The Desert Song (1929)

Warner Bros, 1929

Starring John Boles, Carlotta King, Myrna Loy, and Johnny Arthur

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by Otto Haurbach and Frank Mandel

This week we dive into the romantic, swashbuckling world of operetta, where every romance is a rhapsody, every duel a symphony. The Desert Song, inspired by the actual Riff tribe uprisings in North Africa, was a huge hit on Broadway in 1926. Warner Bros thought it would be perfect for their first all-talking, all-singing film and pulled out all the stops. There's lavish costumes and scenery, then-up-and-coming John Boles as the Red Shadow, most of those gorgeous songs recorded onto live Vitaphone discs, and originally, blazing two-strip Technicolor. While the color prints don't survive, how does the rest look in black and white today? Let's begin with "The Riff Song," as we see the tribes riding in the desert, and find out...

The Story: The Red Shadow (Boles) is the mysterious Robin Hood-like leader of the Riffs. He is in reality Pierre Birabeau, the son of the French General Birabeau (Edward Martindel) who came to Morocco in an attempt to impress Margot Bonavalet (King), a girl at his father's outpost. He took over the Riffs and now pretends to be a weakling in order to hide his secret identity. Margot is engaged to the General's dashing right-hand man Captain Fontaine (John Miljan), but she yearns to be romantically swept into the arms of some desert sheik.

She gets her wish when the Riffs attack the outpost and take her, Pierre's friend Benny Kidd (Arthur), and Benny's female friend Susan (Louise Fazenda) to their camp. Susan and Margot are quite surprised when the Red Shadow treats them with every Western courtesy. Margot eventually falls for the Red Shadow, while Benny dresses as a woman to escape and get help. The General comes to rescue Margot and challenges the Red Shadow to a duel, but Pierre can't harm his own father. Meanwhile, Captain Fontaine is told the location of the Riffs by jealous dancing girl Azuri (Loy), and Benny and Susan end up having their own fun when they get lost in the desert.

The Song and Dance: Oh boy, this was fun. The archaic stiffness of most early operetta is replaced by some of the hammiest acting I've ever seen in a major film musical. It's clear everyone knew darn well they were in a hoary old melodrama and just ran with the lunacy. Boles might be a little bit better as supposedly spineless Pierre than the dashing Red Shadow, but he and King do more than justice to their songs. Check out King's incredible high note on "The Sabre Song!" Some of the supporting cast works too, including Loy as the traitorous Azuri and Roberto E. Guzman as the Red Shadow's second-in-command Sid El Kar.

The Numbers: We open with "The Riff Song" as they explain who they are and why they follow the Red Shadow. "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "French Military Marching Song" are Margot and the women of the barracks' lament that their men are perpetually away fighting. Margot has modern dreams of romance, but Pierre's are more courtly. "Then You Will I Know," he tells her after she explains her dreams of being swept off her feet. "Why Waste Your Time?" The Red Shadow wonders, before he and Margot go into the rapturous title song. One of his men, Sid El Kar, sings "Soft as a Pigeon Lights Upon the Sand" as Azuri and her girls dance in traditional Arabian garb. Margot and The Red Shadow reprise the title song when she's being abducted to end the first half.

The second half starts with Spanish dancers performing "My Little Castagnette." Clementina, the lead Spanish dancer, also performs "Song of the Brass Key." Head of the Riffs Ali Ben Ali (Jack Pratt) tells the Red Shadow to "Let Love Go." This goes right into Sid's big ballad, "One Flower Grows Alone In Your Garden." Red Shadow counters with one of the big standards from this, the ballad "One Alone." The Red Shadow insists to Margot when she complains about the desert that "I Find the Simple Life Entrancing." "The Sabre Song" is Margot's soliloquy as she wonders about the Red Shadow and who he really is. "You Love Me" Margot and the Red Shadow declare before going into another reprise of the title song. The Red Shadow sings "One Alone" before going off into the desert...and it's how Margot knows it's really him when he sings it in the finale.

Trivia: Though this was completed in late 1928, it was held back until May 1929 due to Warners' release schedule at the time. It was a hit when it came out, but critics thought it stilted compared to movies that had been released in the interim like The Broadway Melody. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, though this is probably the most complete version of this show on film or TV, there's still a few songs missing, notably Margot's solo "Romance" and Benny's two comedy numbers. Second, Warners really needs to take a crack at restoring this, even if they can't find the color. The black and white copies on YouTube are horribly blurry. Third, this is not for those who want their musicals quieter or more subtle. This is a romantic adventure drama where everyone shouts their lines to the non-existent balconies. 

