by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 14, 2008   Last Updated: March 15, 2008

"Harum Scarum" is one of the strangest movies of Elvis Presley. It's a musical set in a romantic foreign country which would take on a new significance decades later. Elvis is sent to help assassinate the king of a country in the Middle East - and the movie's trailer promises that "Elvis brings the big beat to Baghdad!"

But it's just a premise for leading Elvis into a romantic travelogue. He's kidnapped by a gang of outlaws, but escapes and meets the locals in a friendly village. There's tambourines, bongo drums, and a lot of colorful costumes. (Some of the costumes were actually recycled from the 1944 movie "Kismet.") And inevitably, Elvis falls in love along the way.

Elvis received $1 million to film this movie, and it's a nice change from the simpler plots where he's a struggling young dreamer hoping to win a big race. The movie reaches for a big canvas from its very opening song. ("Gonna travel! Gonna travel wild and free! I'm gonna pack my bags because this great big world is calling me...") It's probably the only Elvis movie where he's called on to topple a corrupt government - but everything ends happily, because ultimately it's a breezy musical comedy.

Even bad Elvis movies are good for a few laughs, but some of the jokes in this movie are surprisingly funny. The slick Vegas crooner is faced with one unlikely premise after another, and keeps his cool even when confronting a scheming group of rebels called "The Assassins." And unlike most Elvis movies, where he quickly wins the attention of film's love interest, "Harum Scarum" finds Elvis watching helplessly as she gallops away.
The plot may be improbably - but at least it's lively.

And the music is surprisingly good. "Shake That Tamborine" has a fast rhythm, and Elvis also gives a great performance of the song "Hey Little Girl" (backed by a lively electric guitar and some explosive drums). One comment on the internet complains that the song becomes a little creepy when the king of rock and roll croons it to an actual little girl. But Elvis's over-the-top voice is a good match for the movie's theme song.

"Every pretty girl's gonna know I'm in town
They're gonna know I'm in town on a harum holiday!"

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