Lost in a Harem

"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.

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.

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.

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)

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 ...