Arabian Nights *** (1942, Jon Hall, Maria Montez, Sabu, John Qualen, Leif Erickson, Turhan Bey, Billy Gilbert, Shemp Howard) – Classic Movie Review 3203

Director John Rawlins’s 1942 movie is delightful, expertly crafted, fast-moving escapist adventure hokum designed to cheer up World War Two wartime audiences – and it can still cheer today! A treat in Technicolor, it was nominated for four Oscars.

Writers Michael Hogan and True Boardman totally depart from the original Arabian stories in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights to create an imaginative new plot about Bagdad’s deposed ruler Haroun-Al-Baschid (Jon Hall) getting aid from the sexy dancing girl Scheherazade (Maria Montez), the muscular young acrobat Ali Ben Ali (Sabu) and his pal Aladdin (John Qualen) to grab back his crown from his nasty brother Kamar (Leif Erickson).

The plot’s a solid, good one, dreamt up in the spirit of the original stories. And, despite (or because of) all the silly lines, it’s a hugely jolly and enjoyable adventure, with no monsters or supernatural elements. It is the very welcome first teaming of genial stars Hall, Montez and Sabu, and the film’s success set them off on even more profitable cinema adventures. It was a big hit and earned a profit of $1,850,000.

It is an enormous asset that it is such a lovely, expensive-looking production in glorious Technicolor- it was Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography, Color (Milton R Krasner, William V Skall and W Howard Greene), Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Frank Skinner), Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color (Alexander Golitzen, Jack Otterson, Russell A. Gausman, Ira Webb) and Best Sound, Recording (Bernard B Brown). It is Universal Pictures’ first use of three-strip Technicolor and was the first shoot in colour on the studio’s lot in 12 years.

Also in the cast are Turhan Bey (Captain of the Guard), Billy Gilbert as Ahmad, Shemp Howard as Sinbad, Thomas Gomez as Hakim, Edgar Barrier as the scheming Grand Vizier Nadan, Richard Lane (Corporal), Robert Greig (Eunuch), Charles Coleman (Eunuch), Emory Parnell, Harry Cording and Robin Raymond.

The story starts at a harem in Persia with the Taj Mahal in sight!

Other exotic tales released by Universal during the war years include Cobra Woman (1944), the follow-up movie with the same three stars, as well as Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and White Savage.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3203

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