User Reviews

False statements, repeated often enough, can reinforce false impressions. I believe this is what has happened to "Son of Sinbad". As a writer and aficionado of Grecianzed Near-Eastern adventures, I admire the construction of the plot, the dialogue, the characters and the execution of the visually-lovely little gem. I suppose some have fallen in with the maker's jest at Dale Robertson's Oklahoma accent; but in the main, he is charismatic, intelligent and virile in the part of the son of Sinbad, a man who loves adventure even more than he loves women and who is afraid of neither. The film is all but stolen by Vincent Price, essaying another bright comedic part as Omar Khayyam, poet and victim of Sinbad's ill fortune after he is caught leaving the Sultan's harem. Sally Forrest as Amir is lovely and does quite well with her difficult role as palace servant, secret agent, lover and jealous woman. Leon Askin is superb as the vainglorious Sultan, and Mari Blanchard is very good as a long-lost love, as is Jay Novello as the sinister court buffoon. The plot line is a good and straightforward one. The Mongols are threatening the Sultanate; Simon Aristides and his daughter come to court just in time to save Sinbad and Omar from being executed; when the old man is murdered for his secret of Greek fire, the atom bomb of the ancient world, Sinbad is allowed at his suggestion to take Omar with him and try to retrieve the weapon before the Mongol General who stole it can get its secret from Aristides' daughter and deliver it to his Mongol Khan. Enter Amir, and her organization, with whom Sinbad leagues to use the Greek fire in battle and destroy the Mongol general and his army. The satisfying conclusion of the film finds Sinbad second to the Sultan, his allies, female descendants of the forty thieves, as the Sultan's new bodyguards and Amir and Sinbad II united in matrimony. The film features four extended exotic dance numbers, with lovely music by Victor Young, rousing direction by action-film veteran Ted Tetzlaff, and a surprising number of interesting dialogue-rich scenes, some lovely outdoor scenery and some tongue-in-cheek humor at the Sultan's expense. The costumes are delightful, the art direction is colorful and very fine and Larry Germain's hairstylings are a great asset. This film was never intended to shock, as are so many bad recent films. Its maker, Howard Hughes, however, did intend it to violate silly taboos on the exhibition of females in film; the result is a movie than is fun, very attractively photographed and choreographed and a fine entertainment. If it has suffered, it is because those who have spoken most often about it have not seen it nor perhaps considered its many merits as an attractive "entertainment".

Back when I first saw this, I was enchanted by the verses of Omar Khayyam (which I innocently supposed to be have been created for the script), excited by the spectacle, delighted to recognise allusions to so many familiar stories rolled into one, and heartily entertained by the comedy. Watching it again nowadays, I can't help noticing how the picture is completely dominated by the producer's desire to feature as many half-naked girls as can conceivably be shovelled into its slender plot.

Thanks to the engaging double-act of the two male leads (Vincent Price as Omar still steals the show) the film remains a watchable romp, but the extended dancing sequences threaten to wreck the otherwise brisk pacing. I suspect they either pall or enthral, according to taste. Where other "Sinbad" films will show you a few seconds of exotic dance as an establishing shot, this one lovingly retains the camera throughout the whole routine -- or several!

The heavy mining from other sources of legend -- whether the secret of Greek Fire (nowadays assumed to have been napalm), the conqueror Tamerlaine, the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, or well-known lines from the Rubaiyat -- also now tends to suggest a certain laziness in the writing of the script, rather than inspiring a delighted recognition of familiar allusions. I'm afraid I'm probably too sophisticated these days to be able to enjoy "Son of Sinbad" whole-heartedly any longer... which in a way is a shame. It's still a lively adventure with a saving sense of the absurd and an unabashed penchant for spectacle, but I can't in all honesty rank it above the rest.

A couple years ago I taped Son of Sinbad but gave up on it when two of the early scenes involved a surprisingly long, mediocre dance sequence and a surprisingly long dialog between Lil' Sinbad and Omar Khayyam. But I'm an inveterate fan of the Eastern genre, and by 8 July 2008, when TCM ran a morning of Sinbad movies, I'd forgotten my earlier dismissal and gave the film a longer chance. The Houston Chronicle's TV Week gave it only one star, which is close enough, but a little patience is redeemed by offbeat treats and occasionally upscale production values.

