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Despite featuring some of the biggest names in movie musical history, The Desert Song received lukewarm reviews, and has not received a commercial release since 1929.
Date of Release: 8 April, 1929
Studio: Warner Bros
Director: Roy del Ruth
Screenplay: Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, Trabert and Hoeffer, Inc, Harvey Gates
Music: Sigmund Romberg, Louis Silvers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach
Leading Actors: John Boles, Carlotta King, Louise Fazenda, Johnny Arthur, Edward Martindel, Jack Pratt, Roberto E. Guzmán, Otto Hoffman, Marie Wells, John Miljan, Del Elliott, Myrna Loy
Based on the stage operetta of the same name, The Desert Song was Warner Bros’ first color film (filmed in two-strip technicolor), and the first of three film versions (subsequent re-makes were released in 1943 and 1953, and a filmed-for-television version aired in 1955) of that operetta. Unlike other talkies in this period, a silent version of The Desert Song was not released. According to Donald Crafton in The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound, 1926-1931, The Desert Song was the first Broadway musical “to be vitaphoned in its entirety.”
Once presumed lost, The Desert Song only survives in black and white after reels were reportedly discovered in Jack Warner’s personal vault in 1970, and can be viewed at the Film and Television Archive at UCLA. It has not been made available on VHS or DVD, and since its initial release, has only been made available to the public through limited screenings at Cinefest (2009) and on TCM.
Film historian Richard Barrios states that The Desert Song was ground-breaking, and Warner Bros would have been the first to release a stage-to-screen operetta, but corporate bureaucracy and legalities relating to distribution rights delayed the film’s release by five months. By the time it was released, every studio had released a musical film and The Desert Song was not considered special.
The film received mixed reviews. Variety stated that the film “starts off rather slowly,” but found that the music and singing were “sincere.” The NY Times film critic Mordaunt Hall praised Roy del Ruth’s direction, calling the film “an interesting experiment,” but found the characters breaking out into song laughable. Film historian Richard Barrios stated that “The photography is drab, the editing as four-square obvious as can be, and the divisions of acts and scenes rigidly observed.”
The difficulty with solely relying on critical reviews is that you only get the perspective of those specific critics. The reviews for another film in this project, Syncopation, were similarly unkind, yet I really enjoyed the film. After watching a brief clip on YouTube, I wonder if my opinion of The Desert Song might also be different. Audiences queued around the block to see The Desert Song, and the film was one of Warner Bros’ most financially successful film to date.
Date of Release: 8 April, 1929
Studio: Warner Bros
Director: Roy del Ruth
Screenplay: Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, Trabert and Hoeffer, Inc, Harvey Gates
Music: Sigmund Romberg, Louis Silvers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach
Leading Actors: John Boles, Carlotta King, Louise Fazenda, Johnny Arthur, Edward Martindel, Jack Pratt, Roberto E. Guzmán, Otto Hoffman, Marie Wells, John Miljan, Del Elliott, Myrna Loy
Based on the stage operetta of the same name, The Desert Song was Warner Bros’ first color film (filmed in two-strip technicolor), and the first of three film versions (subsequent re-makes were released in 1943 and 1953, and a filmed-for-television version aired in 1955) of that operetta. Unlike other talkies in this period, a silent version of The Desert Song was not released. According to Donald Crafton in The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound, 1926-1931, The Desert Song was the first Broadway musical “to be vitaphoned in its entirety.”
Once presumed lost, The Desert Song only survives in black and white after reels were reportedly discovered in Jack Warner’s personal vault in 1970, and can be viewed at the Film and Television Archive at UCLA. It has not been made available on VHS or DVD, and since its initial release, has only been made available to the public through limited screenings at Cinefest (2009) and on TCM.
Film historian Richard Barrios states that The Desert Song was ground-breaking, and Warner Bros would have been the first to release a stage-to-screen operetta, but corporate bureaucracy and legalities relating to distribution rights delayed the film’s release by five months. By the time it was released, every studio had released a musical film and The Desert Song was not considered special.
The film received mixed reviews. Variety stated that the film “starts off rather slowly,” but found that the music and singing were “sincere.” The NY Times film critic Mordaunt Hall praised Roy del Ruth’s direction, calling the film “an interesting experiment,” but found the characters breaking out into song laughable. Film historian Richard Barrios stated that “The photography is drab, the editing as four-square obvious as can be, and the divisions of acts and scenes rigidly observed.”
The difficulty with solely relying on critical reviews is that you only get the perspective of those specific critics. The reviews for another film in this project, Syncopation, were similarly unkind, yet I really enjoyed the film. After watching a brief clip on YouTube, I wonder if my opinion of The Desert Song might also be different. Audiences queued around the block to see The Desert Song, and the film was one of Warner Bros’ most financially successful film to date.
Although the image quality is poor, the YouTube clip of “The Riff Song” provides a tantalizing glimpse of The Desert Song’s potential. A wide shot of horses galloping in formation across the desert, overlaid with the sound of a men’s chorus, is exciting and quite different from anything else I’ve seen so far. The music is beautifully orchestrated, and sounds sumptuous (a souvenir program for the film claims it was recorded with a 100 piece orchestra) and unlike other films of this period, doesn’t attempt to make excuses for the presence of a full orchestra or chorus. My guess is that The Desert Song was ahead of its time and the critics simply weren’t ready for it.
