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Friday, May 13, 2011

Son Of Ali Baba (1952)

In a convoluted plot to discredit Ali Baba (Morris Ankrum) and get his fabled treasure, the Caliph (Victor Jory) forces a girl (Piper Laurie) to enter the house of Ali Baba's son (Tony Curtis) under false pretenses and a plot that looks like she was kidnapped but the Caliph didn't count on Laurie falling in love with Curtis. This enjoyable piece of Arabian Nights hokum, directed by Kurt Neumann (THE FLY), is colorful and fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. Curtis handles a sword nicely and Laurie is gorgeous in Technicolor and at a brief running time of about 75 minutes, it's just enough swashbuckling, jumping parapets, dancing girls and romance without wearing out its welcome. This is the film where the urban legend began that Curtis spoke the immortal words, "Yonder lies the castle of my fadda", but in actuality, his diction is perfect and he says father, not "fadda". The large cast includes Hugh O' Brian, Harry Guardino, Susan Cabot, William Reynolds, Gerald Mohr, Mara Corday, Katherine Warren and Ann Robinson.

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