King sounds better than she acts. She's stiff as a board in the first half unless she's singing, until she really gets into "The Desert Song" and "The Sabre Song." There's this being an early talkie, too. People do stand around and just sing a lot. We also have all your attendant Arab stereotypes, mixed in with your obvious gay stereotypes with Benny (how he ultimately ended up with Susan I will never know). 

The Big Finale: Great for early talkie enthusiasts and operetta and action fans like me who may be willing to sit through some of the baked ham to enjoy some truly fine singing. 

Home Media: Best place to find this one is on YouTube. 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - The Desert Song (1955)

NBC, 1955

Starring Nelson Eddy, Gale Sherwood, Otto Kruger, and John Conte

Directed by Max Liebman

Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach

This was the other big operetta that debuted on NBC in 1955. In fact, it might be an even more likely prospect for an adaptation than The Chocolate Soldier. It was a bit newer, having originally debuted in 1926. It had already turned up three times on film, most recently in 1953 with Gordon MacRae as the heroic Red Shadow. Baritone Nelson Eddy was no stranger to the role, having sung it on records for years. How well does he do with the story of the French general's son who masquerades as the leader of the Riffs in North Africa in 1925? Let's begin with the Riffs and their masked leader The Red Shadow (Eddy) getting ready to fight against the French Legionnaires and find out...

The Story: The Red Shadow does indeed lead a double life. By night, he leads the Riffs on a rebellion against French rule. During the day, he's Pierre Birabeau, the son of General Birabeau (Kruger), who is the leader of the French garrison. Pierre passes himself off as a weakling to deflect suspicion, which becomes more of a problem with the arrival of spirited Margot Bonavalet (Sherwood). Her fiancee is the valiant Captain Paul Fontaine (Conte), a stoic fighter who is everything gentle Pierre isn't. 

Pierre falls hard for Margot, but she's looking for excitement, not someone who seems more like a good friend than a lover. He kidnaps her when he's the Red Shadow and takes her to the fortress of his friend Ali Ben Ali (Salvatore Baccaloni), the head of the Riff tribes. Margot does fall in love with him here, even as she wonders who he really is. When jealous dancing girl Azuri (Violet Essen) gives away his location, the general captures the Riffs and insists on a duel. The Red Shadow, however, can't fight his own father. Margot is horrified when the Riffs turn him out to the desert with a broken sword in shame...but then Pierre turns up back in Morocco with that same sword, and she realizes who she truly loves.

The Song and Dance: The supporting cast and interesting story are what shine here. Baccaloni is a jovial desert chieftain, Kruger a father alternately concerned about his weakling son and the rebellion, and tenor Earl Williams is lovely as the Red Shadow's second-in-command. This also probably comes the closest of any screen Desert Song to the actual show. It still drops all of the comic characters and their numbers, including Pierre's goofy friend Benjy, but it otherwise feels a lot more like what people saw on the stage in 1926 than the 1953 or 1943 versions do.

The Song and Dance: The movie opens with "Ho! Bold Men of Morocco" and "The Riff Song" as the Red Shadow and his men discuss their recent battles. After a short Arabian dance, we get the local women in the outpost wondering "Why Did We Marry Soldiers?" in a lively chorus number. The ladies join their men for the "French Military Marching Song." "O Pretty Maid of France" is Paul's introduction of Margot. Margot admits to Pierre that she longs for the heady thrill of "Romance." Hassi's more interested in the desert life that's "Soft as a Pigeon Lights Upon the Sand." We see what Azuri does for a living with her short solo dance number. Pierre tries to woo Margot, but she finds his idea of courtly love too slow. "Then You Will Know" I love you, Pierre tries to explain.

The Red Shadow appears at the outpost to sing the title song with Margot before we see Bambi Lynn and Rod Alexander more-or-less reprise what they were doing with "The Desert Song Ballet." Dancers in Spanish costumes represent the Spanish side of Africa with "My Little Castagnette." Ali Ben Ali insists that the Red Shadow "Let Love Go." Hassi talks about how "One Flower Grows In Your Garden," but Pierre and Ali care more that they're "One Alone." Margot admits her growing feelings about the Red Shadow in "The Sabre Song." The Red Shadow sings his "Farewell" in a reprise of "One Alone" after he refuses to fight his father. We get a brief reprise of "French Military Marching Song" when the soldiers return to the outpost, then more of Azuri's dance, ending with reprises of the title song and "One Alone."

