Ali Baba Goes to Town


Ali Baba Goes to Town is a 1937 musical film directed by David Butler and starring Eddie Cantor, Tony Martin, and Roland Young. Cantor plays a hobo named Aloysius "Al" Babson, who walks into the camp of a movie company that is making the Arabian Nights. He falls asleep and dreams he is in Baghdad as an advisor to the Sultan. He organizes work programs, taxes the rich, and abolishes the army, in a spoof of Roosevelt's New Deal.
The cast also includes Gypsy Rose Lee, using the stage name of Louise Hovick, as the Sultana.
The Raymond Scott Quintette also appears, performing "Twilight In Turkey."

Cast

Uncredited Guests At Premiere:
A clip from Ali Baba Goes to Town is shown in the film The Day of the Locust, in which Karen Black plays an aspiring actress in 1930s Hollywood. A brief shot of Black is edited into the Ali Baba footage to create the impression that her character played a bit role in that film.
Some scenes from Ali Baba Goes to Town are described in detail in Swing Time by Zadie Smith. The character Tracey resembles the dancer Jeni LeGon, who performs in the film.