As for the treats, Dale Robertson is a game Sinbad, Vincent Price is a trooper as Omar Khayyam, and eventually the onslaught of female pulchritude becomes embarrassingly charming in its exuberant abundance of blonde and redheaded Arab harem girls, sheer hosiery, intensive coiffures, and tear-away clothing that makes many of the dances more like G-rated strip routines. Wordsmith is right that the extended dance scenes throw off the film's pacing, but the action keeps recovering its pace, and the sets glow with the candy colors of 50s childhood.

Bruce Cook in his review called Son Of Sinbad, "A girl watchers dream (and a fun movie too). Quaxo calls it, "One of the funniest & campiest films I ever saw". Both reviews are accurate. They could also have mentioned idiotic but, notwithstanding, it is still great fun to watch. When multi-millionaire Howard Hughes (famous for his Casanova love-life) bought RKO studio it seems he must have been inundated with young ladies eager to get into the movie industry. It looks like he decided to kill many birds with one stone & put them all in this single movie. 127 of them according to one reviewer. Burlesque star Lili St. Cyr, Mari Blanchard & Sally Forrest are three of the principal leading ladies all of whom were knockout beauties. The latter of the trio performs an erotic dance in which she wears a skin-tight, flesh-coloured costume &, at first glance, appears to be dancing naked. I read that this dance sequence only just squeaked past the censorship. Made in 1953 it wasn't released until two years later when it finally passed censorship. Of its two leading men Dale Robertson is OK as Sinbad but scene-stealing Vincent Price as Omar Khayyam is hilarious. Mr. Price was a very talented actor so the only reason he must have accepted a part in this dopey movie was that mega-rich Howard Hughes offered him a big fat pay cheque. He probably knew he was involved in a load of nonsense & he plays it with his tongue firmly in his cheek. Just get it done then take the money and run seems to be his attitude. I cannot recommend that this film has much going for any female viewers but for us lads it is a feast for the eyes, no a veritable banquet!.

Son Of Sinbad is a film that follows the old studio rule that when you have an expensive picture and build an expensive set, get some use out of it. Any film fan will readily recognize the sets that were used in the RKO classic Sinbad The Sailor that starred Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Maureen O'Hara.

Fairbanks had the style and dash to play the scimitar wielding Sinbad, ladies man and teller of tall tales. I suspect Sinbad also told a lot of tales about the women as well as the voyages in his life. But here we get poor Dale Robertson who must look back on this film with no amount of horror. But as he was working for Howard Hughes I'm sure that Robertson did not have to worry his paycheck wouldn't clear.

In the Citadel film series book, the Films of Vincent Price both Price and Sally Forrest who played one of the many women in the cast both looked back with amusement on the whole thing. Price acknowledged that he hammed up his part of Omar Khayyam to the hilt. The role did give the classically trained actor a chance to speak Omar's immortal lines for the screen.

The plot if you can call it involves Sinbad and Omar Khayyam teaming up to save the Caliph Leon Askin from the invading Mongol hordes of Tamerlane. They also manage if you can believe to bring Aladdin's magic lamp and the Amazonian descendants of Ali Baba's Forty Thieves. This is an errand for their lives because Askin already has Robertson and Price under a death sentence for some harem indiscretions.

All this was an excuse for Howard Hughes to put in as many opportunities as he could to bring in as much leg and cleavage as he could pack on the screen at one time. At the drop of a gold dinar a harem dance number will occur, too bad the silly plot had to get in the way.

The film was shot in 1953 and waited two years for release, something not unheard of in the RKO years of Howard Hughes. It awaited approval of the Legion of Decency which controlled the censorship of films. Hughes apparently had to cut some of the more revealing scenes before inflicting this on the general public.

Son Of Sinbad gets as high a rating as it does for the sheer campiness of the film. Don't give this film one serious moment of viewing if you choose to watch it. Apparently the players didn't.

In Baghdad, Omar Khayyam (Vincent Price) is looking for his friend Sinbad (Dale Robertson), the son of Sinbad the Sailor. Sinbad sneaks into the Khalif's palace despite Omar's warning that he has a price on his head. Sinbad and Omar are captured. Greek scholar Simon Aristides and his daughter Kristina, Sinbad's childhood friend, are also brought before the Khalif. They have the formula for Greek Fire. Tamerlane threatens to invade and Murad is his ambassador.

This feels like a B-movie but the production is bigger than that. It's got that Technicolor gaudiness. It's the 50's version of Arabia. It's great to have Vincent Price but Sinbad is rather dull. There are plenty of beautiful ladies but the characters are not that interesting. It's not quite camp and it's definitely not good.

