A Thousand and One Nights (1945)

On the run after being found sweet-talking the Sultan's daughter, Aladdin comes upon a lamp which, when rubbed, summons up Babs the genie. He uses it to return as a visiting prince asking ... See full summary »

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writers:

Wilfred H. Petitt (screenplay), Richard English (screenplay),

Stars:

Evelyn Keyes, Phil Silvers, Adele Jergens

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview:
Evelyn Keyes	...	Babs / The Genie
Phil Silvers	...	Abdullah
Adele Jergens	...	Princess Armina
Cornel Wilde	...	Aladdin
Dusty Anderson	...	Novira
Dennis Hoey	...	Sultan Kamar Al-Kir / Prince Hadji
Philip Van Zandt	...	Grand Wazir AbuHassan
Gus Schilling	...	Jafar
Nestor Paiva	...	Kahim
Rex Ingram	...	Giant
Richard Hale	...	Kofir
John Abbott	...	Ali

Storyline

On the run after being found sweet-talking the Sultan's daughter, Aladdin comes upon a lamp which, when rubbed, summons up Babs the genie. He uses it to return as a visiting prince asking for the princess's hand. Unfortunately for him, the sultan's wicked twin brother has secretly usurped the throne, someone else is after the lamp for his own ends, and Babs has taken a shine to Aladdin herself and is bent on wrecking his endeavours.

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Plot Keywords:

genie | arabian nights | arabian

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Taglines:

THE TECHNICOLOR STORY OF ALADDIN and his wonderful VAMP! (original ad - many caps)

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

1001 Nights

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shelley Winters is most easily spotted as one of Adele Jergens' blonde handmaidens, standing in the background at the aborted wedding scene.

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Connections

Referenced in Once Upon a Time in Beirut (1995)

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Soundtracks

"No More Women"
Music by Saul Chaplin
Lyrics by Edgar De Lange

User Reviews

Enjoyable, though comically dated "epic" musical

A Thousand and One Nights is a rollicking, bawdy and unapologetically 40s vision of the ancient Arabian legend of Aladdin.

Just as Disney's animated feature "Aladdin" updated the genie-in-a-bottle storyline for the 90s mindset, this exploration fuses the epic musical film style of big-budget Hollywood films in post-War America with the cultural stereotypes surrounding the Middle East. The results are a fantastic, if laughable, adventure movie, geared towards young adults and the elderly, but with plenty to chew on even for children.

Imaginative sets and superb costumes present a lavish spectacle of colour and brilliant old school special effects combine with well-performed choreography to keep the action and laughs rolling, and the viewer suitably engaged. However, the cinematography and lighting are disappointingly one-dimensional, suggesting more of a stage adaptation than an original film.

Performances, especially vocal, are largely impressive. For a script that contains a bewildering assortment of varied characters, often singing choruses, a great cast of character actors is needed, and it's definitely the largely uncredited bit parts and cameos (Shelley Winters!) that make this ensemble memorable. With a wooden lead in Cornel Wilde (Aladdin), best friend Abdullah (Phil Silvers) really picks up the slack, with an endless stream of predictable--yet nonetheless witty--wisecracks. Even Babs (Evelyn Keyes), the emotionally-berserk female genie, manages to convincingly portray a noticeably pathetic, but likable, co- starring lead.

All told, this one's a must for film fans of days of yore and students of Hollywood Orientalism alike. If the rousing music and generous matte sets don't sweep you off your feet, the astonishingly ludicrous premise of a comedic epic musical based on an ancient tale of dread and magic will have you rolling on the floor laughing.