Lost in a Harem

I like the comedy team of Abbott and Costello a lot. Their TV show is my favorite TV show of all time! Their movies are great too. Even their less than classic ones always have some funny bits. I wasn't sure where to start but I figured to skip over their most popular ones (for now) and concentrate on their later output.




LOST IN A HAREM-1944-"The boys" play Peter Johnson (Bud) and Harvey Garvey (Lou) two inept magicians in the Middle East who wind up in jail with a beggar (Murray Leonard) who goes crazy when he hears the word "Pokomoko" during their "Slowly I Turn" routine. Marilyn Maxwell (who'd been a singer on A & C's radio show) plays their assistant Hazel. The three of them get involved in helping a Prince Ramo (John Conte) who wants to overthrow the rule of his evil Uncle Nimativ (Douglas Dumbrille who's also the villain in A & C IN THE FOREIGN LEGION). They try to steal some rings he uses to hypnotize people but he winds up hypnotizing them into thinking they're termites! There's some funny routines ("Go in and outwit him") and exchanges (Nimativ: "Eyes bad?" Costello: "Dat so?"). Nimativ puts Hazel under his power and plans to marry her. Of course since this is an Abbott and Costello comedy some time is taken up by the blooming romance between Ramo and Hazel and Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra play a few tunes (there's also a long useless dance number). Though most of that is kept at a minimum.  Lock Martin plays Bobo a huge guard who helps the team (they tell him they're Hollywood talent scouts) by hiding them in Nimativ's harem and lovable Tor Johnson is one of Nimativ's majordomos! When Nimativ throws them in a dungeon they meet up again with the beggar and his imaginary friend Mike. ("I shot him with a knife!") Later Bud dresses as Nimativ and Lou plays one of his wives. They also do short mirror bit similar to the one The Marx Bros. did in DUCK SOUP.

Bud and Lou made this at  MGM as a "loan out" from Universal. It was directed by Charles Reisner, veteran of silent movie shorts who'd directed the last Marx Brothers film THE BIG STORE in 1941.

Thanks for reading!

PS-I kind of screwed up again as I posted a review for ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN THE FOREIGN LEGION a few days ago which was made after LOST IN A HAREM which should have been posted first. Sorry for the confusion....