ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 278, 20 October 1944, Page 18

ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES

(Universal)

©- JUST the good old fairy * story, I presume? A: On the contrary, a_ thoroughly up-to-date version, with the Forty Thieves trans-

formed into the Underground Movement of Old Baghdad. They are strong legitimists and they lead all the Baghgoodies in an _ uprising which throws out the Baghbaddies and restores the rightful ruler. They wear very natty uniforms-red turbans and blue shirts, with black horses. Q: Do they ride the horses much? A: Yes, there’s plenty of galloping over the Arabian landscape, which bears a curious resemblance to the cowboy country round Hollywood. As _ they gallop they sing their theme song, "Forty and One for All." Q: Forty and one? : Yes, that’s Jon Hall as young Ali Baba, who was adopted by Old Baba and became leader of the Free Arabian Movement on his death.

Q: What made the Movement go underground in the first place? A: Well, that’s quite a story. You see, the Mongols, who were mongrels of the worst sort, had captured Baghdad years before and had put most of the Baghdaddies and Baghmammies to the sword. In this dastardly enterprise they were assisted by a Fifth Column composed principally of Kassim, the Chief Vizier. But, although the Sultan was slaughtered, some of his subjects got away and hid in a cave and adopted the motto "No Appeasement." They were thieves, of course, but they stole only from the rich Mongrels and gave to the poor Arabs, so that was satisfactory to the Hays Office. Q: All very interesting but rather political. Isn’t there a Love Interest? A: Patience, I’m coming to that. First it is necessary to explain that A. Baba was really the only son of the slaughtered Sultan and therefore the rightful ruler of Baghdad and a great annoyance to Kurt Katch... Q: What on earth? . . A: Kurt Katch, the actor who played Hulagu Khan, the Chief Mongrel. So long as A. Baba and his Forty Fighting Thieves were still galloping around the countryside, the Khan couldn’t feel secure on his divan. Oh, yes, the Love Interest. Well, Kowardly Kassim, the Vichyite Vizier, had a beautiful daugh-ter-that was Maria Montez-who had promised to marry Ali Baba when they were only children, so when they grew up the script-writers had to make her keep her promise. Q: As easy as that? A: Oh dear, no. Hulagu Khan had his evil eye on her too, and threatened to put Kassim on the shelf, or possibly the rack, if she didn’t join his harem. So for her father’s sake she had to agree to marry the Khan, which caused A. Baba to think she was just a collaborationist and unworthy of his love. Q: And was she? A: Of course she wasn’t. What heroine ever is? You ought to know that no Romance is complete without Misunderstanding. Naturally everything came out right in the end, when the Forty Thieves broke into the city and upset the Khan’s wedding arrangements. Q: Ah, the good old episode of the 40 jars and the boiling oil, I suppose? A: Well, not the boiling oil. Even Hollywood mustn’t waste oil these days. Anyway, don’t forget the Forty Thieves in this version were the goodies, not the baddies, and you don’t boil goodies in oil. No, the producer of the film managed it differently. Q: And "Sesame"? Don’t tell me "that’s left out too. A: No, the "Sesame" business is there, . but the presumption is that the apparently supernatural opening and shutting of the cave door had a scientific explanation, in that it was caused by the acoustic properties of the surrounding rocks: the reverberation of (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) the echoes set up by the human voice produced pressures which acted upon the delicately-balanced — we Q: No magic at all then? A: Only the magic of Technicolour and the glamour of Arabian nights ’neath a desert moon. Q: But the advertisements described this as "the story that has thrilled millions through all the ages." Can’t we believe what we read in the papers?