Cole Porter's final musical (and his only one written for television) was not well received at the time, and it's easy to see why. Though S.J. Perelman's script is a clever, witty retelling of the classic tale, it feels like it had to be padded out to fill the DuPont Show's 90-minute time slot.
Additionally, the hugely talented, charming cast doesn't really make up for the inherent racism of the piece: dozens of white actors in yellowface with taped eyelids, jokes about Chinese people eating dogs, etc. So it's a mixed bag.
Broadway songwriting legend Cole Porter was gravely ill when he wrote the songs, so they're not his best work. (The title song is singularly bland.) Worse, his lyrics are more racially problematic than Perelman's already stereotype-ridden script. The highlight of the score is the bouncy, fun "Opportunity Knocks but Once."
Worth singling out for praise in the cast are Sal Mineo as Aladdin, Una Merkel as his mother, and Howard Morris at his comedic best in a supporting role. Cyril Ritchard chews scenery as the over-the-top villain. Anna Maria Alberghetti (as the princess), Geoffrey Holder (as the genie) and Basil Rathbone (as the emperor) were all wonderful actors, though they're not given anything terribly interesting to do here.
For me, the video's main appeal is seeing Sal Mineo play a romantic lead, and seeing 1950s-era Howard Morris do something other than sketch comedy.
Produced on color videotape, the show is only known to survive as a black-and-white kinescope. This is a shame, because it probably looked spectacular in color.
Additionally, the hugely talented, charming cast doesn't really make up for the inherent racism of the piece: dozens of white actors in yellowface with taped eyelids, jokes about Chinese people eating dogs, etc. So it's a mixed bag.
Broadway songwriting legend Cole Porter was gravely ill when he wrote the songs, so they're not his best work. (The title song is singularly bland.) Worse, his lyrics are more racially problematic than Perelman's already stereotype-ridden script. The highlight of the score is the bouncy, fun "Opportunity Knocks but Once."
Worth singling out for praise in the cast are Sal Mineo as Aladdin, Una Merkel as his mother, and Howard Morris at his comedic best in a supporting role. Cyril Ritchard chews scenery as the over-the-top villain. Anna Maria Alberghetti (as the princess), Geoffrey Holder (as the genie) and Basil Rathbone (as the emperor) were all wonderful actors, though they're not given anything terribly interesting to do here.
For me, the video's main appeal is seeing Sal Mineo play a romantic lead, and seeing 1950s-era Howard Morris do something other than sketch comedy.
Produced on color videotape, the show is only known to survive as a black-and-white kinescope. This is a shame, because it probably looked spectacular in color.