Laraine Elizabeth Turner OK--so the name turned me off too--and I thought--Mr. Rock and Roll and Colonel--what in tarnation are you shaking here?? Yet--as I succumbed to watch this silly modern-day "Road to Scarum" film--I began enjoying it. OK--I admit, I'm biased. As I listened to so many of "the King of Rock and Roll's" songs--I couldn't help falling in love with Elvis--as imperfect as he was. What I read about him--he seemed like such a nice guy--caring about others and a phenomenal talent! Mary Anne Mobley is a beautiful sight to see in this film (I'm biased towards her also!)--the movie is cute and has a lot of funny action. I like "feel good" movies, which I don't think you see nowadays--that the whole family can watch--and Elvis did alot of them, even if he didn't get to showcase his great acting range--which he definitely had. But it's still a cute movie. Good humor--action and romance--is underrated.

tilloscfc For me, "Harum Scarum" is a prime example of different people having different opinions...I honestly don't think this is THAT bad, really. I'm an Elvis fan so I can be accused of bias, but I didn't think every film Elvis did was top notch. I'm not a western kind of guy so "Flaming Star", "Love Me Tender" and "Charro", but I think "Harum Scarum" is far more enjoyable and attention keeping than "Girls!Girls! Girls!", "The Trouble with Girls", "Tickle Me" and even "Blue Hawaii"...like I say, different people have different tastes. I know Priscilla Presley certainly doesn't like "Harum Scarum" she slates it in her autobiography "Elvis and Me" and even The King's Manager Colonel Tom Parker didn't like this and he was the man responsible for holding Elvis back in Hollywood. Once again, Mary Ann Mobley appears as the leading lady, looking even more beautiful than she did in "Girl Happy", as a king's daughter, while another beauty - actress and nude model Fran Jefferies also has a starring role as one of the villains. The director was the dancer and musical director Gene Nelson, and the set was used in a Laurence of Arabia type movie earlier. In "Harum Scarum", Elvis plays actor, singer and martial arts Hollywood star Johnny Tyrone, who is kidnapped by naive sheik's who believe Tyrone's movie skills where he can kill a tiger with his bare hands are real, and they want him to kill a king so they can take over control. Once held captive, Tyrone attempts to escape and return to America. En route, he meets and is smitten by Mary Ann Mobley and his escape plan soon makes way for plan B as he plots to save the King from the evil assassins and win the heart of his daughter. The soundtrack is not bad. They only song I'm not fond on is "Shake That Tambourine". "Kismet" and "Golden Coins" are fine songs, but all are nowhere near the sublime "So Close, Yet So Far (from Paradise)". A real hidden Gem from Elvis' movie soundtracks and one of my top 10 Elvis songs he ever recorded, it's a shame it had to appear in one of his most critically panned movies thus gets so criminally overlooked.

lb637 One only has to watch this sorry-excuse-for-art (film and movie-making is an art form...or it used to be) and be an eye-witness to the greatest cultural icon in American history self destruct before your very eyes. So many interviews are out there where the King talks about his Hollywood career as "just a job". And that's what we have with 'Harum Scarum'...just a job. And the blame falls clearly on the shoulders of the King himself. You see, Elvis credited Parker with his 50s success and saving his career after 2 years serving our nation honorably in military service. But after his return and he picked right up where he left off, He outgrew Parker and SHOULD HAVE FIRED HIM! There were rumours at the time that Brian Epstein was negotiating to buy the King's contract. Can you imagine what Elvis would have become had he been managed by Brian?? But instead, it all came down to Parker's greed and Elvis' undying virtue called loyalty. If you look at Hollywood as a place where art is created (or should be), then don't waste your time with this bilge. Just as an example: Elvis is running away from the assassins and you SEE smoke from gunfire (nearly point-blank range) but no gunshot sounds. And the King was so disgusted with the songs he even walked out of the recording studio after multiple takes of a stupid song called "Shake Your Tamborine". An American tragedy indeed. No wonder he used to look out at LA for his California home and tell his Memphis hanger-ons, "this whole town in laughing at me"

samspin Harum Scarum may not be Elvis's best movie, yet this Elvis movie is very much worth watching because it is a good movie. But more importantly the movies soundtrack is definitely the greatest album ever recorded, and its percussions are still being felt at the present time. For some reason they failed to play "Wisdom Of The Ages" in this Elvis movie and that is so wrong, because if there is one song from the 1960s that represents the 1960s rock & roll sound, its Elvis's song "Wisdom Of The Ages". Elvis's Harum Scarum soundtrack Middle Eastern infusion changed the world of rock & roll forever, and placed Elvis and his band, among the greatest of rock & roll teachers, who include John Lee Hooker and the most important Howlin Wolf. Yes, the Elvis movie Harum Scarum is worth buying to watch and so is that movies soundtrack.