Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1960s
    Movies - 1960s Movies - H 2 Mins Read

    Harum Scarum (1965)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Elvis Presley stars as action movie star Johnny Tyronne, whose real-life becomes adventurous when he is drugged and kidnapped by underground assassins while on a goodwill tour of the Middle East to attend the premiere of his latest film in the (fictitious) kingdom of Lunarkand.

    The assassins have seen Johnny’s films and want to employ him to carry out the assassination of a desert king for them.

    Naturally, Johnny refuses and attempts a daring escape across the desert in the company of the beautiful Princess Shalimar (Mary Ann Mobley). Fran Jeffries plays double-crossing Aishah and looks like a cat-suited Batman baddie.

    harumscarum

    The exotic locations (actually some of Hollywood’s most unconvincing backlot scenery) add a frisson of interest to the usual formula, but this is negated by the lacklustre plot and forgettable songs which make this another substandard entry in the screen career of Presley (his 19th movie).

    Harum Scarum is very primary-coloured, with dancing girls and galloping horses all over the shop, and even Presley’s manager, “Colonel” Tom Parker, was alarmed by the film’s lack of coherence.

    After a screening in June 1965, he declared it would take “a 55th cousin to P.T. Barnum” to sell such a waste of celluloid, and even suggested adding a talking camel to make the film seem more deliberately nutty that it already is. The film is directed by ex-hoofer Gene Nelson, who should have continued hoofing.

    Cult TV fans may recognise co-star Mary Ann Mobley (a former Miss America) as the first actress to play The Girl from UNCLE on the small screen before Stefanie Powers stepped into the role.

    Released in many markets as Harem Holiday.

    Johnny Tyronne
    Elvis Presley
    Princess Shalimar
    Mary Ann Mobley
    Aishah
    Fran Jeffries
    Prince Dragna
    Michael Ansara
    Zacha
    Jay Novello
    King Toranshah
    Philip Reed
    Sinan
    Theo Marcuse
    Baba
    Billy Barty

    Director
    Gene Nelson

    Audio

     

    Related Posts

    • Loving You (1957)
      Loving You (1957)
      Elvis Presley's second movie gives us a precious look at the King in his rock 'n' roll prime. He appeared in…
    • Wild Ride, The (1960)
      Wild Ride, The (1960)
      In one of Jack Nicholson's earliest films, the future superstar plays homicidal hot-rodder Johnny Varron who is fed up with…
    • Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
      Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
      George Romero's directorial debut was shot in black and white over several weekends in Pennsylvania and chronicles the desperate efforts…
    • Jailhouse Rock (1957)
      Jailhouse Rock (1957)
      This is Elvis Presley's glorious third movie, after Love Me Tender (1956) and Loving You (1957), when the snarl and talent were,…
    • Satan's Sadists (1969)
      Satan's Sadists (1969)
      The Satans are a very cruel biker gang led by Anchor (Russ Tamblyn). The gang stop at a diner in…
    • Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
      Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
      Based on the Broadway Musical about teenage singing sensation Conrad Birdie giving his final TV show (in his hometown) before…
    • Clambake (1967)
      Clambake (1967)
      Annoyed when his oil-rich father, Duster Heyward (James Gregory) hands him an unearned vice presidency in the family company, heir…
    • Double Trouble (1967)
      Double Trouble (1967)
      17-year-old Jill Conway is a precocious teenage heiress played by Annette Day, an English girl who happened to be in…

    Elvis Presley
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleHarrad Experiment, The (1973)
    Next Article Harvey (1950)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, The
      1 9 7 7 – 1 9 7 8 (USA) Dan Haggerty (not to be confused […]
    • X The Unknown (1957)
      On a desolate Scottish moor, a platoon of soldiers is being […]
    • Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1981)
      Written in 1928, D H Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s […]
    • Wallet Chains
      The concept of a wallet chain came from 1950s biker culture when […]
    • Dead Ringers (1988)
      David Cronenberg is not a director for the squeamish. In Dead […]
    • Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
      Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a born con artist. When […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.