Patricia Medina

The Magic Carpet (1951), starring Lucille Ball and John Agar

I’ve just finished watching The Magic Carpet with my children, having DVR’ed it earlier.  How can I describe this movie?  The word “cheesy”comes to mind; it’s a very typical Arabian Nights-style story, with an evil man overthrowing (and killing) the Caliph of the land, in order to seize control.  The Caliph’s wife, however, manages to send their baby son to safety on the “magic carpet” where he’s raised by a relative, without knowing his true identity.  He (John Agar) grows up, and on his own leads a Robin Hood-style insurrection against the evil, oppressive Caliph.