Who can resist the exotic notion of the magical genie, emerging smokily from its pent-up quarters (probably a magic lamp) to grudgingly do one’s bidding?  Though Disney’s genie from the animated Aladdin seems to have superceded many other cinematic genies in the minds of the younger generation at least, it’s the old-fashioned kind that appeal to me.  With a colorful background grounded in history and literature and the kind of pizazz that moviemakers couldn’t resist, the genie has made more than a few interesting appearances on movie screens.  One of the most iconic — and scariest — has to be actor Rex Ingram’s starring role as Djinn (another word for genie) in 1940′s elaborate Arabian fantasy The Thief of Bagdad, from the Korda Brothers.

Wow!  What a formidable-looking genie he is!  Gigantic, bald (except for that amazing ponytail), bushy slanted eyebrows, pointed ears…hey, wait a minute…he looks like a cross between a Romulan and a Klingon, doesn’t he?  And where’s the hip salon where he gets his manicures and pedicures, anyway?  Djinn is exotic all the way from his topknot to his nearly-armored toes, and the talented Rex Ingram gives it everything he’s got.  Well-known for his roles in Cabin in the Sky and as Jim in 1939′s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Ingram is more than ready to get down to serious genie business when Sabu, playing Abu, uncorks him. 

The movie has recently been given a splendid Criterion DVD release, a two-disc set, and you also might like to check out this page of marvelous images from the film on the tribute website to filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

For a genie on the distaff site, predating Barbara Eden in television’s I Dream of Jeannie by two decades, take a gander at luscious Evelyn Keyes as the Genie in A Thousand and One Nights from Columbia, in 1945.  She’s a real redhead, pert and vivacious and jealous of Cornel Wilde’s Aladdin as he pursues a lovely Princess, played by Adele Jergens.  This movie is Arabian Knights with a little jitterbug thrown in for good measure, and it’s all strictly in fun.  It’s all about the costumes and the bevy of dancing girls (including Shelley Winters) cavorting through the elaborate sets.  There’s a beautiful tribute to the movie on the luscious WetCircuit.com website (and be sure to look around the rest of the site, it’s wonderful!). 

How about young Richard Eyer as Barani in Ray Harryhausen’s fantastic (in every sense) 1958 adventure The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, starring the late and oh so great Kerwin Mathews as Sinbad, with the soon-to-be-Mrs. Bing Crosby Kathryn Grant as the Princess he adores.   The Princess visits Barani inside his lamp and elicits his aide to help Sinbad best the evil magician Sokurah.  Barani is a perky and charismatic young genie, and very sympathetic as he reveals that he merely wants to be a real boy.  He eventually gets his wish, and we see him end up as a cabin boy on Sinbad’s ship as the movie concludes.  He’s definitely a helpful and friendly genie, and very appealing.  This is of course one of Harryhausen’s most famous movies and a favorite of audiences young and old, and the talented Eyer’s cute Barani is a real plus. 

1960 brought an unlikely genie character in the movie The Wizard of Baghdad, a comedy-adventure starring comedian Dick Shawn as Ali-Mahmud, a bumbling genie-in-training in trouble with his bosses.  Co-starring were talented actress Diane Baker as a princess (she usually played much meatier roles), and Barry Coe as the hero.  Much in the same vein but less lush, for sure, than 1945′s similarly jokey A Thousand and One Nights, The Wizard of Baghdad puts the comedic Shawn in the driver’s seat — literally — from the opening credits on, as he shows up singing an extremely Danny Kaye-esque patter song while piloting his flying carpet down to Earth.  Either you like this kind of thing or not – it’s strictly tummle-time, with the schtick flying thick and familiar faces like Stanley Adams (famous for his role as Cyrano Jones in original Star Trek‘s “The Trouble with Tribbles” episode) and a young Billy Mumy showing up in support.  Dick Shawn was one of those entertainers who were usually a little too much for the movies, though in 1963 he was a highlight in the comedy classic It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  The Wizard of Baghdad isn’t quite a kid’s movie but it wasn’t made with adults in mind exactly either, but if you enjoy a fey, funny genie with more than a touch of the Catskills in him, then Shawn’s character will delight you.  (I find him fascinating.)  He’s one of the more improbable genie castings out there, but there are several more of note.  (The sync on the clip is off, but it’s still fun to watch.)

You want improbable?  Try famous director Vittorio De Sica as the Genie in 1961′s Italian-produced and Mario Bava-co-directed The Wonders of Aladdin, starring All-American hoofer Donald O’Connor in the title role.  This is one that I saw at a children’s matinee when it first came out, and it’s always stayed with me.  It’s plenty weird — it’s got a naked girl in bondage scene (well, we don’t see her naked, but we know she’s supposed to be) — and O’Connor pretending to be a dancing automaton, among other fantastical goings-on.  And De Sica as a Genie?  Why not?  He started out as an actor and made many more than a hundred movies, and also happened to direct movies such as The Bicycle Thief and Two Women, and played a great genie here, too.  (When I was programming KTLA in Los Angeles, this movie used to be a consistent ratings winner in our Saturday/Sunday 6pm slot, so I know a lot of Angelenos saw this one in the late ’70s and early ’80s.  I also think that De Sica’s look in this must have been the inspiration for the Melvin Belli’s “Friendly Angel” costuming in Star Trek‘s third season fairly horrible episode “And The Children Shall Lead” — anybody agree with me?  And if De Sica as a genie is odd, what about defense attorney Belli as a sci fi creature on ST?) 

Possibly equally as unusual is a quite forgotten 1964 movie comedy from Universal Studios called The Brass Bottle starring Burl Ives as a genie named Fakrash, along with Tony Randall and a pre-Jeannie Barbara Eden.  (I also used to program this at KTLA, but it didn’t get the ratings and so played our family film and overnight slots.)  Ives was a multi-talented actor who could move easily from searing dramas like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (which won him an Oscar) to something like The Brass Bottle, and it’s certainly time for this movie to resurface.

For a nice overview on these and other genie-related movies, you might like to check out this interesting article from The Iranian website about Hollywood’s many movies based on the Thousand and One Nights tales.  If you’ve a mind to get yourself your own genie bottle, you can purchase replicas of the television “I Dream of Jeannie” bottles at this neat website. 

I know there are lots more genies out there, and maybe this will inspire you to share some of your cherished djinns with us!