Trivia: This, The Chocolate Soldier, and Satin and Spurs were part of the series Max Liebman Presents, which broadcast a series of lavish (for TV in the 50's) musicals on Saturdays from 1954 to 1956. 

A young Neil Simon was among those brought in to modernize and streamline the dialogue. 

The Desert Song originally opened on Broadway in 1926, where it was a major hit, one of the biggest hit operettas of the 20's. A short-lived revival in the 70's moved the setting to the 30's, for some reason. It hasn't been seen on Broadway since then, but remains popular with opera and light opera companies. 

This is the only surviving footage of Eddy appearing in a live television musical. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the constant ballets and dance numbers only fit in slightly better here than they do in Chocolate Solider. No matter how passionately they dance, Lynn and Alexander's big ballet numbers simply weren't necessary and really slow the pacing. Eddy is way too old to be playing the Red Shadow or Pierre and only comes off as slightly less stiff than in his movies with Jeanette MacDonald, and Sherwood's not a whole lot more animated as Margot. Essen's not a believable dancing girl, either. In fact, it's pretty obvious the Arabians are all opera singers in bad makeup, even in the poor black and white copies currently available.

The Big Finale: While far from bad, this is really only for fans of Eddy or 50's musicals. There's better versions of The Desert Song out there.  

Home Media: Same deal as The Chocolate Soldier. The VAI disc is expensive, but it can currently be found on YouTube.

DVD

YouTube

Cult Flops - The Night Is Young (1935)

MGM, 1935

Starring Ramon Novarro, Evelyn Laye, Charles Butterworth, and Una Merkel

Directed by Dudley Murphey

Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

As we discussed earlier this month, operetta made a comeback on the big screen in the mid-30's thanks to the success of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's vehicles from MGM and Columbia's for Grace Moore. Evelyn Laye was beloved stage actress on England's West End, but her one try at Hollywood was in the disastrous flop One Heavenly Night from 1931. Novarro's MGM contract was ending, but they decided to give him one more go at stardom, hoping to make him and Laye the next MacDonald and Eddy. How did they fare in this story of a ballerina who loves an archduke? Let's begin with a tinkling music box over the credits and a white ballerina twirling on and see...

The Story: Emperor Franz Josef (Henry Stephenson) has arranged for his nephew, the Archduke Paul Gustave (Novarro), to marry a princess. Paul really loves the Countess Zarika Rafay (Rosalind Russell), but the Emperor hates her family. Franz doesn't mind him seeing women, providing they're outside of the royal courts. Paul claims he's in love with one of the ballerinas they're watching, Lisl Gluck (Laye). She's always getting into trouble for watching her pianist fiancée Toni Berngruber (Donald Cook). 

Lisl is relieved she's merely a decoy while he spends time with the Countess. She's not as happy at first when he insists she live in the royal palace, until he agrees to produce Toni's ballet. They eventually get to know each other better as she reveals the music of the ballet to them, and after spending an evening at the local carnival, fall in love. Not only is Toni jealous, but there's also their class to consider. His marrying a ballerina won't sit well with his family, and his uncle reminds him to consider his country before he makes the sacrifice.

The Song and Dance: Lovely, romantic, and quite funny, especially for an operetta. No wonder Laye was considered one of the great beauties of the English stage well into the 50's. She's sweet and delicate as the so-so ballerina who finds herself falling for a duke in spite of herself. Merkel and Butterworth liven things up considerably as Lisl's best friend Fanni and her sweetheart, the dour carriage driver Willy, and Russell's appropriately haughty the few times we see her. Edward Everett Horton is back too, this time more appropriately as a fussy baron (this time with considerable sideburns). Glorious costumes and sets lavishly recreate the Austrian empire of the 1880's, with stunning gossamer bustle gowns for the ladies and elaborate uniforms for the men.

Favorite Number: The big hit here was "When I Grow Too Old To Dream." It remains a Romberg standard to this day, and the movie shows us why twice. Lisl gives us the lyrics the first time while singing it wistfully at the Archduke's home. Later, she and Paul perform it as one of their major duets. The other is the title song, which is one of the ones they write together at his home. Willy sings about how he prefers "My Old Mare" Mitzi to any girl in the world...including Franni tooting on a horn behind him. Franni and Lisl dress up at the Duke's home to parody a lady of the opera, "The Noble Duchess." The Duke is a lot more amused than you might think with their satire. Novarro and Laye sing the comic "There's a Riot In Havana" while out with Franni and Willy at a local nightclub. 

