Harum Scarum (1965)

American singer Johnny Tyrone is enlisted by sinister forces to assassinate an Arab king whose daughter he has fallen in love with.

Director:

Gene Nelson

Writer:

Gerald Drayson Adams

Stars:

Elvis Presley, Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elvis Presley	...	Johnny Tyronne
Mary Ann Mobley	...	Princess Shalimar
Fran Jeffries	...	Aishah
Michael Ansara	...	Prince Dragna
Jay Novello	...	Zacha
Phillip Reed	...	King Toranshah (as Philip Reed)
Theodore Marcuse	...	Sinan (as Theo Marcuse)
Billy Barty	...	Baba
Dirk Harvey	...	Makar
Jack Costanzo	...	Julna
Larry Chance	...	Capt. Herat
Barbara Werle	...	Leilah
Brenda Benet	...	Emerald
Gail Gilmore	...	Sapphire
Wilda Taylor	...	Amethyst

Storyline

Johnny Tyronne, action movie star and ladies man, is travelling through the Middle East on a goodwill tour to promote his latest movie, "Sands of the Desert". Once he arrives, however, he is kidnapped by a gang of assassins who were so impressed with his on-screen adventures that they want to hire him to carry out an assassination for them. He naturally refuses, and following his daring escape he makes his way across the desert back to civilization, pausing every now and then to sing a song or two.

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Plot Keywords:

desert | middle east | assassination | arab | sword | 

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Taglines:

THE GOLDEN AGE OF ROMANCE AND SONG!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harem Scarum

Filming Locations:

Earl Carroll Theatre - 6230 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,400,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,500,000, 31 December 1965

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four-Leaf Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 85 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elvis Presley was very disappointed with the script; he thought it would be more dramatic than his usual films.

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Goofs

In the climactic fight scene, set at night, the lighting changes from torchlit darkness to broad daylight, and back, several times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Johnny Tyronne: This is about the wildest audience I've ever played to, Ambassador.
U.S. Ambassador McCord: Yes, they seem very interested. You have no idea how important this occasion is. Your good will tour of this part of the world will be most helpful to the State Department.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening title, the drama mask seen directly below Leo the Lion in the MGM logo is replaced by a caricature of Elvis.

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Connections

Referenced in The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)

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Soundtracks

MY DEAREST SERENADE
(uncredited)
Written by Stanley Jay Gelber
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

Its music will win you over

Harum Scarum may not be Elvis's best movie, yet this Elvis movie is very much worth watching because it is a good movie. But more importantly the movies soundtrack is definitely the greatest album ever recorded, and its percussions are still being felt at the present time. For some reason they failed to play "Wisdom Of The Ages" in this Elvis movie and that is so wrong, because if there is one song from the 1960s that represents the 1960s rock & roll sound, its Elvis's song "Wisdom Of The Ages". Elvis's Harum Scarum soundtrack Middle Eastern infusion changed the world of rock & roll forever, and placed Elvis and his band, among the greatest of rock & roll teachers, who include John Lee Hooker and the most important Howlin Wolf. Yes, the Elvis movie Harum Scarum is worth buying to watch and so is that movies soundtrack.