I am not that familiar with the work of Jack Hurlbert. Apart from his Bulldog Drummond film and one other, these are all I've seen of this British actor's work up until "The Camels Are Coming"...so I am not a great judge of him and his work. I get the impression he was beloved in his homeland and few Americans ever saw his movies.
This movie is set in Egypt during the British occupation. Jack (Jack Hurlbert) is in the Camel Corps, a group of flyers who patrol the county and ensure the peace. However, there are some evil drug smugglers who the Corps has been unable to find any information on a group of drug smugglers who apparently are running a big and dangerous operation. So, Jack goes undercover to investigate....and pretty much makes a boob of himself through most of the story. Oddly, towards the end, he goes from total boob to an action hero...something I certainly didn't expect!
In some ways, this film reminds me of an early Bob Hope comedy or Arthur Askey film, though Hurlbert plays an even dopier character! Additionally, he sings and uses countless disguises (including a dark-face one which is sure to annoy some today). I know a lot of the reviewers really liked it...but to me it felt a bit second-rate because Hulbert's character was a bit too stupid and the humor didn't always work for me. Often, the laughs just fell flat. Now it is VERY possible this difference in reviews might be because of where we are from or our ages. Perhaps those who like the film grew up on Hurlbert's films and there is this nostalgic connection...and this is quite reasonable.