Trivia: Sadly, the movie was such a huge flop, Laye went back to England and wouldn't do another movie for a decade (and never again in Hollywood), and Novarro was relegated to lesser studios. 

What I Don't Like: This is about as typical of an operetta as you can get, from the middle-European setting to the schmaltzy story. I do give them credit for going with a fairly mature bittersweet ending, but the rest of the movie is one big cliché. Fans of the genre have seen this type of mawkish melodrama in everything from Maytime to The Student Prince. Speaking of...yeah, if you haven't guessed, you really need to be a fan of operetta to enjoy this one. If you aren't into the genre or old-fashioned romances, this is not the place for you.

The Big Finale: Fortunately, I am a fan of operetta. If you love Novarro or the supporting cast or the genre, this is a romantic treat that deserves to be rediscovered. 

Home Media: Sadly, this is another one that seems to be TCM only at the moment. 

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The Student Prince

MGM, 1954
Starring Edmund Purdom, Ann Blyth, Edmund Gwenn, and John Ericson
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Music by various

Not every love affair in a musical ends on a happy note. This week, we're going to explore two operettas that feature romances where the lovers part or die before the end. The Student Prince, the bittersweet tale of a bar maid who falls for royalty, likely remains the most famous and popular of the melodramatic operettas Romberg wrote in the late 10's and 20's. How does this version look today? Let's head to the tiny German kingdom of Karlsberg in the early 20th century as Prince Karl (Purdom) is greeting his grandfather King Ferdinand (Louis Cahern) and find out...

The Story: King Ferdinand is proud of his grandson and how he's been able to drill military bearing into him. The prince's intended bride Princess Joanna (Betta St. John) finds him too stiff and cold to be around. Hoping to loosen him up and teach him to have fun, his tutor Professor Juttner (Gwenn) suggests sending him to university at Heidleburg to teach him social graces and to get along with his peers.

He has a hard time settling down at first. He's used to being in command. Gradually, he joins a group of poor but cheerful students and falls in love with the bar maid at their favorite beer garden, Kathie (Blyth). They're ready to run off together when Ferdiand dies and he has to go home and prepare to marry the princess. He's never forgotten Kathie, though, and returns to Heidleburg to give her a final farewell.

The Song and Dance: Glowing romance enlivens this sweet story. Blyth is radiant as Kathie, who resents the obnoxious prince until she starts to realize she's fallen for him as he becomes more carefree. She and Mario Lanza (who dubbed Purdom) sound glorious on their duets. Gwenn and John Ericson are a delight as the fun-loving professor who thinks the prince will learn more among his peers than he ever could in a military formation and the prince's stuffy major-domo. Special kudos to the amazing costumes that ably show off a fairy-tale Germany at the turn of the 20th century, with colorful peasant dirndls, haughty military uniforms smothered in gold braid, and suits for the students that's far more sober than their rowdy behavior.

Favorite Number: "The Student's Drinking Song" introduces the prince to his fellow learners at the beer garden. He's not impressed with Kathie's arrival, as she says "Come Boys" and joins in their high spirited antics. "Serenade," the prince's solo to woo Kathie, sounds absolutely amazing here, with Lanza really pouring his heart into Karl's attempts to woo the lovely barmaid. Likewise, "Golden Days" at the end is genuinely heartfelt as Karl lingers on the memories of his time with Kathie. "Deep In My Heart" brings the two together for the first time. "I'll Walk With God" is a touching hymm for Karl after his grandfather dies.

Trivia: Mario Lanza was originally supposed to play the prince himself, not just dub him, but he refused to work with the first choice director Curtis Bernhardt after he criticized his singing and either walked out or was fired. MGM eventually suspended his contract for 15 months and agreed to use his singing with someone else.

Most of Dorothy Donnelly's original lyrics were re-written by Nicholas Brodzky.

S.Z Sakall's last film.

What I Don't Like: Note that "most of Dorothy Donnelly's original lyrics were re-written" thing above. What was wrong with the original lyrics? Why did the give all the songs to the chorus, the Prince, or Kathie? In the original operetta, everyone sang, including the Professor and Princess Joanna and her own illicit sweetheart, the latter of whom was cut from the film. Purdom isn't bad when fencing with students or being called on to look stiff and Teutonic, but he lacks the passion that the Prince is supposed to have later in the story (and that Lanza likely would have injected into the role).

The Big Finale: Mostly recommended for major fans of Lanza, romances, or operetta.

Home Media: The Warner Archives DVD is currently out of print. Your best bet is likely used venues or seeing if you can catch it on TCM.

