Two Arabian Knights (1927)

Synopsis
Produced by young aviation mogul Howard Hughes, Two Arabian Nights details the exploits of eternally squabbling sergeant Louis Wolheim and private William Boyd. Captured by the Germans during WWI, our heroes escape by disguising themselves as Arabs. This clever masquerade wins Wolheim and Boyd free passage to Arabia, where they spend the rest of the picture rescuing fetching harem girl Mary Astor from the clutches of lascivious potentate Michael Vavich. Some good, low laughs are provided in the scene wherein Boyd poses as a harem eunuch (quite a surprise for Hopalong Cassidy fans!) A huge box-office hit, Two Arabian Knights won Lewis Milestone the only Academy Award ever given for "Best Comedy Direction." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide