The Gallery
follows footprints in the sand
to hear
“The Desert Song”….
….an operetta inspired by the 1925 revolt by a band of Moroccan rebels and created in an era that romanticized the mystique of the desert in prose and on film. In the hands of celebrated composer Sigmund Romberg and story-teller/lyricists Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II, fact and fantasy were beautifully woven into words and music that would last long beyond its time and place in history.
The Desert Song 1926…. |
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….the first Broadway production opened at the Casino Theater in New York on November 30th, 1926 and ran for 471 performances. The cast starred Scottish baritone Robert Halliday as Pierre and soprano Vivienne Segal as Margot with Glen Dale ( Paul Fontaine), Lyle Evans (Ali Ben Ali) and Pearl Regay (Azuri). |
The Desert Song 1929…. |
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| ….was filmed by Warner Bros. in black and white with Technicolor sequences. This lavish production remained true to the original and became a box office smash. The story: General Birabeau was sent to the French outpost to quell a revolt by the Riffs, a band of native rebels, and capture their charismatic leader, the Red Shadow. The Red Shadow is actually Birabeau’s own son Pierre, hiding behind a posturing persona and in love with Margot, a French girl engaged to the outpost’s second-in-command, Captain Fontaine. Unable to express his love without exposing his identity, he kidnaps Margot and carries her off to the desert only to precipitate a duel with his own father. When he refuses to fight, Pierre loses the respect of the Riffs and must find another way to save both the rebel band and the girl he loves. |
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| Note: This 1929 film became illegal to view or exhibit in the US due to pre-Code content…sexual innuendos, suggestive humor and homosexual overtones (character Benny Kidd). | |
John Boles as…
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Born: October 28, 1895 in Greenville, Texas |
Carlotta King as…
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Born: July 30, 1898 in Toledo, Ohio Died: February 10, 2000 in Hilton Head, North Carolina at 101 Cause of death: Not listed Marriages: One to Sydney King Russell that ended in divorce. They had 4 children. Remarks: Carlotta had one of the briefest movie careers in Hollywood. Jack Warner heard her sing on the radio and decided to take a look. Once he did, she was signed to do the role of Margot in “The Desert Song” and given the promise of one other film. But MGM stole her away for a planned version of “Rose Marie”. After 5 months of waiting, Carlotta returned to vaudeville and the film was done in 1936 by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. |
Myrna Loy as…. |
Born: August 2, 1905 in Radersburg, Montana Died: December 14, 1993 in New York City, New York at 88 Cause of death: complications during surgery Real name: Myrna Adele Williams Marriages: Four all ending in divorce. Her first and third marriages were to film producers…. Arthur Hornblow, Jr. and Gene Markey. No children. Remarks: Despite her real-life marital record, Myrna became known as “The Perfect Wife” in film annals mostly from her recurring role as William Powell’s mate in the “Thin Man” series. Her role as Azuri was a reflection of her early femme fatale portrayals before becoming one of Hollywood’s sophisticated leading ladies. Myrna made over 122 films and in the 1970s toured with Ricardo Montalban, Kurt Kazner and Edward Mulhare in the stage production of G. B. Shaw’s “Don Juan in Hell”. |
John Miljan as …. |
Born: November 9, 1892 in Lead City, North Dakota |
The Desert Song 1943….. |
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| ….was filmed in 1942 but took a year to release because of wartime concerns about its content. This film version moves the story from the 1920s to the 1940s and the Nazi presence in South Africa. The hero is now Paul Hudson, a café piano player who, as El Kobar, leads his band of Riffs against the invaders. Margot is a French singer who joins in the plans to expose both the plans and turncoat Col. Fontaine with the help of American journalist, Johnny Walsh. She also falls in love with Paul. This remake, done in full 3-strip Technicolor, was a box-office smash and long considered the best of all three Warner versions. But the original film as well as the remastered 1990s copy and even all recorded music from the soundtrack have been removed from the public domain possibly due to a copyright dispute. Repeated requests have been sent to Warners and TCM to bring it back to no avail. Let’s hope that this problem can be resolved and this fine film can again be enjoyed by today’s audiences. |  |
Dennis Morgan as…. |
