Lost in a Harem

A traveling vaudeville show becomes stranded in the Middle East, forcing their singer Hazel Moon to take a steady job at a bustling local cafe. The act’s two backstage entertainers, Peter Johnson and Harvey Garvey, are hired as comic relief, but their lively routine sparks a street-level brawl that spills into an arrest. In jail, Abbott and Costello perform the famous “Slowly I Turned” routine with a derelict whose trigger word is Pokomoko, a scene that sets the tone for the oddball danger they’re about to face.

There, they meet the enigmatic Prince Ramo, a sheik who offers to guide their escape if they help him reclaim the throne that his Uncle Nimativ has seized with the aid of two hypnotic rings. The bargain is clear: assist the prince, and the group might finally leave their troubles behind. After a daring breakout, the trio—along with Hazel—joins the desert riders, and a plan forms: Hazel should seduce Nimativ, who is especially susceptible to blondes, so the rings can be retrieved and used to restore Ramo to power.

Entering the capital undercover as Hollywood talent scouts, the group closes in on Nimativ’s court. Nimativ is quickly drawn to Hazel, and the hypnotic hold is cast over Peter and Harvey, who reveal their true motive and are soon imprisoned again. The derelict reappears with an eerie new sidekick—an invisible friend named Mike—accompanied by uncanny sound effects from a door, a piano, and a broken glass. Hazel, now under Nimativ’s influence, becomes one of Nimativ’s wives, complicating the rescue mission and tightening Nimativ’s grip on the situation.

Undeterred, Ramo stages a bold push for freedom. He persuades Teema, Nimativ’s first wife, to join the plan by offering her a shot at a movie career. Teema agrees, and the disguise team—Harvey in Teema’s role and Peter in Nimativ’s—sneaks through the celebration, using the moment to seize the two hypnotic rings. With the rings turned against Nimativ, the usurper abdicates, and Ramo is restored to the throne. Hazel, now bound to the restored ruler, is by his side as the group completes a remarkable return to the United States.

In the end, the troupe—still accompanied by the enigmatic derelict driving the way home—begins a new chapter back home, their chaotic adventure in the desert leaving a lasting impression of wit, risk, and resilience.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:04