DVD

Deep In My Heart (1954)

MGM, 1954
Starring Jose Ferrer, Merele Oberon, Helen Traubel, and Doe Avedon
Directed by Stanley Donen
Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by various

This was the last of the MGM "semi-revues" revolving around a famous composer of earlier in the 20th century. Sigmund Romberg did do pop or jazz-oriented music, but then and now, he's mainly known for the series of lush operettas he wrote from the late 10's through the 1930's. With operettas frequently turning up on early TV, MGM producer Joe Pasternak opted to air his "life story," with many MGM stars who specialized in operetta. How does the story of Romberg and how he went from ragtime to the concert halls look now? We join Romberg (Ferrer) as he looks for a job in a New York cafe and find out...

The Story: "Romy" really wants to write romantic operettas, but his lush music doesn't fly in newly ragtime-crazed America. With the help of Anna Mueller (Traubel), the owner of the restaurant, he composes "The Leg 'O Mutton Rag" and creates a dance sensation. He's hired by the Shuberts, who use his jazzier compositions in a series of nonsensical revues, but what he really wants is to have an operetta on Broadway. Lyricist and playwright Dorothy Donnelly (Merle Oberon) helps him whip his Maytime into shape and convinces Ziegfeld (Paul Henried) to give it a chance.

The show is a smash, but its follow-up fails. Romberg and his songwriting partners end up back writing girlie shows for the Shuberts. It's not until he meets the lovely and intelligent Lillian Harris (Doe Avedon) at a mountain resort  and falls for her that he's able to gather the inspiration to write some of the most beloved operettas of the 1920's, including New Moon and The Desert Song.

The Song and Dance: And "song and dance" are the operative words. Once again, the story is really more of a framework to hang elaborate routines based around songs done by the composer. That said, Ferrer does make a charming and energetic Romberg, and Avedon isn't bad as his love interest and eventual wife. Oberon also goes over well as Donnelly, one of the few female songwriters of the early 20th century. The lavish Technicolor production and costumes provide some truly fine eye candy, especially in the first half.

Favorite Number: Traubel and Ferrer lay into the catchy "Leg 'O Mutton Rag" at the cafe shortly after he comes looking for a job. He also gets to join his then-wife Rosemary Clooney for, appropriately, "Mr. and Mrs" in the revue medley. Gene Kelly performs with his brother Fred for the only time on film in the vaudeville beach spoof "I Love to Go Swimmin' With Wimmin'." Vic Damone and Jane Powell share two gorgeous duets from Maytime, "Road to Paradise" and "Sweetheart, Will You Remember?" Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell perform a pas de deux to "One Alone" that's sexier than anything in the 1953 Desert Song.

The movie does boast some genuinely rare tunes. Ann Miller gets to perform a comedy number from The Desert Song, "It," with a Roaring 20's-clad chorus. Howard Keel leads the male chorus through the rousing "Your Land and My Land" from the Civil War operetta My Maryland.

But the number for the record books is a truly amazing solo for Ferrer. He shows off for Lillian and her mother (Isobel Elsom) by performing all the roles in the Al Jolson vehicle he and his partners are currently working on. He sings three songs, "Goodbye Girls," "Fat, Fat Fatima," and "Jazz-a-Doo" and is such a ball of energy, he really must be seen to be believed.

What I Don't Like: Another biography with absolutely nothing to do with the composer in question. Romberg did come from Hungary, he did write pop songs for the Shuberts' Al Jolson vehicles and fluffy revues, he did hit it big with Maytime, only to return to the Shuberts, and it really was The Student Prince that finally broke him free of the grind and allowed him to stick entirely from operetta. He really did have bad luck on Broadway in the 30's, with a string of flop shows. He did better in Hollywood, writing several standards for film operettas, before making a comeback in New York in the 40's with Up In Central Park.

Almost every character besides Romberg, Donnelly, Lillian, and the big producers are fictional. His writing partners at the resort and Anna are composites of the many people he worked with throughout his career. Romberg married at least once before Lillian, and he was Hungarian, not Viennese. The songs are all out of order and often listed to be from shows other than what's claimed. Frankly, the whole movie is just one big cliche. And as with most MGM musicals of this era, once they get to the 20's, historical accuracy goes out the door. Once we get past the first half-hour or so, it looks like the 50's for the rest of the movie.

