Hotel Sahara on AllMovie

Though Yvonne de Carlo is top billed in Hotel Sahara, the film is stolen hands-down by second-billed Peter Ustinov. The scene is a desert hotel, smack dab in the middle of neutral territory during WW II. Hotel owner Emad (Ustinov) cheerfully changes the decor--and his loyalties--depending upon which army is enjoying his hospitality. Likewise, Emad's sexy fiancee Yasmin (Yvonne DeCarlo) is equally effusive to both the Allies and the Axis. Complications ensue when the British, German and French armies converge upon the hotel all at once. The film's punchline is a beauty. Hotel Sahara is an early directorial effort by Ken Annakin, who later helmed such serious war flicks as The Longest Day and Battle of the Bulge.