Born: December 20, 1908 in Prentice, Wisconsin Died: September 7, 1994 in Fresno, California at 85 Cause of death: respiratory failure Real name: Earl Stanley Morner Marriages: One to Lillian Vedder that lasted 61 years until his death. They had 3 children. Remarks: After graduating from Carroll College in Wisconsin, Morgan moved to Chicago to study opera paying his way by singing in theaters and nightclubs. He made his first film for Academy Pictures in 1936 (“I Conquer the Seal”) and his second for MGM (“The Great Ziegfeld”) where his signature song was dubbed by Allan Jones. In 1939 he signed a contract with Warner and his career took off with the role opposite Ginger Rogers in “Kitty Foyle”. But his roles as Chauncey Olcott in “My Wild Irish Rose” (1947) and Paul in “The Desert Song” were considered among his best. On his gravestone are engraved these words” My desert is waiting…”. |
Irene Manning as…. |
Born: July 17, 1912 in Cincinnati, Ohio Died: May 28, 2004 in San Carlos, California at 91 Cause of death: congestive heart failure Real name: Inez Harvuot Marriages: Five, four ending in divorce. Her fifth marriage to Maxwell W. Hunter II lasted 37 years until his death. No children. Remarks: Irene’s vocal talents showed up at an early age. She studied music at the Eastman school in New York with potential to do grand opera. But Inez preferred musical theater and films. She made her film debut at Republic Studios where they changed her name first to Hope and then to Irene Manning. In 1942 she won critical praise for her role as the legendary Broadway star Fay Templeton in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” when she acted, sang and played the piano at the same time in one take. In later years, she had a successful career on BBC before coming home to teach acting and voice. |
Bruce Cabot as… |
Born: April 20, 1904 in Carlsbad, New Mexico Died: May 3, 1972 at Woodland Hills in Los Angeles, California at 68 Cause of death: lung and throat cancer Real name: Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac Marriages: Three, two to actresses (Adrienne Ames and Francesca De Scaffa).All ended in divorce. There was one child to his first marriage to Gracy Mary Mather Smith. Remarks: Bruce made his mark when he rescued Fay Wray from that famous ape “King Kong”. But, while he was a talented actor, he remained primarily in supporting and villain roles. His greatest claim to fame among Hollywood insiders was his reputation as one of Tinseltown’s famous bad boys with drinking partners John Wayne and Errol Flynn. Cabot was a jack-of-all trades after leaving college until he met David O. Selznick at a Hollywood party and snagged a bit part as a dancer in “Lady With a Past” (1932). |
Lynne Overman as….
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Born: September 19, 1887 in Maryville, Missouri |
The Desert Song 1953…. |
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….is the third Warner Bros. remake of this operetta and the only one available for viewing. In this version our hero is the nerdy American engaged to tutor the general’s daughter. But under the cover of night he becomes El Kobar, leader of the Riffs against an oppressive local sheik. The film’s plot remains basically the same as the original. |
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Gordon MacRae …. |
Born: March 12, 1921 in East Orange, New Jersey Died: Janusary 24, 1986 in Lincoln, Nebraska at 64 Cause of death: cancer of the throat and jaw Real name: Albert Gordon MacRae Marriages: Two. The first to Sheila Stephens MacRae lasted 26 years before ending in divorce. They had 4 children, two who became actresses. The second to Elizabeth Lamberti Schrafft ended with his death leaving 1 child. Remarks: Gordon not only sang very well but played the piano, saxophone and clarinet. He was a vocalist for 3 of the country’s big bands (Harry James, Les Brown and Horace Heidt) and signed a contract with Capitol records that lasted 20 years. In 1948 Warner Bros. signed him to a seven-year contract and paired him with June Haver and Doris Day in a string of hit musicals. But it was two non-Warner films that are remembered most….Magna’s 1955 “Oklahoma” and 20th Century Fox’s 1956 “Carousel” both with Shirley Jones. |
Kathryn Grayson …. |
Born: February 9, 1922 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Real name: Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick Marriages: Two, both ending in divorce. The first to actor John Shelton lasted 5 years. The second to actor-singer Johnny Johnston lasted 4 years and produced one child. Remarks: Talk about an early bloomer, Kathryn signed with RCA Records at the age of 15 and was a full-fledged movie star before she was 21. After 20 films (19 were musicals) she scored in drama roles on television and made her opera debut in 1960 at 38. On the stage she proved to be a dynamo, too, with both musical and dramatic parts, receiving the Sarah Siddons Award for “The Merry Widow”. Now 87, Kathryn refuses to rest on her laurels and teaches voice to private students. |
Steve Cochran as…. |
