JohnHowardReid In 1951, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello enjoyed a moment of glory when voted by British cinema exhibitors into second place as the previous year's top money-making stars. Only Bob Hope sold more tickets in 1950. The distributor quickly adjusted to the team's sudden surge of popularity and began releasing A&C efforts such as this one as well-promoted "A" features. In Australia, the absolute reverse was happening, whilst on their American home front, A&C were still raking in good money but not the windfalls of the early 1940s. (Available on an excellent Universal DVD).COMMENT: After a none-too-promising opening, this Abbott and Costello comedy gets into stride once the comedians reach the land of Lost in a Harem. Charles Lamont's direction improves, the script becomes genuinely amusing, the photography is A-1, and we are introduced to two very personable villains, admirably portrayed by Walter Slezak and Douglass Dumbrille. There is a good climax, starting with a wrestling match which the comedians deftly turn into a free-for-all before the villains' dumbfounded eyes and ending with a glorious chase in which our heroes in a stolen jeep are pursued by a commendable number of dress extras mounted on camels. Although the sets are nowhere as lavish as those in Lost in a Harem, art directors Bernard Herzbrun and Eric Orbom have created settings that are reasonably beguiling. Love the towels in the Sheikh's bathroom: a great big His and numerous small Hers. Our comedians are given plenty of mirthful opportunities to shine, what with verbal gags, slapstick, wild chases and mishaps galore. We love Costello loose with a machine gun and all the other Beau Geste legionnaire mayhem. Yes, plenty of action. A fast-paced, brightly photographed 79 minutes. And it's all stylishly narrated by Jeff Chandler! What more could any fan ask?

gridoon "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion" never quite manages to approach the level of "brilliant", but at least it manages to stay fairly consistently on the level of "mildly funny". The best bits include the opening sequence (kind of surprising to see a 1950 movie so openly admitting that pro-wrestling is scripted), the mirages in the desert, and the "Oui" - "We" puns (the French lady: "O-U-I means Yes". Lou: "What does I-O-U mean? No?"). And, thankfully, there are no unnecessary songs to bog down the action. I would describe the film as a pleasant time-passer, but there is one troubling aspect: too many people (Legionnaires as well as Arabs) get killed - not graphically, of course, and mostly off-screen, but still....(**1/2)

solongsuckers This movie is pretty much a combination of Abbott and Costello meet the Invisible Man and Lost in Alaska. A sheik/professional wrestler leaves the camp of Bud and Lou to return to his native Africa. Bud and Lou, on the verge of losing $5,000, follow him to try and bring him back. They get duped into joining the French foreign legion in the area and deal with a french spy and a traitor in the legion. For a former long time pro wrestling fanatic like me, this movie makes me laugh, mostly because I used to take wrestling so seriously. The intro is great, especially Bud Abbott, who shows passion that he would only show periodically in the team's later years. The chemistry is good in the scenes in Africa until the boys join the legion when the movie stalls slightly. There is a funny bit with Costello manning a machine gun and a hilarious miscounting scene that is the best bit in the film. Some great pro wrestling nonsense and a chaotic ending finish the film. This is one of the Abbott and Costello flicks that I missed seeing in my youth. Other then the wrestling bits and some really beautiful women, Abbott and Costello and their routines carry this one.

BaronBl00d Great addition to the Abbott and Costello film canon as Bud and Lou go after a wrestler in Algiers. Soon they are hunted by a local sheik and his men and a traitor in the foreign legion...none other than slimy(but wonderful) Walter Slezak. Charles Lamont directs the comedic duo once again, and adds some very funny gags to the proceedings. Some of the material has not dated particularly well, but most of it is still very amusing. Some of the highlights include Lou being pursued through the streets of Algiers, Lou training in the foreign legion, the boys out in the desert seeing various mirages, a trip to an oasis, and finally a wrestling performance for the sheik. Look for Tor Johnson as one of the wrestlers. For my money the funniest scene is Lou matching wits with a fish with dentures in the oasis pool. I laughed real hard. Good, clean fun!