A Thousand and One Nights

The funny elements of this actually is well done. Especially for this being of that era. This movie is taken from the fairytales, and there are some beginning parts I think are like whatever and about to not check this, but it gets better, and you just accept all of the comedy which is capably done. This coulda been a by-the-book fairytale of the Nights yet the comedic take is a wise but also tall order to make it function for audiences, let alone audiences of like eras later. Another thing is mixing of genres: I am for sticking to one genre and using its qualities solely to make it good, not lazily latching on to another genre to make the movie function better when they cannot figure out how to make the genre's own qualities function, heck genres exist for a reason, when audience craves this or that: salty or sweet snack? What is astounding is the main funny man, the picaro, glasses-wearing guy is very reminiscent of the same similar glasses-guy 2 decades later in Mad, Mad, etc. World, of the hat-wearing glasses guy in that movie with the same comedic style, but done 2 decades prev. Whoa. THAT guy is probably the funniest character to me in that movie, and here it is like that type. The main hero is acceptable, especially during the reign of Flynn, for sword wielding heroes, and the genie lady manages to also add levity to this thing, which rather than do a rote-version of this tale which could have happened, making these fairytales as sources to make a comedy around is actually genius.

Although the Arabian Nights Technicolor fantasies of the 1940s and 1950s were mainly the domain of Universal Studios, the other Hollywood majors understandably jumped on the Oriental band wagon while it was big box-office, and this endearingly modernistic revamp of the mythical tale of Aladdin was Columbia's contribution to that WWII craze. Having first (and only) read about this one on Leonard Maltin's Film Guide and never encountering it on Italian TV in my childhood, I leapt at the chance of acquiring it on DivX but, as is becoming increasingly (and frustratingly) regular with this format, there were lip-synch problems which, thankfully, were corrected via conversion to DVD. But, enough of this techno-babble…

Aladdin is played by Columbia's star Cornel Wilde – he had just been Oscar-nominated for A SONG TO REMEMBER (1945) – who is curiously fourth-billed here; he even gets to sing several times (a talent of his that I had previously been unaware of…if that was indeed his voice on the soundtrack); incidentally, I should be acquiring another somewhat obscure Wilde costumer very soon called STAR OF India (1954) which I intend to watch over the Christmas week. As I said in my introduction (and perhaps to differentiate itself from the rival Universal product), the film-makers also engaged the services of another currently hot commodity in bespectacled comedian Phil Silvers as Aladdin's pickpocketing sidekick. At first, I balked at his modern-day savvy personality (with in-jokes towards The Lone Ranger, liberal use of hip words like "groovy", etc.) but was eventually won over by his gauche schtick culminating in his hilarious Frank Sinatra transformation at the film's very end. Another asset to the film is the delightful (if belated) presence – as a mischievous female genie of the proverbial lamp – of the late (she died earlier this year aged 91!) Evelyn Keyes; naturally, she falls in love with her master Aladdin but, losing him to Princess Adele Jergens, she creates her own clone!

Speaking of the Universal rivalry, I was surprised to see Dennis Hoey (best-known as the bumbling Inspector Lestrade of Universal's ongoing Sherlock Holmes series with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce) in a dual rule as the villain, not to mention Rex Ingram reprising (albeit too briefly) his celebrated giant characterization from THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940)! Like its prototype ARABIAN NIGHTS (1942), this film was also looked on favorably by Academy Award voters in the technical categories: art direction-set decoration and special effects (mostly having to do with Silvers being unable to see Keyes and Wilde's transformation into a dog – another nod, I suppose, to that afore-mentioned Alexander Korda production).

"Oh, if only I had a gun... No, wait, they haven't been invented yet!". Phil Silvers brings a distinctly pantomime effect to this retelling of the Sinbad meets Arabian Nights story. To keep up the swash and the buckle, we have the dashingly mischievous "Aladdin" (Cornel Wilde) who falls in love with the ultimate in forbidden fruit, the princess "Armina" (Adele Jergens). She is the daughter of the caliph Dennis Hoey who also doubles up as his own dastardly twin with designs on both the throne and his neice. "Aladdin" and his sidekick "Abdullah" (Silvers) have a wheeze going on that sees the former entertain the crowds whilst his pal surreptitiously relieves them of their valuables. When he spots his forbidden love and faces years in the dungeon, they abscond into the mountains where he finds a lamp. Of course he rubs it, and out pops "Babs" (Evelyn Keyes) to hear and to obey. Sure, she accommodates his wishes to impress at the court, but she also has taken a little bit of a shine to her new master and she is not averse to a little mischief of her own to get her man. Fans of Silvers and his screwball, bespectacled, humour might enjoy this but I'm more a fan of the Korda-style telling of these stories (indeed Rex Ingram appears in the same red costume here from "The Thief of Bagdad" from 1940) and I found the comedic antics and the breaks for obviously dubbed musical numbers spoiled the adventure element. That really only comes to the fore in the last ten minutes and isn't up to very much. Wilde's in his element and Keyes in clearly enjoying her role here, but if there is such a thing as a fantasy purist, that is me - and this just fell between too many stools. It does look great, though, and there are a few clever visual effects, but original is usually best and this is neither.