Born: May 25, 1917 in Eureka, California Died: June 15, 1965 on his yacht near Guatemala. He was 48 Cause of death: Mysterious. Official ruling was acute infectious edema (lung infection) Real name: Robert Alexander Cochran Marriages: Three, all ending in divorce. His first to Florence Lockwood produced a daughter, Xandra. His second to actress Fay McKenzie lasted two years. In 1961 at 44 he married 19-year-old Jonna Jensen but the marriage was short-lived. Remarks: Educated at the University of Wyoming, Steve went from cowpuncher to movie star by way of local theater roles and Broadway. His dark good-looks and cowpuncher muscles made him a sure-bet for gangster and boxer roles because he looked so great with his shirt off. He made 6 films with Virginia Mayo often as his accomplice.But the powers-that-be overlooked his excellent acting talents when it came to leading roles and here they lacked foresight. Steve’s more memorable and acclaimed roles were as the disgraced, alcoholic itinerant farmer struggling to regain the love of his family in Come Next Spring for Republic Studio(1956), and as a troubled drifter in Il Grido (1957) for Michaelangelo Antonioni produced in Italy. |
The Desert Song 1955…. |
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| ….was broadcast live and in color at a time when only a few people had color sets. When the promotional ads came out touting “see it in color” many didn’t understand they would need new color television sets to do that and angry calls poured in to local stations not long after the broadcast began. Today only the black and white kinescope copies exist and the quality is, at best marginal. However, it is this version that was considered to be the most faithful to the original operetta. |  |
Nelson Eddy as…. |
Born: June 29th, 1901 in Providence, Rhode Island Died: March 7th, 1967 in Miami, Florida Cause of death: massive stroke Real name: Nelson Ackerman Eddy Marriages: One to Ann Denitz Franklin that lasted until his death. However, his love for Jeanette MacDonald lasted until the day he died. Remarks: With all his experience working with the late film director Woody “One-Take” Van Dyke in at least six of his films at MGM, Nelson was nonplussed at “no-second-chances” live television. In the very first scene he accidentally steps into a hole in the sand but never misses a note or loses his composure. And his voice was never better. You will find much more on Nelson Eddy in the Baritone’s Corner found in all issues of Arabella. |
Gale Sherwood as…. |
Born: March 4, 1929 in Canada Marriages: Two, one ending in divorce. Remarks: Gale was already a seasoned veteran of stage and screen when she joined Nelson in the nightclub act. She had her first singing role in“They Shall Have Music” (1939) at the age of 10. Nelson also recognized that she was a natural comedienne. It was a tight little group…. Nelson wrote the material, Gale organized all the backstage requirements (lighting, sound and even the dressing rooms) and Nelson’s accompanist, Ted Paxson, coordinated and rehearsed the musicians. But one addition to the trio’s repertoire came from “The Desert Song”. As they finished their tribute to the operetta with the title song, Gale, dressed in a harem costume and a jewel in her navel, sang the duet with him and they finished up with a kiss, a long kiss. Out of sight of the audience Nelson removed the jewel and then held it up to the crowd. They went wild! Gale later referred to it as the “belly- button controversy” hinting that some of Nelson’s more conservative fans thought it a bit risqué. |
John Conte as…. |
Born: September 15, 1915 in Palmer, Massachusetts Died: September 4, 2006 in Rancho Mirage at 90 Cause of death: natural causes Marriages: Three, two ending in divorce. The first to Ruth Collins produced two children. The second was to actress Marilyn Maxwell and the third to Sirpuhe Philibosian. Remarks: John began his professional career as a radio actor and singer right out of high school. He became a regular on the “Burns and Allen” radio show in the 1940s before moving to the Broadway stage. In the 1950s he added television as host of “Matinee Theater”. Conte made 14 films before retiring to own and operate KMIR, a UHF radio station in the Coachella Valley with his third wife. A founding sponsor of the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, he spent his last days there in 2006. |
Otto Kruger as…. |
Born: September 6, 1885 in Toledo, Ohio Died: September 6, 1974 in Woodland hills, Los Angeles, California at 89. Cause of death: stroke Marriages: One to Sue MacManamy. They had 1 child. Remarks: Otto was one of the busiest character actors in Hollywood with over 89 films on his resume. The grandnephew of South African pioneer and president Paul Kruger, he made his Broadway debut at 15 and his screen debut at 20 already a matinee idol. One of his most memorable roles was that of Edward Randolph in the 1954 film version of “The Magnificent Obsession”. Kruger retired in the 1960s because of ill health. He died on his 89th birthday. |
