Plot

When a traveling vaudeville show becomes stranded in the Middle East, their singer, Hazel Moon (Marilyn Maxwell

Marilyn Maxwell

Marilyn Maxwell , born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.-Career:She...

), takes a job at a local cafe. Two of the show's prop men, Peter Johnson (Bud Abbott

Bud Abbott

William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:...

) and Harvey Garvey (Lou Costello

Lou Costello

Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...

), are hired as comedy relief, but their act unfortunately initiates a brawl. The two men, along with Hazel, wind up in jail, where they encounter Prince Ramo (John Conte

John Conte

John J. Conte was the District Attorney for Worcester County, Massachusetts , which includes 59 cities and towns in Worcester County and the town of Bellingham in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA. He was appointed by Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1976 and was elected to the first of seven terms in 1978...

), a sheik, who offers to help them escape if they agree to help him regain the throne which his Uncle Nimativ (Douglass Dumbrille

Douglass Dumbrille

Douglass Dumbrille was a Canadian actor and one of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood.-Life and career:...

) had usurped with the aid of two hypnotic rings.

After escaping jail, Peter and Harvey join Ramo and his desert riders, and hatch a plan to have Hazel seduce Nimativ, as he is quite vulnerable to blondes. Once Nimativ is distracted, Peter and Harvey plan to retrieve the hypnotic rings to facilitate Ramo's reclamation of the throne.

Peter and Harvey enter the capital city, posing as Hollywood talent scouts, and meet up with Nimativ. He is quickly enamored with Hazel and manages to hypnotize Peter and Harvey, who then reveal their plans. They are imprisoned, while Hazel is hypnotized into being one of Nimativ's wives. After Ramo helps the boys escape, they enlist the aid of Teema (Lottie Harrison), Nimativ's first wife, by promising her a movie career. Harvey then disguises himself as Teema, while Peter dresses up as Nimativ. They manage to steal the rings during a large celebration and turn the rings against Nimativ, who abdicates the throne. Ramo again becomes ruler, with Hazel as his wife, and the boys return to the United States.

Production

Lost in a Harem was filmed from March 22 through June 3, 1944, mainly using leftover sets from the 1944

1944 in film

The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....

 production of Kismet

Kismet (1944 film)

Kismet is a 1944 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film in Technicolor starring Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, Joy Page, and Florence Bates. James Craig played the young Caliph of Baghdad, and Edward Arnold was the treacherous Grand Vizier...

.

Despite the fact that this motion picture was filmed by MGM before In Society

In Society

In Society is a 1944 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It was the first of five Abbott and Costello films to be directed by Jean Yarbrough. It was re-released in 1953.-Plot:...

for Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures

-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...

, it was released at a later date. It is also the second of three films that Abbott and Costello made on loan to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...

 while under contract to Universal, the other two being Rio Rita

Rio Rita (1942 film)

Rio Rita is a 1942 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello. It was based upon the 1927 Flo Ziegfeld Broadway musical, which was previously made into a 1929 film also titled Rio Rita that starred the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey.-Plot:...

and Abbott and Costello in Hollywood

Abbott and Costello in Hollywood

Abbott and Costello in Hollywood is a 1945 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. This film's full onscreen title is Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood.-Plot:...

.

International Reaction

• This film was banned in Morocco, and Syria required that it be edited before it could be shown there.

Routines

• In this film, Abbott and Costello perform the famous "Slowly I Turned
  Slowly I Turned
  "Slowly I Turned" is the most common name associated with a popular vaudeville sketch that has also been performed in cinema and on television. Comedians Harry Steppe , Joey Faye , and Samuel Goldman each laid claim to this timeless classic of show business, also referred to as,...
  
  " routine. They are in the cell with the derelict (Murray Leonard) and the trigger word is Pokomoko.

DVD release

Although filmed for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

currently owns the rights and it is through them that this film was released on DVD on November 21, 2006.