The Big Finale: Critics were rough on this one when it came out, but it's actually worn pretty well. Worth seeing for the musical numbers alone if you're a fan of operetta, the stars, or Romberg's work.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats; the Blu Ray and DVD are currently available from the Warner Archives.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

The Girl of the Golden West (1938)

MGM, 1938
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Buddy Ebsen, and Walter Pidgeon
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music by Sigmund Romberg and others; Lyrics by Gus Kahn and others

MacDonald and Eddy were two of MGM's biggest stars after the success of their 1937 vehicle Maytime, but a musical western based after an opera is probably the last thing anyone expected them to do as their next big film. How does the tale of a bandit who falls in love with a saloon-owning tomboy come off nowadays? Let's head to Cloudy, a rough-and-ready California boom town, and find out...

The Story: Mary, better known as "the Girl" (MacDonald), is the owner of the Polka Saloon in Cloudy. She keeps the gold the men bring in from the mountains at her place and turns it over to the stagecoaches when they arrive. All of the men in town adore her and think of her as one of their own, and she has two suitors in Sheriff Jack Rance (Pidgeon) and shy blacksmith Alabama (Ebsen). On a trip to Monterrey, Mary's stagecoach is robbed by Ramerez (Eddy), a notorious local bandit. He's so enamored by her spunk and beauty, he follows her to town, where he poses as a lieutenant at a big festival in town just to get to know her better.

He eventually turns up in Cloudy, intending to rob the gold at the Polka...but can't go through with it when he discovers Mary's the owner. His men aren't terribly happy about that, and his half-breed girlfriend Nina (Priscilla Lawson) is even less thrilled. She tells the Sheriff the truth, and he tells Mary when she just invited Ramerez to her cabin. The bandit is hurt while trying to escape and winds up back at her place. Determined to keep him from the sheriff's grasp, she ends up playing a hand of poker with Rance, with the bandit and her hand in marriage on the line.

The Song and Dance: Unusually action-packed for the MacDonald/Eddy movies, with shootouts, bandits, and a genuinely tense confrontation between MacDonald and Pidgeon during that poker game. Ebsen as sweet Alabama and H.B Warner as Mary's padre friend in Monterrey add much-needed authenticity to this romantic adventure melodrama.

Favorite Number: MacDonald gets to sing a lovely version of "Lieberstraum" with town drunk The Professor (Brandon Tynan) on the newly-purchased piano at the saloon that's one of her better solo numbers. Eddy joins her for two big chorus numbers in the fiesta segment, "Senorita" and "Mariachi." The latter turns into the film's sole large-scale dance routine, with swirling dancers and some huge sets. Ebsen comments on how "civilization" has changed California in the brief but funny "The West Ain't Wild Anymore."

Trivia: This started out as a hit play by David Belasco in 1905. The play became an opera, La fanciulla del west, in 1910. It was filmed three times before, twice as a silent.

What I Don't Like: Philadelphia natives MacDonald and Eddy are too urban to be believable in a western setting. Eddy did better in his later solo western Let Freedom Ring; his idea of a Mexican accent is ridiculous. Womanly MacDonald is no tomboy, either. I have no idea why they couldn't have retained at least a little of the original opera score, as most of Romberg and Kahn's music is rather dull.

The Big Finale: Ok if you're a fan of MacDonald, Eddy, or the opera; otherwise, nothing you need to go out of your way to see.

Home Media: Easy to find on streaming and on DVD from the Warner Archives.

DVD
Amazon Prime

The Desert Song (1953)

Warner Bros, 1953
Starring Kathryn Grayson, Gordon MacRae, Dick Wesson, and Raymond Massey
Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone
Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and others

With operettas popular on early TV, several of them saw big-screen remakes in the 1950's. As MGM did with Show Boat, Warners upgraded the swashbuckling sand saga with Technicolor, a glossy production, and Kathryn Grayson. Does it come off better than the Show Boat remake did, or should it be thrown down a sand dune? Let's go back to the Sahara, where the Riffs are once again at war, and find out...

The Story: This time, El Khobar (MacRae) and the Riffs are waging war with the French military and another tribe lead by the wealthy and corrupt Sheikh Youssef (Massey). When Khobar isn't living among the people of the desert tribes, he's Paul Bonnard, a nerdy young anthropologist who shares an apartment with reporter Benji Kidd (Wesson). The daughter of General Birabeau (Ray Collins), Margot (Grayson), arrives from school in Paris. She immediately flirts with every man at the garrison, to the dismay of her father and the handsome Captain Fontaine (Steve Cochran). Her father hires Paul to teach her history and keep her busy. He not only keeps her busy, he tells her about the Riffs and their poor treatment at the hands of Youssef. Youssef is an ally of the French...but he has his own plans for the garrison. El Khobar is determined to expose him and reveal the truth, even if he has to bring Margot and her father along for the ride.