This is the sort of silly adventure film that, unfortunately, they just don't make any more. And to top it off, the film's sense of humor and fun is so pronounced that it's hard not to like the movie. In many ways, the film is the obvious inspiration for Disney's ALADDIN as well as inspired by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby's "Road Films". An apt title for the film might have been "Road to Arabia".

So how can I say it's like a Road Film? Well, even though the actors and studio are different, the chemistry and dialog is identical. Phil Silvers plays a part highly reminiscent of Bob Hope, as he plays a snappy-talking anachronistic 1940s jive-talker set in the 9th century. He was simply wonderful in this role--probably the best film part he ever did. Cornell Wilde is much like a more handsome version of Bing Crosby because he very ably croons throughout the film and is the one who eventually gets the girl. The chemistry and plot outline is pure "Road"--such as ROAD TO MOROCCO or any of the other Hope-Crosby films except it's a better--probably due to better writing and production values.

So how is it like ALADDIN? Well, Cornell Wilde actually plays Aladdin and much of the story is what is later replicated in the Disney film--the evil sorcerer Jafar and the plot to steal the throne and the romance between a princess and a poor young man are all there. And, in many ways, Phil Silvers is the sidekick who was later replaced by the monkey, Abu! And, finally, the genie is the fast-talking and smart-allecky character it was in the later film except it is played by a lady (Evelyn Keyes) and she, too, is in love with Aladdin. I absolutely loved Miss Keyes in the film (more than I liked Robin Williams as the genie) and really couldn't understand why Cornell didn't pick her instead of the lovely princess (Adele Jergens).

The bottom line is this movie is just lots and lots of fun. Plus, the humorous and anachronistic lines were actually funny and made me chuckle. This is a must-see for fans of adventure films and I'm glad I saw it. I could easily have scored the movie a 9--it was that good.

By the way, the dual roles of the Sultan and his evil twin were played by Dennis Hoey. He's the same guy who played the recurring role of Inspector Lestrade in the Sherlock Holmes series of the 1940s and it was nice to see him in a different sort of role.

Escapist fare was always welcome during the troubled '40s-era, especially just after World War II when movie fans were clamoring for entertainment to take their minds off their woes. So Columbia jumped onto the bandwagon with a fluffy Arabian Nights sort of adventure starring their hot new box-office star, CORNEL WILDE as Aladdin in A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, teaming him with up and coming EVELYN KEYES and wise-cracking PHIL SILVERS for comedy relief.

And with eye-popping Technicolor added to the mix, it's a pleasure to report that it succeeds as escapist fare on its own terms--with Silvers largely stealing the show with his array of anachronistic gags that help whenever the action gets dull.

But that's not too often. CORNEL WILDE was an ideal choice to play the adventure hero Columbia assigned him to after his success as the pallid Chopin in A SONG TO REMEMBER. He's at home among the plush fairy-tale settings and shares some charming on screen chemistry with co-star EVELYN KEYES, but only has one chance (at the finale) to indulge in a swashbuckling duel with Hoey. Wilde turned down a chance for the Olympic championships in dueling to start his film career instead.

DENNIS HOEY plays the Sultan and his villainous twin brother with energetic relish. Wilde's romantic interest is ADELE JERGENS as the Sultan's beauteous daughter. The story, of course, is a tongue-in-cheek variation on Aladdin's use of the magic lamp with the help of Genie (Keyes) instead of the genie we all saw in THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD (Rex Ingram), who makes an appearance in the film as a token gesture.

It's all complete nonsense, with typical humor from Silvers ("I wish I had a gun. What am I sayin'? Guns haven't even been invented yet!"). He's turned into a crooning Sinatra after Genie Keyes decides to do him a final favor with a rub of the lamp. She gets her wish too--a clone of Cornel Wilde so that she doesn't end up alone.

Pure escapist fun, totally unsophisticated and clearly aimed at a youthful audience of the '40s crowd. Whether you like it or not, depends on your sense of humor and nostalgia for this sort of thing.