Arabian Nights is a 1942 adventure film starring
SabuSabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1940s....
,
Maria MontezMaría Montez was a Dominican-born motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s as an exotic beauty starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a hot-blooded Latin seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling...
,
Jon HallJon Hall was an American film actor.Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
and
Leif EricksonThis article is about the 20th century American actor. For the 11th century Viking explorer, see Leif EricsonLeif Erickson was an American actor...
and directed by
John RawlinsJohn Rawlins , was an American film director. He directed 44 films between 1932 and 1958.He was born in Long Beach, California and died in Arcadia, California.-Filmography:* Lost Lagoon...
. The film is derived from
The Book of One Thousand and One NightsOne Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age...
but owes more to the imagination of
Universal PicturesThis is a partial listing of films produced and/or distributed by Universal Pictures, the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal.-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc...
than the original Arabian stories. The film is one of series of "exotic" tales released by Universal during the war years. Others include
Cobra WomanCobra Woman is a south-seas melodrama/adventure film directed by Robert Siodmak, and starring Jon Hall, Sabu, veteran character actress Mary Nash, Lon Chaney, Jr...
, Ali Baba and the Forty ThievesAli Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...
and
White Savage. This is the first film by Universal to use the 3 strip
TechnicolorTechnicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation , now a division of Thomson SA. Technicolor was the second major color film process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color motion picture process in Hollywood...
film process.
The story starts at a
haremHarem refers to the sphere of women in a usually polygynous household and their quarters which is enclosed and forbidden to men...
(which strangely has the
Taj MahalThe Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal....
in sight, even though it is supposed to be located in Persia), where the eldery overseer bids his young charges to read the story of Haroun al-Rashid (Hall) and his wife
SheherazadeShéhérazade is the title of two works by the French composer Maurice Ravel.Shéhérazade, ouverture de féerie, written in 1898 but unpublished, is a work for orchestra intended as the overture for an opera of the same name...
(Montez), unfolding the film's plot in the process.
Sheherazade, a dancer in a wandering circus owned by Ahmad (
Billy GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor most known for his comic sneeze routines.-Early life and vaudeville career:...
) - whose troupe also includes
Sinbad the SailorSinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor (also spelled Sindbad; (Persian سندباد Sendbād; Arabic السندباد البحري as-Sindibād al-Baḥri) is a story-cycle of ancient Middle Eastern origin. Sinbad, the hero of the stories, is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid...
and
AladdinAladdin is one of the tales of medieval Arabian origin in the The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland .-Synopsis:The original story of...
, who have seemingly fallen on hard times -, had captured the attention of Kamar (Erickson), the brother of
caliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transliterated version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Haroun al-Rashid.
Arabian Nights is a 1942 adventure film starring
SabuSabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1940s....
,
Maria MontezMaría Montez was a Dominican-born motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s as an exotic beauty starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a hot-blooded Latin seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling...
,
Jon HallJon Hall was an American film actor.Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
and
Leif EricksonThis article is about the 20th century American actor. For the 11th century Viking explorer, see Leif EricsonLeif Erickson was an American actor...
and directed by
John RawlinsJohn Rawlins , was an American film director. He directed 44 films between 1932 and 1958.He was born in Long Beach, California and died in Arcadia, California.-Filmography:* Lost Lagoon...
. The film is derived from
The Book of One Thousand and One NightsOne Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age...
but owes more to the imagination of
Universal PicturesThis is a partial listing of films produced and/or distributed by Universal Pictures, the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal.-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc...
than the original Arabian stories. The film is one of series of "exotic" tales released by Universal during the war years. Others include
Cobra WomanCobra Woman is a south-seas melodrama/adventure film directed by Robert Siodmak, and starring Jon Hall, Sabu, veteran character actress Mary Nash, Lon Chaney, Jr...
, Ali Baba and the Forty ThievesAli Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...
and
White Savage. This is the first film by Universal to use the 3 strip
TechnicolorTechnicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation , now a division of Thomson SA. Technicolor was the second major color film process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color motion picture process in Hollywood...
film process.
Plot
The story starts at a
haremHarem refers to the sphere of women in a usually polygynous household and their quarters which is enclosed and forbidden to men...
(which strangely has the
Taj MahalThe Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal....
in sight, even though it is supposed to be located in Persia), where the eldery overseer bids his young charges to read the story of Haroun al-Rashid (Hall) and his wife
SheherazadeShéhérazade is the title of two works by the French composer Maurice Ravel.Shéhérazade, ouverture de féerie, written in 1898 but unpublished, is a work for orchestra intended as the overture for an opera of the same name...
(Montez), unfolding the film's plot in the process.
Sheherazade, a dancer in a wandering circus owned by Ahmad (
Billy GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor most known for his comic sneeze routines.-Early life and vaudeville career:...
) - whose troupe also includes
Sinbad the SailorSinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor (also spelled Sindbad; (Persian سندباد Sendbād; Arabic السندباد البحري as-Sindibād al-Baḥri) is a story-cycle of ancient Middle Eastern origin. Sinbad, the hero of the stories, is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid...
and
AladdinAladdin is one of the tales of medieval Arabian origin in the The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland .-Synopsis:The original story of...
, who have seemingly fallen on hard times -, had captured the attention of Kamar (Erickson), the brother of
caliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transliterated version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Haroun al-Rashid. In his infatuation with her, and because of a prophecy which names her as the future queen, Kamar had attempted to seize the throne, but was captured and sentenced to slow death by exposure. As Haroun visits his brother, for whom he feels pity, Kamar's men storm the palace and free their leader; outnumbered, Haroun is forced to flee. He manages to get near the plaza where Sheherazade's circus is performing and is spotted by the young acrobat Ali Ben Ali (
SabuSabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1940s....
