Harum Scarum
MGM 1965 / Dir. Gene Nelson
Produced by Sam Katzman (so there's that)
Blu-ray: Warner Archive $21.99
I’m pretty sure that reviewers are contractually obligated to apologize for most Elvis movies made after he was discharged from the Army, but after watching some of his films released on Blu-ray the past few years, I changed my attitude and decided that the best way to look at it is not to compare them with his breakthrough films of the 1950s, but to categorize them as a special genre of movies in their own right, not “Elvis movies” or “1960s musicals” or “embarrassing misfires,” but a group of movies specifically called “Most Elvis movies after he got out of the Army” and now that we know what we’re talking about, we can see that most of them hit the bullseye: they have Elvis, they have some nondescript songs, they have some comedy and action and pretty girls, and it all ends well. So here we are, Harum Scarum. Totally hits all those buttons, fans.
Elvis in the role he was born to play is an American singing movie star (imagine that) who’s in the Middle East for the premiere of his new film, in which he plays a karate-chopping sheik, but he’s kidnapped (not by film critics, which is what you'd think most likely) and coerced into an assassination plot against the ruler of a mythical kingdom, whose daughter happens to be his new girlfriend, but the coercing group includes his other new girlfriend, and plus he’s not much of an assassin, to be honest, so he’d better do a bunch of musical interludes while the plot sorts itself out, including a hoochie coochie number with a little kid and a fairly catchy song about banging on a tambourine which is no worse than the third best 1960s song about a tambourine.
Hot take, movie lovers: It’s barely possible that Colonel Parker wasn’t the best judge of material for Elvis' film scripts. My grandmother, who once complained about the “rock and roll” numbers that were ruining the Lawrence Welk TV show, would find nothing offensive here. Bless you, grandmother.
Mary Ann Mobley is the good girl princess, and while she’s wholesome and cute and all, she is utterly forgettable next to Fran Jeffries, our femme fatale. Familiar faces Michael Ansara, Billy Barty, and comic relief Jay Novello round out the cast. Considering that the songs were written specifically for this film and not just plucked out of a barrel, there isn’t a really good one in the bunch, with titles like Go East, Young Man and Harem Holiday and Mirage all guaranteed not to make you forget Don't Be Cruel or All Shook Up. Thankfully considering the subject matter, the wince-inducing inappropriate moments are kept to a minimum, most of them coming when Elvis sings to a room full of Muslims drinking champagne that he’s going to go to their country and have his way with all their women.
Million-dollar Dialog:
Comic relief on why he’s a thief and conman: “I must seize the door knob of opportunity whenever I hear
a knock!”
Naturally and as is expected from the Warner Archive Collection, Harum Scarum looks and sounds bright and colorful on the new Blu-ray. Extras include the trailer and a pair of 1965 Chuck Jones-produced Tom & Jerry cartoons and while we’re not big fans of this era of T&J, Of Feline Bondage made us laugh just due to the title.
If you like most Elvis movies after he got out of the Army, this is a good movie for you. Don't expect King Creole but if you go in having enjoyed Clambake and Spinout, you'll love this one, too.
"Go where the harem girls dance, go where there's love and romance!"
