THE DESERT SONG

The Desert Song
Warner Bros, 1953, Color, 111 minutes, ***½
Released May, 1953

It's French-occupied Africa during the early years of the twentieth Century, and Gordon MacRae is secretly leading a double life as mild-mannered Professor Paul Bonnard and the tough rebel leader, El Khobar. Whenever trouble brews, Paul slips into a phone booth, whips off his glasses, and... El Khobar to the rescue! Sort of a North African version of El Zorro. Kathryn Grayson is the coy French General's daughter who falls for El Khobar. Dick Wesson is onhand as an American newspaper reporter to deliver some comic relief, and Allyn McLerie provides some sexy native dancing.

Although this is the third film production of Romberg's highly successful play, it's still fun. And it's a bit different than the average musical fare, with adventure and romance in the North African desert and some of the most beautiful music ever written for the American stage!

Produced by: Rudi Fehr
Directed by: Bruce Humberstone
Assistant Director: Russell Saunders
Screen Play by: Roland Kibbee
Based upon the play by Lawrence Schwab, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein 2nd, Sigmund Romberg & Frank Mandel
Musical Direction by: Ray Heindorf
Music Adapted by: Max Steiner
Vocal Arrangements: Norman Duboff
Song: "Gay Parisienne" by Jack Scholl and Serge Walter
Musical Numbers Staged and Directed by: LeRoy Prinz
Technical Advisor: D. R. O. Hatswell
Art Director: Stanley Fleischer
Set Decorator: William L. Kuehl
Wardrobe by: Dean Rhodes, Marjorie Best
Makeup Artist: Gordon Bau
Sound by: C. A. Riggs, David Forrest
Director of Photography: Robert Burks
Color by Technicolor
Technicolor Color Consultant: Mitchell G. Kovaleski
Film Editor: William Ziegler

Cast: Kathryn Grayson [Margot Birabeau], Gordon MacRae [Paul Bonnard/El Khobar], Steve Cochran [Captain Claude Fontaine], Raymond Massey [Sheik Yousseff], Dick Wesson [Benjamin Kidd], Allyn McLerie [Azuri], Ray Collins [General Birabeau], Paul Picerni [Hassan], Frank De Kova [Mindar], William Conrad [Lachmed], Trevor Bardette [Neri], Mark Dana [Lt. Duvalle]

Musical Program: [0:00] Overture (played by Orchestra behind titles); [0:01] The Riff Song (sung by Gordon MacRae and Mens Chorus); [0:08] The Riff Song (sung by Mens Chorus); [0:20] Romance (sung by Kathryn Grayson); [0:29] The Desert Song (sung by Gordon MacRae); [0:33] Gay Parisienne (sung by Kathryn Grayson and Legionaires); [0:51] Azuri's Dance (hummed and danced by Chorus Girls, danced by Allyn McLerie and Chorus Girls); [1:06] One Alone (sung by Kathryn Grayson, joined by Gordon MacRae); [1:20] The Desert Song (sung by Gordon MacRae and Kathryn Grayson); [1:39] Long Live the Night (sung by Kathryn Grayson); [1:48] One Alone (sung by Gordon MacRae and Kathryn Grayson); [1:49] The Riff Song (sung by Mens Chorus)