La Fille du sultan

What happened? this hilarious peppy Arabian Nights vaudeville style Monogram musical has a budget! It even has a very funny script... some really snappy jive songs ("Clicketty Clack Jack" especially....) .. a full music score well orchestrated and a couple of great sets......and a bevy of belly dancing beauties to pre out-rival Howard Hughes 1954 boob-fest SON OF SINBAD. Somehow they even wedge a bumpkin version of 'Turkey In The Straw" into the shenanigans.. in between pin up girls wafting shimmying and wandering about the palace. Written by Tim Ryan and starring his wife Irene (Grandma Clampett 20 years later) who seems to be the Fanny Brice or Gracie Allen of Monogram, THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER is a proper musical comedy seemingly made as Monogram's big budget answer to the Universal Arabian night's adventures with Maria Montez and Jon Hall. Here at Monogram we have gorgeous stripper extraordinaire Ann Corio who is in the Gail Russell league of raven haired beauties. THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER is so unlike most Monogram musicals of the early 40s... it seems more like a Columbia or RKO production... albeit a B clocking in at just 64 minutes. Yes it is cute and funny and very well made. If you can find a good print, keep it and show the kids it is great fun and very silly. I laughed, anyway. I was so surprised at the production quality! Even the songs are good. Hooray! I often saw this listed in Musical books as a real musical of the 40s which is unlike most Monogram musicals of the time, most are ignored: now I know why... and so do you... THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER is a good Monogram musical. The toes are still tapping on this one. Now for another go at Monogram's SWEETHEART OF SIGMA CHI from 1947 and my night is complete.