The original operetta by Romberg hit the boards in 1927, the same year that Valentino died. Romantic to the max with unforgettable music and great energy, the play has been revived again and again on theaters throughout the land. There were at least three film versions and in my opinion, this one with Dennis Morgan was the best. There was also a TV special with Nelson Eddy singing the Red Shadow but no film version of that exists either to my knowledge. I saw this as a kid in 1944 during the second world war and didn't understand the political implications of Vichy France, colonialism and the Nazi influence. All I can remember is the great singing of Dennis Morgan and Irene Manning and the action packed story. I've watched for this film on TV for years and have never seen it. In fact, I once drove 70 miles to get home because it was listed to be shown only to see the Gordon MacRae and Kathy Grayson version. Kathy's singing was always worth the price of a ticket but it wasn't what I wanted. No video, no DVD and that's a bummer because the thrill of this old film still haunts my aging memory.
Review of The Desert Song