), who finds out his identity and decides to hide him in the cirus, confiding only in Sheherazade (though he does not tell her about the fugitive's true identity). Upon awakening from the wounds he had received in his flight, Haroun beholds Sheherazade and instantly falls in love with her.
Meanwhile, Kamar, thinking that Haroun is dead, assumes the throne of
BagdadBagdad can mean:* Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq* Bagdad , a 1949 American motion picture* Bagdad, Arizona * Bagdad, California * Bagdad, Butte County, California * Bagdad, Florida...
, but to his chagrin Sheherazade is not to be found, and he orders the captain of his guard (
Turhan BeyTurhan Bey was a popular character actor and exotic leading man in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. Returning to Europe, he pursued careers as a photographer and stage director....
) to find her. But then the scheming
Grand VizierGrand Vizier, in Turkish Sadr-ı Azam or Serdar-ı Ekrem , deriving from the Persian word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Nadan (Edgar Barrier) approaches the captain with the order to make Sheherazade 'disappear', and upon finding them he decides to sell her and her friends into slavery. But due to a witness the captain is exposed, and in order to preserve his plans, Nadan first gets him to confess and then murders him.
Haroun, Sheherazade, and the acrobats manage to escape the slave pens and flee to the border, where they are found by Kamar's army and taken to a tent city in the desert. Kamar proposes to Sheherazade, but she has in the meantime fallen in love with Haroun. Also, Nadar recognizes the caliph and his affection for Sheherazade, and he uses this knowledge to blackmail Sheherazade into helping him in his scheme: in exchange for Haroun's freedom, she is to poison Kamar during the wedding ceremony, upon which Nadar would assume rulership for himself. In secret, however, he plans to have Haroun killed once he has crossed the border.
Upon learning of this insidious scheme, Ali confides in his fellow performers, and they rush to free Haroun; then Haroun decides to free Sheherazade with the help of the acrobats, while Ali is to summon the troops still loyal to him. Haroun and the others are quickly captured, and Sheherazade and the retainers learn of his true identity. Kamar engages his brother in a sword fight, while Ahmad and the acrobats set the tents on fire; the arrival of Ali and the caliph's army triggers a massive battle with Kamar's men.
Finally, as Kamar prepares to deliver the deathstroke to Haroun, Nadar shows his true allegiance by assassinating Kamar personally. But as he prepares to finish Haroun, Ahmad and Ali interfere, forcing him to flee. But a spear thrown into his back stops him, and he dies in a burning tent; Haroun, Sheherazade, their friends and the loyal subjects celebrate victory.
Cast
- Sabu
Sabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1940s....
- Ali Ben Ali
- Jon Hall
Jon Hall was an American film actor.Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
- Haroun-Al-Raschid
- Maria Montez
María Montez was a Dominican-born motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s as an exotic beauty starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a hot-blooded Latin seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling...
- Scheherazade
- Leif Erickson
This article is about the 20th century American actor. For the 11th century Viking explorer, see Leif EricsonLeif Erickson was an American actor...
- Kamar (as Leif Erikson)
- Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert was an American comedian and actor most known for his comic sneeze routines.-Early life and vaudeville career:...
- Ahmad
- Edgar Barrier - Nadan
- Richard Lane
Richard Lane is the name of:* Richard Lane , 19th century English architect* Richard Lane , Australian radio and television writer...
- Corporal
- Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey was a popular character actor and exotic leading man in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. Returning to Europe, he pursued careers as a photographer and stage director....
- Captain of the Guard
- John Qualen
John Qualen was a Canadian character actor.Qualen was born Johan Mandt Kvalen in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of immigrants from Norway; his father was a Lutheran minister and changed the family's original surname, "Kvalen", to "Qualen"...
- Aladdin
- Shemp Howard - Sinbad
- William 'Wee Willie' Davis
William "Wee Willie" Davis was an American film actor.He had previously been a wrestler. He worked in the Jefferson County Jail in Louisville in 1972-75 as the gym guard.-Filmography:*Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion...
- Valda
- Thomas Gomez
Thomas Gomez was an American actor.Born Sabino Tomas Gomez in New York, New York, Gomez began his acting career in theater during the 1920s and was a student of the actor Walter Hampden...
- Hakim
- Jeni Le Gon - Dresser / Dancer's Maid
- Robert Greig - Eunuch
- Charles Coleman - Eunuch
Awards
It was nominated for four Academy Awards;
Best ScoreThe Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Winners with multiple nominations:...
,
Best CinematographyThe Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture....
,
Best SoundThe Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. Compare this award to the Academy Award for Sound Editing...
and
Best Art DirectionThe Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(
Alexander GolitzenAlexander Golitzen, oversaw art direction on more than 300 movies.Prince Alexander Golitzen was born in Moscow, but fled the country with his family during the Russian Revolution. Travelling via Siberia and China, they arrived in Seattle, where Alexander graduated from high school...
,
Jack OttersonJack Otterson was an American art director. He was nominated for eight Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction...
,
Russell A. GausmanRussell A. Gausman was an American set decorator. He was won two Academy Awards and was nominated for five more in the category Best Art Direction...
and
Ira S. WebbIra S. Webb was an American film producer, set decorator, screenwriter, art director and film director. He won an Academy Award and was nominated for two more in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
).