The Director
Director Roy del Ruth was a successful silent film director who made the transition to sound with several well-received talkies. The Desert Song was his first musical. He went on to direct over 100 films spanning a variety of genres, most notably crime dramas and musicals, and during the 1930s was the second-highest paid director in Hollywood. He initially worked for Warner Bros, and later for MGM, and is noted for his ability “to ride the fine line of what was permitted on screen.”
In the May 12, 1929 edition of The Film Daily, del Ruth correctly predicted that all movies would be filmed in “in their natural colors… not the unearthly vivid pigments which marked the early days of color photography experimentation. The perfection of color marks a new era in motion picture advancement, just as talkers revolutionized and gave impetus to the silent films.”
The Writers
Otto Harbuch was a prolific lyricist on Broadway, writing for a wide range of productions including No, No, Nanette, Rose-Marie, and The Desert Song. Unlike many of his colleagues, Harbuch never moved to Hollywood despite several of his works being made into movie musicals. He was a founding member of the American Society for Authors, Composers and Publishers (ASCAP), and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Oscar Hammerstein II almost needs no introduction. His name is synonymous with musicals, and his creations such as The Sound of Music, Carousel, Oklahoma, and State Fair, are perhaps the best known films in the movie musical catalogue. The Desert Song is an example of Hammerstein’s early career in classic operetta. Collaborating with esteemed artists such as Harbuch, Jerome Kern, and George Gershwin, Hammerstein became an important fixture of the Broadway stage with hits such as Wilfdlower (1923), Song of the Flame (1925), The Desert Song (1926), and Rose-Marie (1927). Already considered to be past his prime when he paired with Richard Rogers in the early 1940s, Rogers and Hammerstein went on to redefine the musical by integrating operetta and musical comedy, creating productions that seamlessly integrated song, dance, and music. The pair won Tony Awards, Pulitzers, and Academy Awards.
Frank Mandel was a prolific and successful writer and lyricist who worked on Broadway for over three decades. Despite his success, there is currently very little information available about him.
It is curious that Trabert and Hoeffer Inc. was included in the writing credits. Famous as a fine jeweler, the company provided high end, expensive and lavish diamonds to Hollywood stars until the 1950s. Several films in the late 1930s feature the jewelry, including Stage Door, made in 1937, starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Adolphe Menjou.
Harvey Gates was a writer and scenarist who had his most prolific years during the silent film era.
Music
Sigmund Romberg was a Hungarian born composer and musician who wrote prolifically for the stage for over forty years. He is most famous for composing successful operettas including The Desert Song and The Student Prince, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. A biography of Romberg’s life, Deep in My Heart, was published in 1949 and adapted into a movie musical starring José Ferrer in 1954.
Louis Silvers initially worked in vaudeville before moving to Hollywood. He scored The Jazz Singer, and went on to work on over 200 films as a composer and musical director. He won an Oscar for Best Music in 1935 for One Night of Love, and he was nominated three more times for Best Music and Original Score.
The Director
Director Roy del Ruth was a successful silent film director who made the transition to sound with several well-received talkies. The Desert Song was his first musical. He went on to direct over 100 films spanning a variety of genres, most notably crime dramas and musicals, and during the 1930s was the second-highest paid director in Hollywood. He initially worked for Warner Bros, and later for MGM, and is noted for his ability “to ride the fine line of what was permitted on screen.”
In the May 12, 1929 edition of The Film Daily, del Ruth correctly predicted that all movies would be filmed in “in their natural colors… not the unearthly vivid pigments which marked the early days of color photography experimentation. The perfection of color marks a new era in motion picture advancement, just as talkers revolutionized and gave impetus to the silent films.”
The Writers
Otto Harbuch was a prolific lyricist on Broadway, writing for a wide range of productions including No, No, Nanette, Rose-Marie, and The Desert Song. Unlike many of his colleagues, Harbuch never moved to Hollywood despite several of his works being made into movie musicals. He was a founding member of the American Society for Authors, Composers and Publishers (ASCAP), and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Oscar Hammerstein II almost needs no introduction. His name is synonymous with musicals, and his creations such as The Sound of Music, Carousel, Oklahoma, and State Fair, are perhaps the best known films in the movie musical catalogue. The Desert Song is an example of Hammerstein’s early career in classic operetta. Collaborating with esteemed artists such as Harbuch, Jerome Kern, and George Gershwin, Hammerstein became an important fixture of the Broadway stage with hits such as Wilfdlower (1923), Song of the Flame (1925), The Desert Song (1926), and Rose-Marie (1927). Already considered to be past his prime when he paired with Richard Rogers in the early 1940s, Rogers and Hammerstein went on to redefine the musical by integrating operetta and musical comedy, creating productions that seamlessly integrated song, dance, and music. The pair won Tony Awards, Pulitzers, and Academy Awards.
