ALIBABA AND THE

FORTY THIEVES
 BIOGRAPHY OF EDMUND HARTMANN

Edmund Hartmann (September 24, 1911 –

November 28, 2003) was a US television writer
and producer from the 1930s to the 1970s. He
was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He
attended Washington University in St. Louis.
He later married and had one child (Susan
Hartmann). Hartmann worked with numerous
actors including Bob Hope. He produced the
television classic My Three Sons for ten
seasons from 1962 and also produced Family
Affair. Both shows were filmed by Don
Fedderson Productions.
He wrote and produced such durable family
comedy series as "My Three Sons," has died. He was 92. Hartmann died
Friday of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., according to a
spokesman for producer A.C. Lyles of Paramount, where Hartmann worked for
many years.
In a career that spanned well over half a century, Hartmann earned
credits on some 60 motion pictures, from bombs to hits, and produced four
television series. He also wrote other material from plays to songs and
one-liners.
"What strikes me is the range of this man's ability. He's not just a
joke writer," author Donald McCaffrey told the Santa Fe New Mexican
newspaper in 2001 while working on "Bound and Gagged in Hollywood," his
biography of Hartmann. "He is a playwright, a member of the Writers
Guild, a television producer, and has written just about every genre in
the movies. He's done just about everything."
Hartmann served as president of the Writers Guild of America West
from 1955 to 1959, later was national chairman, and in 1985 received the
guild's Morgan Cox award for guild service. He moved to Santa Fe in 1990.
At Paramount, Hartmann scripted several classic comedies for Hope,
including not only "Paleface" in 1948, but also "Sorrowful Jones" in
1949, "Fancy Pants" in 1950, "Lemon Drop Kid" in 1951 and "Casanova's Big
Night" in 1954. In his prolific decade at the studio, he also wrote for
other major stars, including Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the 1953
comedy "The Caddy."
Earlier, at Universal, Hartmann scripted adventure and mystery films
including "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and the Sherlock Holmes
thriller "The Scarlet Claw." He also wrote comedies for Abbott and
Costello.
In the late 1950s, Hartmann switched to television, and from 1960 to
1972 produced "My Three Sons," starring Fred MacMurray. Hartmann also
wrote several episodes of the show.
Hartmann reveled in the family situation comedy, and in 1966 produced
"Family Affair," which starred Brian Keith as a wealthy swinging bachelor
who suddenly must rear three orphaned children, and Sebastian Cabot as
the bachelor's proper British manservant. The series ran on CBS for five
years and enjoyed many reruns.
 Similarly, Hartmann produced the 1969-71 CBS series "To Rome With
Love," starring John Forsythe as a widowed father teaching in Rome.
Walter Brennan, as Forsythe's father-in-law, helped him raise three
daughters.
Altering his successful formula to include a wife for the beleaguered
father, Hartmann also produced one of the rare television series starring
Henry Fonda. That was "The Smith Family" which aired on ABC from 1971 to
1972 and starred Fonda as a Los Angeles cop meshing his dangerous job
with rearing a family.
Hartmann ended his career as it began -- writing for the stage. Among
his produced plays were "The Oscar Ladies" with Nanette Fabray and
"Welcome Home" with Pernell Roberts.
Born in St. Louis, the son of a judge, Hartmann was studying law at
the city's Washington University when he became distracted by a
playwriting competition. He won.
"It was a musical called 'Princess Nita,' and I wrote the book, music
and lyrics.... This was in 1931," he told the Santa Fe New Mexican in
1999.
The show's director -- Clark Clifford -- went on to become an
internationally known lawyer and advisor to several U.S. Presidents. But
Hartmann abandoned law and went to New York, where he scouted plays for
the Shubert organization and wrote songs for nightclub performers and the
Ziegfeld Follies.
Fox Studios lured Hartmann to Hollywood in 1934 to write screenplays,
assigning him to a project for then little-known Spencer Tracy. The job
lasted only six months, but Hartmann remained in Hollywood for 56 years,
moving on to RKO, then Universal in 1937, Paramount a decade later, and
television.
He is survived by his daughter, Susan Hartmann Pursley of Arroyo
Grande, Calif.; and four grandchildren, Joseph T. Mendelson Jr. of Los
Angeles, Laura Mendelson Oroke of Ventura, Patrick S. Mendelson of
Manhattan Beach and Rachel Mendelson Rice of South Bend, Ind.
CHARACTERS OF THE STORY

Alibaba

- Ali Baba is a poor woodcutter who discovers the

secret of a thieves' den, entered with the phrase

"Open Sesame". The thieves learn this and try to

kill Ali Baba, but Ali Baba's faithful slave-girl foils

their plots. Ali Baba gives his son to her in

marriage and keeps the secret of the treasure.

Cassim

- Cassim is the greedy older brother of Ali Baba in

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. After Cassim's

wife discovers Ali Baba's new wealth, Cassim

bullies his brother into revealing his secret. He

then enters the cave to take as much treasure as

possible, but is so excited that he forgets the

magic words to reopen the door and leave. The

thieves find him and kill him.

Morgiana

- Morgiana is a clever slave girl from Ali Baba and

the Forty Thieves. She is initially in Cassim's

household but on his death she joins his

brother Ali Baba and through her quick

wittedness she saves Ali's life many times and

eventually kills his worst enemy, the leader of the

Forty Thieves. As reward, Ali frees her and

Morgiana marries Ali's son.

Leader of the thieves

- pretends to be an oil merchant

40 Thieves

- Who visit their treasure store.

The treasure is in a cave, the

mouth of which is sealed by

magic. It opens on the words

"open sesame" and seals itself on

the words "close sesame".