good heavy. Some nice music from Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra. Far better than the opera-y stuff from Rio Rita and less obtrusive. The comedy is also better in this one. Although, like the other two MGM films A&C did, some of the best laughs come from other actors NOT Bud and Lou. One of the funnier bits in this one is an old vaudeville routine called "Slowly I Turned" that many of you will probably remember from a famous I Love Lucy episode. Despite being familiar with the bit, I still thought it was pretty funny and performed well in the film by Murray Leonard. It's not the best Abbott and Costello movie but it is enjoyable. If you're new to their work, you'll probably like it a lot more.

Midland Abbott & Costello Movie At Least the Music Is OK

[LeonLouisRicci · 6/10 · 4 April 2015]

Silky Smooth Looking A & C Movie from MGM (one of three). Of Course, True to Form, the Studio with "More Stars than in the Heavens", were Myopic and Misused Many that They Put Through the Lens at the Tinseltown Behemoth.

Nowhere Near as Bad as Rio Rita (1942 an MGM flop), because for One Thing the Mid-East Setting is Used to Advantage, and the Musical Numbers are Thankfully Removed from Operatic to Swing, with Jimmy Dorsey On Hand to Present a Couple of Neat Ditties.

Some of the Routines are Peppy and the Story is Rich Enough to Sustain the Shenanigans, the Wordplay is Welcome, and Marilyn Maxwell is a Beauty. The Somewhat Secular Setting Would Draw Religious Criticism from Muslim Fundamentalist Today, but This Was a Different Time.

There are No Close-Ups or Lingering on the Harem Girls as They are Regulated to Background and Musical Numbers. Another Clueless MGM Misfire. The Studio Sets are Leftovers, but are Impressive. Mid-Range Abbott and Costello Movie (they made dozens). Worth a Watch for Fans and Non Fans Alike.

Pleasant but overlong Abbott and Costello romp

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 19 April 2020]

Lavish (by their standards) production values, tuneful music (Jimmy Dorsey and his band contribute a lot to that), and some chucklesome routines, but the story is too repetitive: A & C get captured by the evil sheik, escape, get captured, escape....and so on. Pokomoko! **1/2 out of 4.

Abbott & Costello are Lost in a Harem

[tavm · 9/10 · 29 May 2023]

After watching Laurel & Hardy in their second starring M-G-M produced feature, Nothing But Trouble, I'd thought I'd do the same for Abbott & Costello's such for the studio, this one called Lost in a Harem. Speaking of Stan & Ollie, this very movie shares with Bud & Lou a director, Charles Riesner, who previously helmed L & H in The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (the only other directors who worked with both teams were A. Edward Sutherland and William A. Seiter), and a writer, Harry Crane, who did the same for S & O in Air Raid Wardens just the year before. Like what he did with L & H there, Riesner also films a magic act with A & C that doesn't go well either time for each team. While usual A & C writer John Grant contributed many of Bud & Lou's familiar routines, it's possible Crane did the bit where they act like termites. Also on hand is Marilyn Maxwell as the fine looking leading lady and John Conte as the prince from a foreign land looking to help her and the boys escape. Ms. Maxwell and Conte were engaged during production though divorced a couple of years later by which time Marilyn joined But & Lou on their radio program as a vocalist. She's quite entertaining in the beginning production number as are Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra in various places. Also entertaining is Douglas Dumbrille as the villain especially when interacting with Costello. Oh, and there's an amusing variation of the "mirror scene" previously done with Groucho and Harpo Marx in Duck Soup and which would later be done with Costello and somebody who looks nothing like him in The Naughty Nineties. Then there's Murray Leonard who does two funny routines with Bud & Lou while playing a derelict in jail with them of which one of them is a variation of the "Niagra Falls" bit that The Three Stooges would do in their short Gents Without Cents in the same year. After this, Mr. Leonard then appeared with them in their first Universal picture back since Lou's bout with rheumatic fever, In Society, though that one was released before this one. Bud & Lou are tops here and the plot moves along nicely in its 90-minute running time. So that's a high recommendation of Lost in a Harem.

Underpar Movie from Abbott and Costello

[vitaleralphlouis · 5/10 · 30 December 2008]

Having just seen "The Noose Hangs High" this movie fell pretty flat by comparison. The first instinct is to blame MGM but then A&C's "Rio Rita" was from MGM and was intensely funny.

The problems lie in the continual bad pacing created by trying to combine Bud and Lou's comedy with the lavish MGM musical. The two just don't mix. Problem #2 is that good comedy need be tied to real life, and nobody at MGM bothered to figure out where exactly the story is set. Nothing has even a fictional or slapstick truth to it.

One of the great vaudeville comedy routines also fails. It's done elsewhere by Abbott and Costello as the "Niagara Falls! slowly I turned, step by step...." routine. Herein it's done with another name, is less funny, and is repeated 9 times till we're sick of it.

Even Abbott and Costello have an off-day. Skip this one and instead choose one of their great comedies from Universal. Just as Universal "owned" horror movies, they also knew how to let these guys be funny.

A terrible motion picture

[reve-2 · 1/10 · 21 May 2000]

This is an absolutely abominable picture. Abbott & Costello were never very good, even at their best. They are not anywhere near their best in this garbage. In addition to the usual supposedly funny situations that routinely happen in one of these "comedians loose in a harem" type movies, A&C manage to add more drivel. EXAMPLE: There are two really stupid scenes that take place in different jail cells where they encounter an obnoxious looney-bin character who actually reprises the tired and old "Niagra Falls, slowly I turned" routine. And, since this is an A&C picture, the bit, unfunny to start with, is naturally overdone. The second jailhouse scene with the fruitcake lasts about 15 minutes, which is about 14 minutes too long. What makes it worse is that the scene seems to last for an hour. I admit that I never cared for A&C but, it many of their films, I could find a couple of laughs. But, for me, there were no laughs in this turkey. Just, tired old routines that contributed to the boredom factor.

Even comedy legends have their off days, and this just doesn't cut it for me.

[I_Ailurophile · 3/10 · 24 November 2023]

Even with the stars being noted first and foremost, I was skeptical when I sat to watch; the very name portends a feature built less for comedy than for racism. Given the casting of white actors as non-white characters, and some consistent choices of hair and makeup, those concerns seem to bear fruit before the plot even really begins. Things are actually worse than that, however: while we do get our first laugh about ten minutes in, it's surrounded in that scene, and definitely followed thereafter, by boisterous yelling, exaggerated acting, substantial repetition, and general ruckus that are all supposed to be funny in and of themselves, but which instead are just irritating, and subsequently dull. These vexations have the unfortunate effect of greatly dampening the humor and otherwise entertainment that should be vibrant and delightful. By all means, what we get here are the same tricks of the trade that Bud Abbott and Lou Costello have employed in all their works, and likewise other classic comedians: gags, situational humor, physical comedy, witty repartee, high energy and dynamics, interludes of music or dance, and wisecracks galore. Some of this does have the desired impact, and there's more fun to come, yet the sad fact of the matter is that the tenor that is adopted from the outset serves to quash on an enduring basis a major part of the joy that 'Lost in a harem' should evoke. I tried to have a good time; I just didn't succeed.

Case in point: I fully recognize that the bit with The Derelict should be a highlight of these eighty-nine minutes as the gag is repeated multiple times and drawn out. It had the opposite effect for me, and I nearly shut the film off right there and then. Further illustrating the point, while waiting for the next bit of mirth of worth, I tracked how long it took for the title to earn another laugh after the first; the answer was about seventeen minutes. Part of the problem stems from the writing, for not every idea herein comes off well even on paper, and some moments just fall flat. Part of the problem is in Charles Reisner's direction, which too often seems to favor zip and zest over accentuation of real cleverness. Even if we say that Reisner had a hand in guiding the cast, part of the problem is in the acting, for the actors themselves turn in performances that commonly feel either empty and halfhearted, or hollowly overcharged, but rarely Just Right. By all means, this is well made in other capacities, including utterly gorgeous sets and costumes (although, they're borrowed from another production anyway), tremendous choreography, and splendid stunts and effects. This isn't truly different than other Abbott and Costello flicks, nor those of other folks like Laurel and Hardy or The Marx Brothers. So why did I laugh so little in this case? (To be completely honest I lost track, but I think it still ended up being only twice throughout the entire runtime.)

The result of all this is that eighty-nine minutes feel much longer than they are; if you're so unimpressed as I was and genuinely fall asleep in the middle of it, the viewing experience literally grows considerably. I think what it comes down to is that Harry Ruskin, John Grant, and Harry Crane penned an earnest adventure flick, if perhaps a lighthearted one, and as far as I'm concerned 'Lost in a harem' would have worked much better if the most significant gags and comedy had been excised. For as ineffective as too much of the intended humor was, it only serves to bring down the enjoyment of the whole; even where a bit wasn't specifically tiresome, instead of being funny they were mostly just reminders of what the picture was supposed to be. With all this having been said, clearly a lot of other people have watched this and had a total blast; I'm glad for them. Maybe if I tried watching it again, under different circumstances, I'd like it much more than I presently do. For having struggled through it once, though, why would I subject myself to it again? Check out this 1944 movie if you want, but to me it's just illustration that even the tried and true can't always bring out a laugh, and sometimes getting off on the wrong foot can set the tone for a long time to come. I'll find more of Abbott and Costello to watch and I'm sure I'll love them; this I can do without.