Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie are reunited in another Eastern after the success of The Prince Who Was a Thief but this isn't nearly as much fun. For one thing it doesn't have much of a story - instead of being an underdog Curtis is the pampered, womanising son of Ali Baba training to be a soldier; he falls for Piper Laurie who he thinks is a dancer, then thinks is a slave girl who's escaped, then realises is a princess. Oh and there's an uprising and his father is thrown in gaol. It lacks the clear drive and fun of Prince. Everett Sloan is missed too - there's no older characters with decent roles except the big villain (Ali Baba isn't in it much hardly). And the characters that Curtis and Laurie play aren't as clearly defined.
There are some perks - terrific sets and costumes, enough action, some funny lines (e.g. Laurie "imagine being forced into a harem" Curtis: "I could handle it"), youthful spirits, a promising character in Ali Baba's daughter (Susan Cabot) who likes to swash a buckle as much as her daughter. And Curtis' growing confidence is evident. But there's too many bland young people in support when what we need are character actors - Hugh O'Brien is a dull baddy, Curtis has this bland friend who helps out. And it never quite licks it's story problems.
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