Early in their career around half of Abbott and Costello’s movies were service comedies, so in a way it’s odd it took them so long to get around to winding up in the foreign legion. They play wrestling managers who journey to Algiers in order to track down one of their star wrestlers and wind up accidentally enlisting in the foreign legion. There is a decent support cast, with Patricia Medina as a French spy, and the ever-reliable Walter Slezak (corrupt legionnaire) and Douglas Dumbrille (shiek) as villains. Ed Wood fans will be delighted to see Tor Johnson in the cast.
This isn’t one of the strongest entries - the story is weak - but it is enjoyable; the highlight is Costello hallucinating in the desert and the final wrestling match. There is also a fair bit of action in this one, with raids on Arab tents and explosions and what-not. The director was Charles Lamont, who went on to helm a number of films with the duo (making him one of the big three along with Arthur Lubin and Charles Barton); he keeps things moving along at a fast pace.
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