The best Barbara Eden’s music movies

The story follows one fateful day as a beggar-poet and his daughter cross paths with a wicked wazir, a wily temptress, a handsome prince, a magical curse, opulent sets and exotic adventure. Adapted from the Broadway musical.

A trio of energetic young men try to put on a good show for their Army camp, in this lightweight comedy by Raoul Walsh. Luigi (Sal Mineo just risen to stardom), Jerry (Berry Coe), and Mike (Gary Crosby) are in boot camp when they are presented with a chance to represent their unit in competition on a national television show. The three guys are up to the challenge, which begins a chain of unusual circumstances that not only have them singing and dancing at the proper times, but also running into a trio of alluring young women (Barbara Eden, Terry Moore, and Christine Carere). Then there is that little mix-up when the Assistant Secretary of War mistakenly marries herself off to a doped-up Private Jerry, all for a good cause.

At the height of his KOJAK TV series fame, Telly Savalas starred in this variety special that was sponsored by Kraft Foods and shown without commercial interruption. Barbara Eden, Cloris Leachman, Diahann Carroll and others appear and join in the singing and dancing and mugging.