''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' is a 1944

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

from

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

, directed by

Arthur Lubin Arthur Lubin (July 25, 1898 – May 11, 1995) was an American film director and producer who directed several ''Abbott & Costello'' films, ''Phantom of the Opera (1943 film), Phantom of the Opera'' (1943), the ''Francis the Talking Mule'' series a ...

, and starring

Maria Montez María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Móntez, was a Dominican actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure fil ...

, Jon Hall, and

Turhan Bey Turhan Bey (born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi, 30 March 192230 September 2012). was an Austrian-born actor of Turkish and Czech-Jewish origins. Active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953, he was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans.. Aft ...

. The film is derived from ''

The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of History of the Middle East, Middle Eastern List of fairy tales, folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nigh ...

'', but its storyline departs greatly from the folk tale of the same name, wedding that story to an actual historic event. The film is one of series of "exotic" tales released by Universal during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

; others include ''

Cobra Woman ''Cobra Woman'' is a 1944 American South Seas adventure film from Universal Pictures, directed by Robert Siodmak that stars Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Sabu. Shot in Technicolor, this film is typical of Montez's career at Universal, and, al ...

'', ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...

'', and '' White Savage''.

Plot

Baghdad, A.D. 1258. After Mongolian forces conquer Bagdad, the

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Hassan escapes captivity, along with his young son Ali. While staying at the estate of Prince Cassim, Ali and Cassim's daughter Amara, fearing they will be separated, betroth themselves via a blood-bond. Later, Cassim betrays Hassan to the Mongols' leader,

Hulagu Khan Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu; ; ; ; ( 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of ...

. Young Ali watches his father die, and vowing revenge, he escapes capture and makes for the desert. At one point, he spies a mountainside where a group of riders exits a hidden cave. Ali enters the cave and finds it filled with treasure. When the riders return, they find the boy asleep in their hideout. Upon learning he is the son of Hassan, and impressed by his courageous spirit, they allow him to stay. Their leader, Old Baba, adopts him as his son, dubbing him Ali Baba. Ten years later, the band of 40 thieves have become

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

-style resistance fighters, robbing the Mongols and giving to the poor and downtrodden. Their leader Ali Baba, now a grown man, plots the kidnapping of the Khan's bride-to-be, who turns out to be the grown-up Amara. The two childhood friends thus have a chance encounter at an oasis, but they don't recognize each other, and their reunion is cut short when Ali is ambushed and captured. He is taken to the Khan, who orders him pilloried in the public square. Before his ensuing execution, Cassim visits Ali to question him and recognizes him as the caliph's son, but keeps this knowledge from the Khan. Ali is rescued by Amara's servant Jamiel and his pack of thieves, who kidnap Amara before making a getaway to Mount Sesame. Old Baba, however, is mortally wounded and dies on the way back. Later, Jamiel tracks the thieves to their hideout. After convincing Ali of his loyalty to the thieves' cause, Ali sends him to deliver a ransom demand to Hulagu Khan: Cassim for the return of his bride. As they wait at Cassim's estate for the exchange, Ali recognizes Amara as his lost childhood friend and commands her release. When Amara returns to Bagdad, her father confesses Ali Baba's true identity to her and the Khan. Amara declines to marry the Khan, but gives in after her father initiates a ruse of being allegedly tortured for her refusal. Upon learning of Amara's decision, Ali decides to launch the final attack on the Mongols on the Khan's wedding day by planning to smuggle his band of thieves into the city inside forty jars of oil, meant as a wedding gift. One of Cassim's spies discovers the plan as she overhears Jamiel reporting to Amara, but the spy is found out herself, whereupon Ali implements a slight change. At the day of the wedding, the thieves sneak in with the crowd and infiltrate the palace. The jars turn out to be filled with sand, and the Khan kills Cassim for his failure. When Ali is arrested, the thieves attack the palace guards while Amara and Jamiel open the palace gates for the mob. Hulagu Khan is killed, and Jamiel hoists the Arabian flag atop the palace's highest tower.

Cast

as Amara * Jon Hall as

Ali Baba "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" () is a folk tale in Arabic added to the ''One Thousand and One Nights'' in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popu ...

as Jamiel *

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...

as Abdullah * Kurt Katch as

Frank Puglia Francesco Giuseppe "Frank" Puglia (9 March 1892 – 25 October 1975) was an Italian actor. He had small, but memorable roles in films including ''Casablanca'' (a Moroccan rug merchant), ''Now, Voyager'' and ''The Jungle Book''. Biography Born ...

as Prince Cassim *

Fortunio Bonanova Fortunio Bonanova, pseudonym of Josep Lluís Moll, (13 January 1895 – 2 April 1969) was a Spanish baritone singer and a film, theater, and television actor. He occasionally worked as a producer and director. According to Lluis Fàbregas Cuixar ...

as Old Baba *

Moroni Olsen Moroni Olsen (June 27, 1889November 22, 1954) was an American actor. Life and career Olsen was born in Ogden, Utah, to Latter-day Saint parents Edward Arenholt Olsen and Martha ( Hoverholst) Olsen, who named him after the Moroni found in the ...

as Caliph Hassan * Ramsay Ames as Nalu * Chris-Pin Martin as Fat Thief *

Scotty Beckett Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the ''Our Gang'' shorts and later costarred on '' Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''. Early life and career Born in Oakland, Califo ...

as Ali Baba as a Child *Yvette Duguay as Amara as a Girl *Noel Cravat as Mongol Captain *Jimmy Conlin as Little Thief *Harry Cording as Mahmoud

Production

The role of Jamiel was meant to be played by Sabu. However, when he went into the army, the role was taken by

. Maria Montez admitted she only acted "three or four times" in the film.

Reception

''Diabolique'' magazine said the film "isn't as good as ''White Savage'' but is still bright fun" arguing that Bey's casting "throws the movie off. Sabu was a big kid but Bey is more mature, suave, grown up, with careful pro-noun-ci-ation. Sabu was never a sexual rival to Hall, but Bey he could be and Lubin gives all these close ups of him looking dreamy (the director and Lubin had clearly decided to build him into a star). It was clearly just the tonic for audiences after a hard day at the munitions factory. The public turned up in droves, and the film has never stopped playing on television."

References

External links