Too many fans seem to be blown away

Strong and Moving!

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

In 1951, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello enjoyed a moment of glory when voted by British cinema exhibitors into second place as the previous year's top money-making stars. Only Bob Hope sold more tickets in 1950. The distributor quickly adjusted to the team's sudden surge of popularity and began releasing A&C efforts such as this one as well-promoted "A" features. In Australia, the absolute reverse was happening, whilst on their American home front, A&C were still raking in good money but not the windfalls of the early 1940s. (Available on an excellent Universal DVD).COMMENT: After a none-too-promising opening, this Abbott and Costello comedy gets into stride once the comedians reach the land of Lost in a Harem. Charles Lamont's direction improves, the script becomes genuinely amusing, the photography is A-1, and we are introduced to two very personable villains, admirably portrayed by Walter Slezak and Douglass Dumbrille. There is a good climax, starting with a wrestling match which the comedians deftly turn into a free-for-all before the villains' dumbfounded eyes and ending with a glorious chase in which our heroes in a stolen jeep are pursued by a commendable number of dress extras mounted on camels. Although the sets are nowhere as lavish as those in Lost in a Harem, art directors Bernard Herzbrun and Eric Orbom have created settings that are reasonably beguiling. Love the towels in the Sheikh's bathroom: a great big His and numerous small Hers. Our comedians are given plenty of mirthful opportunities to shine, what with verbal gags, slapstick, wild chases and mishaps galore. We love Costello loose with a machine gun and all the other Beau Geste legionnaire mayhem. Yes, plenty of action. A fast-paced, brightly photographed 79 minutes. And it's all stylishly narrated by Jeff Chandler! What more could any fan ask?

Not bad at all in my opinion. Two wrestler promoters with scripts for the match (gee I guess they are rigged, maybe?) are trying to set up a fake match between two wrestlers, one of which is an Arab who belongs to a rather aggressive tribe. For whatever reason he decides to go back to Africa. Bud and Lou must go after him or die. Looking for him ends up with both of them in the French Foreign Legion through the machinations of a corrupt Legion sergeant who is working with the rebel tribe. There is a French intelligence agent who is trying to dig up evidence about the rebels. Man is she cute. Anyway the movie runs through the standard Abbott and Costello routines with a couple of variations. There is the fish scene at the oasis and the harem scene at the end of the the movie. This is another funny movie by the duo.

Abbott and Costello created havoc in most branches of the U.S. military, so now they take their brand of mayhem to foreign shores, Algiers in particular, as members of the French Foreign Legion. The film opens uncharacteristically with a wrestling match of all things; the boys happen to be the managers of Abdullah the Assassin, the North African champion. Unwilling to take a dive, Abdullah decides to head back home, followed by Bud and Lou, who stand to lose their five thousand dollar investment in the grappler.When Lou accidentally wins a six girl harem, the boys find themselves in trouble, unable to pay, and earning the outrage of Sheik Hamud. Tricked into joining the Legion by Sgt. Axmann (Walter Slezak), the boys proceed to tear up the desert in their own inimitable style. With the desert backdrop, the stage is set for some clever mirages, along with a gag involving a fish with false teeth. Fans of the boys will know the fish routine was borrowed from a frog in earlier movies.Doglas Dumbrille is on hand once again as the all purpose Arab villain, and the pretty female chores are handled by Patricia Medina as a French Intelligence officer working undercover. Wrestling fans will recognize Wee Willie Davis as Abdullah; his opponent is none other than Tor Johnson, not as recognizable here as he would become in his more stellar efforts - "Plan Nine From Outer Space" and "The Beast of Yucca Flats". As expected, Lou is usually at the bottom when it comes to the wrestling pile ups, and when in an upright position, tries to have fun kissing the harem girls. Hey, he's not so dumb!

This movie is pretty much a combination of Abbott and Costello meet the Invisible Man and Lost in Alaska. A sheik/professional wrestler leaves the camp of Bud and Lou to return to his native Africa. Bud and Lou, on the verge of losing $5,000, follow him to try and bring him back. They get duped into joining the French foreign legion in the area and deal with a french spy and a traitor in the legion. For a former long time pro wrestling fanatic like me, this movie makes me laugh, mostly because I used to take wrestling so seriously. The intro is great, especially Bud Abbott, who shows passion that he would only show periodically in the team's later years. The chemistry is good in the scenes in Africa until the boys join the legion when the movie stalls slightly. There is a funny bit with Costello manning a machine gun and a hilarious miscounting scene that is the best bit in the film. Some great pro wrestling nonsense and a chaotic ending finish the film. This is one of the Abbott and Costello flicks that I missed seeing in my youth. Other then the wrestling bits and some really beautiful women, Abbott and Costello and their routines carry this one.