Son of Sinbad is a dull film, more or less only watchable at scan speed. But what redeems this film is the performances by some of the top names in burlesque during the 1950s. A big thanks to Howard Hughes and those responsible for making this film. Burlesque Queen Lili St. Cyr is breathtakingly beautiful, and wears some of the most glamorous and lavish costumes seen in any harem-themed movie. Wonderful exotic dancing sequences featuring Nejla Ates and Kalantan make this film a must-see for fans of burlesque. Unfortunately, there's no stiptease here, but Son of Sinbad features a bevy of beauties in colorful costumes that make for some delectable eye-candy. There's no doubt the girls are the main attraction here, with a little story, plot, and action built around them.

In Baghdad, the poet Omar Khayyam (Vincent Price) is seeking out his friend Sinbad (Dale Robertson), who is wanted by the caliph (Leon Askin), wandering through the streets and markets of the city. When Omar finds his womanizer friend, Sinbad asks for poems to seduce Nerissa (Lili St. Cyr), who is one of the caliph's wives, in the palace. Sinbad encounters Nerissa in the harem and the slave Ameer (Sally Forrest) is jealous of him since she loves the sailor. Another slave sees Sinbad and beats the gong summoning the guards.

Sinbad and Omar are arrested. They are brought to the caliph, together with the wise Simon Aristides (Raymond Greenleaf) and his daughter Kristina (Mari Blanchard) that are Sinbad's old friends and are unfairly accused of theft, to hear their sentences. However, the ambassador of the Tartar leader Tamerlane, Murad (Ian MacDonald), arrives in the palace and the caliph's adviser Jiddah (Jay Novello), who is a traitor, advises the caliph to not resist to the violent army that intends to invade Bagdad. Nevertheless, Sinbad tells to the caliph that Simon and Kristina know the secret of the powerful explosive Greek Fire and the caliph offers their freedom for the formula. But Jiddah and Murad see the demonstration of the explosive and kill Simon and kidnap Kristina. Sinbad offers to help the caliph to bring Kristina back and he rides with Omar through the desert. Ameer that belongs to the brotherhood of the forty thieves helps Sinbad and together with the army of the forty female thieves, they fight against the Tartar warriors to save Kristina and Bagdad.

"Son of Sinbad" is a highly entertaining adventure with a funny story and a incredible cast of beautiful actresses, including Kim Novak in an uncredited participation. Vincent Price "steals" the film in the role of a poet that helps the seducer Sinbad with the women, recalling the romantic poet Cyrano de Bergerac helping his friend Christian de Neuvillette to seduce Roxane. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Filho de Simbad" ("The Son of Sinbad")

The only thing that saves this horrendous flick is Vincent Price! Otherwise, it's a festival of half-clad dancing girls wearing triple "D" costumes and one of the lamest, most stupid plot lines I've watched in decades! Although I'm an avid Belly Dancer and enjoy watching such "z" grade "fluff" films just to get ideas for dancing, these Terpsichorean attempts hover just this side of burlesque; one of the "daughters of the 40 thieves" even performs a pole dance for Sinbad! I read somewhere that the famed Lilly St. Cyr (yes! the one mentioned so worshipfully in Rocky Horror) designed the costumes. If that's true, then it's no surprise that these women look like stripper rejects.

Guaranteed to make you feel like a dirty old man (if you aren't one already, and I'm NOT) - "Son Of Sinbad" is nothing but an excuse to ogle a bunch of scantily clad harem girls.

The plot (such as it is) pauses frequently to allow another bimbo to wiggle her hips in an unnecessarily long dance sequence. The most ludicrous example being near the end of the movie, when one of the Good Guys thinks they won't have time to perform the spell which would defeat the Bad Guys. Well, gee, maybe you would've had more time if you hadn't just sat around for the last 10 minutes watching an Arabian Pole Dance!

Most offensive however, is the speech Vincent Price delivers, wherein he convinces a certain group of women to give up their independent lifestyle so they can "love" men and bear their children instead! Still, Vincent Price is the only saving grace here (and the only reason I tuned in). His droll line delivery elevates the far-from-clever script.

Needless to say, nobody else in this stinker was hired for their acting abilities. For instance, when one of the girls loses someone dear to her and finds herself in danger (I'm being cryptic so I don't "spoil" the "story" for you - Ha!), the "actress" displays no grief or fear as anyone would in her situation. Instead she pouts like a pampered floozy who didn't get the fur coat her sugar daddy promised her.

