Sabu

Recently, in a magic carpet kind of mood, I turned to Netflix for something to satisfy the urge. Two somethings, in fact, 1940s "The Thief of Bagdad," with the child actor Sabu as the little thief and Conrad Veidt as the evil Grand Vizier Jaffar; and 1942's "The Arabian Nights," again with Sabu and with Maria Montez as Scherazade.

One of the brightest points of both films is the presence of the child actor Sabu, he of the John Prine song and moves like "The Jungle Book" and "Elephant Boy." He served in WWII as an Air Force tail gunner, but upon returning to civilian life found movie tastes had changed, and his career -- at least for movies like "Thief of Bagdad" -- had come to an end.

Sabu has an innocent charm impossible to duplicate and perhaps outdated in the years after the war -- I can't speak to that, really -- but he is perfect in "Thief" and "Arabian Nights."

These movies have it all -- technicolor sword fights, djinn, flying carpets, acrobats, sleeping princesses ... all I need now is to watch "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (1944) to round out my flying carpet trilogy.

There is too little Arabian Nights-style sword and sorcery, even today. I would love to read some. I have been acquiring some Harold Lamb, who wrote fiction set in that geography, but since it's historical I won't expect too many djinn.

Perhaps somebody needs to revive the old pulp FLYING CARPET MAGAZINE to focus on more tales of this type. I for one would subscribe.