The Song and Dance:  If nothing else, the movie returns the story to more-or-less the original plot. I actually like Margot being the General's feisty daughter and Paul being an anthropologist. It gives her more reason for being in Morocco and him more of an excuse to wander the desert. Grayson's having a marvelous time as the feisty Margot, Wesson's mostly funny as Paul's clueless buddy, and Massey makes a very menacing dessert ruler. The color here is gorgeous, glowing and jewel-like with its sandy vistas.

Favorite Number: "Gay Parisianne" is the only song retained from the 1943 film, and it's used as a chorus number here with Margot flirting with all the men at the garrison. Grayson also gets to sing a lovely "Romance," my favorite song from this score, as she reveals why she left Paris. MacRae leads the male chorus through a rousing "Riff Song" in the opening, and he gets a gorgeous "One Alone" when he serenades Grayson in the gardens.

What I Don't Like:  MacRae is stiff as a board as El Khobar and lacks the charisma Dennis Morgan showed in this role in 1943. He's slightly more believable as the shy scholar than the swashbuckler chieftain. In the original show, every character, including the stage versions of Benjy and Youssef, had a song.  Here, only Paul, Margot, and the chorus sings. Dancer Allyn Ann McLerie is Arabic dancer Azuri, and she's even less believable than MacRae as a passionate woman of the desert (and is stuck in dark skin makeup to boot).

The Big Finale: As much as I like the 1943 film, this one has its own charms, including one of Grayson's best performances and a story that gets at least a little closer to the original show. Either way, both movies are a lot of fun for fans of swashbuckling desert adventures or operettas.

Home Media: Like the 1943 film, this is currently only available through the Warner Archives.

DVD

The Desert Song (1943)

Warner Bros, 1943
Starring Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning, Bruce Cabot, and Gene Lockhart
Directed by Robert Florey
Music by Sigmund Rombert; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto A. Haurbach, and Jack Scholl

Like Show Boat, The Desert Song was first filmed in the early talkie era. It was, in fact, Warners first flat-out musical in 1929, a huge epic featuring John Boles as the mystery man of the desert, the Red Shadow. While that version does exist, it's very hard to find today. The 1943 version was also hard to find until very recently, thanks to a load of legal red tape. Now that it's back in the public eye, how does the wartime version of this romantic operetta look now? Let's head to Geneva, Switzerland in 1939 to find out...

The Story: The Nazis have invaded North Africa. They've captured the Riff tribes, using them to build a railroad that'll bring supplies to their garrisons. The Riffs fight back by blowing up tracks and trains. They're lead by the enigmatic El Khobar...who is actually Paul Hudson (Morgan), a pianist and reporter who respects the Riffs and their way of life. He works in an Arabic cabaret owned by Peter FanFan (Lockhart) and lives with perpetually drunk fellow writer Johnny Walsh (Lynne Overman). Paul falls for beautiful singer Margot (Manning), but she's in love with Colonel Fontaine (Cabot) of the French Army. Paul has to dodge the Nazis and bring Fontaine and Margot on the same page, before the Nazis build that train and destroy the Riffs' way of life.

The Song and Dance: Morgan makes an especially charming freedom fighter in this swashbuckling World War II adventure. He's surrounded by a nice cast of character actors, including Lockhart as the head of the cabaret where the Riffs hang out and have their headquarters, Cabot as Paul's stoic rival for Margot's affection, and Overman as Paul's cynical roommate who just wants to know who this El Khobar guy is, anyway. Some of the changes to the story are fascinating, especially how the Riffs are treated by the Nazis and how they finally rebel. There's some lovely Technicolor camera work, especially in the beginning on the desert.

Favorite Number: Most of the big numbers are performed as part of the cabaret show. Margot's "French Military Marching Song" is especially fun and colorful. Morgan and Manning do a lovely, simple duet to "One Alone" when they're covering the Riffs escaping the cafe before the Nazis arrive. "The Riff Song" gets a nice run-through in the opening by Morgan and the chorus just after they attack the Nazis.

What I Don't Like: Manning lacks her male co-stars' charisma and looks stiff and bored as the singer turned spy. I didn't mind the topical story changes, but I really wish they let the songs tell the story as they originally did, rather than relegating them to nightclub numbers. This feels more like an action movie with songs.