Howard Hughes was notorious for stashing away lotsa women for his own personal harem. So it's no surprise that he produced this crapfest of a film. What is surprising, is that Vincent Price agreed to be a part of something so beneath his talents, and so very sexist. And don't tell me that *he* was a dirty old man too, 'cause I really don't want to know. Let me retain a little faith in humanity, 'kay?

Awesome booberama classic from RKO's master breast man, Howard Hughes, this 3D (cup?) extravaganza is a must see for anyone keen for desert showgirl antics and scantily clad harem chases....every stripper and burlesque queen in the greater LA area must have got a gig on this notorious Technicolor romp. In 3D it would have knocked BOTH your eyes out (to paraphrase THE FRENCH LINE's Jane Russell promo). Famous for it's censorship wrangles and delayed release, SON OF SINBAD is like a kids film made for dirty old men..in fact that is exactly what it is......Vincent Price plays the whole thing like he is really Eve Arden.

The corridor of boobs in the last reel must have been a 3D wet dream. Poor old RKO was reduced to being a craftsmanship studio making (now funny) trash by this stage and barely made any films in this period that have lasted because of quality.

Probably only SLIGHTLY SCARLET is their best film of this time; this is at the other end of the scale ....or maybe the gusset of the assembly line.

When I think of Sinbad I think of an adventure upon the open seas fraught with adventure and stop motion monsters. Okay, I expect something more along the lines of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. That being said, Sinbad is a sailor, the one featured in this film, not so much. He is a flirt who likes to break into castles to make out with the ruler's wives in almost Aladdin like fashion. Of course, this being made in the 50's means most of the cast looks really European rather than from the Middle East as Vincent Price plays Sinbad's buddy and we have lots of blonds in the king's harem!

The story, Sinbad gets caught trying to make it with a wife and is soon sentenced to death by the king or sultan, I think it would be a sultan. Well, Sinbad finds a reprieve when another gentlemen gives the sultan a way to defeat an invading army and so Sinbad must rescue the girl and find the forty thieves who are now all very attractive women and man Vincent Price was tall!

Not my type of movie, but you do get to see a love of attractive women and seeing Vincent Price in a film is always cool. Though this is not the usual fare for him as his attempts at comedy fall flat more often than not. If you are expecting action as I was, you will probably be disappointed as I was as this is not in the same league as The Seventh Voyage.

So, to me this Sinbad film lacked the adventure one comes to expect from a Sinbad film. Okay, okay, The Seventh Voyage. I expect fighting skeletons and stuff, but we mainly get Sinbad flirting with every girl he comes across and then strangely turning down a chance to be one of only two guys living in a cave with forty attractive and willing girls. What? To hell with going back to that boring town, I would be happy to live alone with 40 pretty girls. I say that now, but it probably would become dangerous after a bit. So expect lots of desert and no seas to be seen in this Sinbad 'adventure'.

Fans of Howard Hughes will appreciate this colorful little gem -- but even if you haven't got the slightest interest in the famous capitalist, there's a lot in this lost classic to grin at. Allow me to adjust your expectations. . .

Imagine how many lovely starlets must have said to the amorous billionaire, `Gee, Howard, I'd do just ANYTHING to get into motion pictures!'

Well . . . they DID it -- and Howard made this one to satisfy all those promises he made to seventy or eighty gorgeous, desperate young ladies who wanted to break into the movies. Okay, sure, the plot is weak, but it moves along moderately well, and the true stars of this Arabian Nights tale (Howard's harem of young starlets) are given plenty of chances to strut their stuff.

For example: the first ten minutes of the film are dedicated to a slinky belly dancer who wiggles and jiggles for costar Vincent Price. Price plays poet Omar Khayyam, the loyal comic side-kick of Sinbad, played wonderfully tongue-in-cheek by Dale Robertson. Price contributes a wealth of humorous moments, doing dead-pan double takes at Robertson's single-minded pursuit of amorous conquests.

Think of this as Howard Hughes' personal fantasy, with Robertson portraying the Arabian alter-ego of America's most notorious girl-chasing billionaire.

Sexy Sally Forrest is captivating as the girl who steals Sinbad's heart. The provocative dance she does for Robertson near the end of the film is extremely daring for 1955. Lovely Mari Blanchard (star of `She Devil' and `Abbott and Costello Go to Mars') sweetens the scenery with her attractive presence. Lilli St. Cyr is positively slinky as the Arabian ruler's main squeeze who has a yen for Sinbad.

