A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS (1945)
Article #326 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 2-4-2002
Posting date: 6-21-2002

Aladdin falls in love with the daughter of a sultan and attempts to win her heart with the help of a genie named Babs.

Not a whole lot here; just a silly musical comic retelling of the Aladdin story from the Arabian Nights, with Cornel Wilde, Adele Jergens and Evelyn Keyes. Phil Silvers plays Aladdin’s thieving buddy Abdullah, who uses modern slang and generally creates mischief. Rex Ingram does something of a reprisal of his djinni role in THIEF OF BAGDAD, playing a giant in this one. I found myself mildly entertained, with Phil Silvers being quite amusing in a role that could have been really annoying. The ending, which involves Silvers doing an imitation of Frank Sinatra, is a truly bizarre moment.