The Desert Song *** (1943, Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning, Bruce Cabot, Lynne Overman) – Classic Movie Review 5738

Director Robert Florey’s 1943 musical movie The Desert Song is an antique show, but the fine, on-form cast of Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning, Bruce Cabot, Lynne Overman, Gene Lockhart, Victor Francen, Faye Emerson and Marcel Dalio jolly it along very nicely.

Warner Bros turn the 1926 Sigmund Romberg stage operetta into an updated topical World War Two wartime tale about a struggle against the Nazis in North Africa. It seems that some Nazis are trying to lay a rail track, the work of the downtrodden Riffs, whose leader is making sure the plan will go off the rails. This is unique as the only version where the Riffs are battling the Nazis instead of the evil Sheik. And the hero’s name is changed to El Khobar, rather than the Red Shadow, as in the 1953 remake, The Desert Song.

Morgan plays Paul Hudson, aka El Khobar, who leads a group of desert bandits against the Nazis, using them as cheap labour for their railway. Manning plays Margot, Cabot plays Colonel Fontaine and Emerson is Hajy.

The hit songs include ‘The Riff Song’, ‘One Alone’ (tunefully sung by Dennis Morgan) and ‘The Desert Song’.

Warner Bros filmed it before in 1929 The Desert Song with John Boles as the Red Shadow (aka Pierre Birbeau) and remade it in 1953 as The Desert Song.

It is the last film of character actor Lynne Overman, who died of a heart attack at 55 on 19 February 1943.

Also in the cast are Felix Basch, Gerald Mohr, Noble Johnson, Curt Bois, Albert Morin, Jack LaRue, William Edmunds, Wallis Clark, Nestor Paiva, George Renevant, Egon Brecher and Duncan Renaldo.

The Desert Song runs 95 minutes, is written by Robert Buckner, shot in glorious Technicolor by Bert Glennon, produced by Robert Buckner and scored by Heinz Roemheld, with Art Direction by Charles Novi and Set Decoration by Jack McConaghy.

There was one Oscar nomination – for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color for Charles Novi and Jack McConaghy.

The bold movie to update the show to reflect topical concerns of the 1940s paid off. It was Warner Bros’ most popular film of the year, earning $2,561,000 in the US and $2,034,000 overseas.

It was remastered, restored and released on DVD by Warner Bros in 2014.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5738

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