The production has other strong points besides the girls. The rousing music is by veteran composer Victor Young. Famous 1950s voice-man Paul Frees has a brief but funny role in the opening scenes as a fortune teller. In fact, the cast is loaded with notable character actors who make this low budget (but slick-looking) production a joy to watch. Don't blink or you'll miss Woody Strode in a very brief role as a harem guard!

But there's no denying the fact this is a girl-watcher's movie. Anyone who makes an honest effort to count the number of gorgeous girls in the cast will agree that there has never been a film packed with more pretty faces ( -- etc.). If you doubt this claim, go to IMDBs' `full cast and crew' and count the number of young ladies listed as `raiders' in the cast. These are the daughters of the `Forty Thieves' of Arabian legend -- and there's almost fifty of them in the cast, alone! Add to this a herd of harem girls and other lovlies, and the result is a girl-watcher's extravaganza, unequaled in Hollywood!

You might not be thrilled by the plot, but if wall-to-wall babes can hold your interest, this one won't bore you.

P.S. If you're hankerin' for a suitable second feature to match this unique film, try `Princess of the Nile', starring a young and breath-taking Debra Pageant. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Talky, almost action-less, sword & sandal flick. There are more scenes of belly dancers than sword fights. Out of an hour and a half running time there are barely seven minutes of film shot outside the soundstage. If there were such things in 1955, I would say this was a direct-to-drive-in production.

I just saw "Son Of Sinbad". According to Robert Osborne of TMC(Turner Classic Movies) there were a total of 127 women in this film. It is a girl watchers paradise but, arabian type women with zippers on their costumes and high heels in the dessert! It doesn't get any better than this. When Vincent Price the comic relief, as Omar Khayyam, sells the availability of men to the raiders he literally is on top of what you may call a soap box. This movie could well push the cause of Women's Lib back 50 years. No one but Howard Hughes could have produced a sexest, yet tongue in cheek, film like "Son Of Sinbad". I recommend it for anyone who wants to laugh out loud at the antics and Vincent Price's double takes. He is "Priceless". The film was originally made in 1953. Due to the risque costumes of the women Hughes held up the release in order to cash in on the publicity. Also, according to Mr. Osborne, the film was made in, that Edsel of film processes, 3D but release in regular format in 1955 after the hipe died along with those awful glasses! See it. I couldn't stop laughing.

Sally Forrest's lush legs are wonderfully on display in a dance scene where she appears "Almost Nude!" Yummy. Corny but colorful not-so-serious adventure is enhanced by a dance scene that tends to tip it's hand to strip club dancing (complete with pole!) This segment is not as polished as her dance scene in "Excuse My Dust!" but she shows a lot more skin. Once again: Yummy!

What a fun movie!! Great film! Less monsters and locals than in your typical Sinbad film. Actually there are none. But out harkens to Ali Baba which is always fun! Their are a couple outstanding dance numbers and apparently there is cut footage that would be great as an extra on a bluray. And Vincent Price, whom you probably know from numerous horror films! He plays against type and is absolutely hilarious in this film. It's a great performance! This film deserves a bluray release!

If you are a dirty old man, you will love this movie. It's one provocative, sexy pole-dancer scene after another.

Who cares that Dale Robertson talks like a cowboy? Or who cares that I can't remember anything about the plot? The only thing I care about is where can I acquire a harem like that of Howard Hughes?

My wife loved the movie because of the dance scenes, and the movie is one dance scene after another. My only regret is that I didn't get a lap dance while watching this movie.

After SINBAD THE SAILOR that Richard Wallace gave us nearly ten years earlier, I did not expect such a film in 1955, that looks like an Universal Studios vehicle, starring Maria Montez or, concerning the fifties, Piper Laurie, Maureen O'Hara, Yvonne De Carlo co starring Rock Hudson, Jeff Chandler or Tony Curtis...Universal Studios was the company very specialized in such fantasy, one thousand and one nights Arabic tales, certainly not RKO pictures. But the result is pretty good, entertaining, more than any Columbia - Sam Katzman's cheap and lousy stuff such as some William Castle's movies from the 50's and produced by the infamous Katzman. Poor Bill Castle...Anyway, Ted Tetzlaff offers us here a good film of his.