The Big Finale: If you don't mind the story changes and love the cast or World War II adventure films, you'll want to ride out into the desert and give this tale of "Romance" a look.

Home Media: Currently only available on DVD from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Maytime

MGM, 1937
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, John Barrymore, and Herman Bing
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music by Sigmund Romberg, Herbert Stothart, and others

This movie's early May setting makes it perfect to kick off this month. It was the biggest hit of the eight movies Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy made together, and one of the blockbusters of 1937. How does this tale of a spring romance that turns tragic hold up nowadays? Let's go to a small-town May Day celebration around the turn of the century to find out...

The Story: Miss Morrison (MacDonald) has just come back from the town's May Day celebration when she overhears an argument between her young neighbor Barbara (Lynne Carver) and her sweetheart Kip (Tom Brown). Later, Barbara reveals that she wants to go to New York to become a great opera singer, like Marcia Mornay. The older woman reveals that she was Marcia Mornay, who gave up love for her career.

We then flashback to Paris in the 1860's. Her demanding teacher Nazaroff (John Barrymore) has just presented her to Napoleon and his court. She's so dazed from her success with her song there and with the dazzle of the ball and the evening, she unthinkingly accepts Nazaroff's proposal, even though she doesn't love him. She regrets her decision when she goes for a midnight carriage ride and finds herself at a local bar, where handsome music student Paul Allison (Eddy) is singing a rousing drinking song. He's smitten with Marcia right away and convinces her to visit his tiny apartment for lunch with him and his teacher Archipenko (Bing). He manages to get into her most recent opera vehicle and ask her to a May Day fair in the country with him. They attend and have a wonderful time...and fall in love. But Marcia has already promised herself to Nazaroff and doesn't want to give up her music for Paul.

Seven years pass. Marcia has become a beloved opera star, but her marriage with Nazaroff lacks passion and romance. On her debut at the Met, she finds herself paired with up-and-coming baritone Paul. They resist it, but their love too strong to ignore anymore. It makes their debut a smashing success...but it also makes Nazaroff insanely jealous. He's not about to share Marcia and her career with anyone, including a younger man.

The Song and Dance: This is my favorite MacDonald/Eddy vehicle. I'm not normally a fan of sad love stories, but for all the melodrama, this one really works. It was MacDonald's favorite of her movies as well, and she puts in one of her best performances as the diva who gives up love for her career, only to regret it later. Eddy's still a little stiff in the dramatic scenes; he's more at home in the first half of the film, singing in the bar or convincing Bing to help him set up for a very frugal lunch. Barrymore may have been so drunk by this point, he had to read his lines off cue cards, but he's still magnetic in the role of the possessive teacher who doesn't want to give up the woman whose career he's guided.

MGM went all-out on this one. Everyone, men and women, are dressed in acres of ruffles, puffs, lace, bows, and sequins. The black-and-white cinematography and lavish sets, including a nifty montage of Marcia's operatic successes, nicely evokes both small-town America at the turn of the century and the romance of Paris and the French countryside during the reign of Louis Napoleon.

Favorite Number: By far the most famous song from this one is "Sweetheart, Will You Remember?," the only number retained from the original 1917 Broadway show. MacDonald and Eddy sing it just after their day at the fair, as Marcia tells Paul she can't stay with him. It's a beautiful number, passionate and romantic, and it's one of their best duets. They also sing a nice version of "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny" at Paul's apartment after lunch, and their "Czarina" duet towards the end in the opera is equally strong.

Trivia: This was originally supposed to have been filmed in color and feature more songs from the original show. The first version was scrapped and restarted in black and white after producer Irving Thalburg died. MGM would finally film a MacDonald/Eddy vehicle in color a year later, Sweethearts.

The original Broadway show debuted in 1917; there's a story that it was so popular, two different companies ran in New York at the same time.

What I Don't Like: Not for people looking for a more upbeat musical, those who don't like opera or operetta, or who aren't fans of romantic melodrama. Nelson Eddy supposedly didn't share his partner's fondness for this movie. He found it to be a tad too frilly, and many critics then and now echo his sentiments that it's way too campy.

The Big Finale: If you love tragic romances, historical romances, opera, or MacDonald and Eddy, you'll want to spend your own May Day checking this one out.

Home Media: The solo Warner Archives DVD I have is now out of print, but it's available as part of the first MacDonald/Eddy Archives DVD set...and unlike many Archives titles, it can be found on several streaming services.

DVD - MacDonald-Eddy Collection, Volume 1
Amazon Prime