THE MAGIC CARPET (1951). Director: Lew Landers.
Caliph Ali (Gregory Gaye) is a malevolent ruler and a phony. The real caliph, Abdullah (John Agar), infiltrates Ali's camp by posing as a doctor and curing Ali's hiccups. He also takes on the identity of "The Scarlet Falcon." And we mustn't forget the flying carpet that Abdullah uses now and then just so this mediocre Arabian nights fantasy can have some special effects. The only fun moments in the movie are provided by Lucille Ball as Ali's sister, Princess Narah. "I've been wracked with pain since my accident," she tells the doctor in the inimitable Lucy style. Raymond Burr plays a colleague of Ali's who's hopelessly in love with Lucy. Lucy's encounters with Patricia Medina, who loves Abdullah (whom Lucy merely lusts for) never erupt into out and out cat fights, although Lucy does give Medina a pretty fair slap at one point. Agar is adequate.
Verdict: Watch 7th Voyage of Sinbad instead. *1/2.
Caliph Ali (Gregory Gaye) is a malevolent ruler and a phony. The real caliph, Abdullah (John Agar), infiltrates Ali's camp by posing as a doctor and curing Ali's hiccups. He also takes on the identity of "The Scarlet Falcon." And we mustn't forget the flying carpet that Abdullah uses now and then just so this mediocre Arabian nights fantasy can have some special effects. The only fun moments in the movie are provided by Lucille Ball as Ali's sister, Princess Narah. "I've been wracked with pain since my accident," she tells the doctor in the inimitable Lucy style. Raymond Burr plays a colleague of Ali's who's hopelessly in love with Lucy. Lucy's encounters with Patricia Medina, who loves Abdullah (whom Lucy merely lusts for) never erupt into out and out cat fights, although Lucy does give Medina a pretty fair slap at one point. Agar is adequate.
Verdict: Watch 7th Voyage of Sinbad instead. *1/2.
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