Frank Mandel was a prolific and successful writer and lyricist who worked on Broadway for over three decades. Despite his success, there is currently very little information available about him.
It is curious that Trabert and Hoeffer Inc. was included in the writing credits. Famous as a fine jeweler, the company provided high end, expensive and lavish diamonds to Hollywood stars until the 1950s. Several films in the late 1930s feature the jewelry, including Stage Door, made in 1937, starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Adolphe Menjou.
Harvey Gates was a writer and scenarist who had his most prolific years during the silent film era.
Music
Sigmund Romberg was a Hungarian born composer and musician who wrote prolifically for the stage for over forty years. He is most famous for composing successful operettas including The Desert Song and The Student Prince, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. A biography of Romberg’s life, Deep in My Heart, was published in 1949 and adapted into a movie musical starring José Ferrer in 1954.
Louis Silvers initially worked in vaudeville before moving to Hollywood. He scored The Jazz Singer, and went on to work on over 200 films as a composer and musical director. He won an Oscar for Best Music in 1935 for One Night of Love, and he was nominated three more times for Best Music and Original Score.
Leading Actors:
Once described as the “Frank Sinatra of the 1930s,” John Boles appeared in over fifty films including Frankenstein (1931) and several Shirley Temple vehicles. Boles worked as a spy during World War One, and, following a brief stint in medical school, moved to New York to pursue music and acting. After a well-received appearance with Gloria Swanson in The Love of Sunya (1927), Boles made a successful transition to talkies, first appearing in Rio Rita (1929). He continued to work on stage, performing songs made famous by his films, until his death in 1969.
Carlotta King was a well-known soprano with an established career in vaudeville when Jack Warner heard her on the radio and decided to cast her in his next feature, The Desert Song. After signing with MGM and promised film roles failed to materialize, King returned to the stage.
Louise Fazenda was a highly successful actress who worked in both silent and talking pictures. She worked for MGM, Warner Bros, and Paramount, and was known for her funny character acting and “country bumpkin” characters.
Johnny Arthur appeared in over 100 films and on stage in England and America. He is credited with portraying the first gay characters on film, and he became famous for playing “effeminate” roles. These roles were watered down following the implementation of the Hays Code (officially called the Motion Picture Production Code, the code was introduced in 1930 and controlled the content of films in the United States by enforcing a strict moral rules of what was permissible to be shown on screen). Arthur’s grave was only marked with a proper headstone in 2012, sixty years after his death.
Edward Martindel was an actor in vaudeville in the early 20th century, and went on to appear in over 90 films, mostly during the silent era.
Jack Pratt was a writer, director, and actor of the silent era who appeared in over 20 films.
Mexican born Roberto E. Guzmán was a director and actor.
With over 200 credits to his name, Otto Hoffman was a prolific actor who worked in Hollywood for over twenty years. He was often cast as a mean, menacing character.
Marie Wells was a film actress who appeared in over thirty films throughout the 1930s.
John Miljan appeared in Untamed with Joan Crawford, and was a highly prolific actor with a successful career playing villains.
The Desert Song marks one of the many small roles Myrna Loy played in the lead up to her “breakthrough” in The Thin Man (1934). She became immensely popular and went on to appear in over 100 films. Loy was voted Queen of Film in 1936 (along with Clark Gable as King). In 1991, Loy received an Honorary Academy Award “In recognition of her extraordinary qualities both on screen and off, with appreciation for a lifetime's worth of indelible performances.”
Musical Virtues
Richard Barrios states that The Desert Song
Once described as the “Frank Sinatra of the 1930s,” John Boles appeared in over fifty films including Frankenstein (1931) and several Shirley Temple vehicles. Boles worked as a spy during World War One, and, following a brief stint in medical school, moved to New York to pursue music and acting. After a well-received appearance with Gloria Swanson in The Love of Sunya (1927), Boles made a successful transition to talkies, first appearing in Rio Rita (1929). He continued to work on stage, performing songs made famous by his films, until his death in 1969.
Carlotta King was a well-known soprano with an established career in vaudeville when Jack Warner heard her on the radio and decided to cast her in his next feature, The Desert Song. After signing with MGM and promised film roles failed to materialize, King returned to the stage.
Louise Fazenda was a highly successful actress who worked in both silent and talking pictures. She worked for MGM, Warner Bros, and Paramount, and was known for her funny character acting and “country bumpkin” characters.
Johnny Arthur appeared in over 100 films and on stage in England and America. He is credited with portraying the first gay characters on film, and he became famous for playing “effeminate” roles. These roles were watered down following the implementation of the Hays Code (officially called the Motion Picture Production Code, the code was introduced in 1930 and controlled the content of films in the United States by enforcing a strict moral rules of what was permissible to be shown on screen). Arthur’s grave was only marked with a proper headstone in 2012, sixty years after his death.
Edward Martindel was an actor in vaudeville in the early 20th century, and went on to appear in over 90 films, mostly during the silent era.
Jack Pratt was a writer, director, and actor of the silent era who appeared in over 20 films.
Mexican born Roberto E. Guzmán was a director and actor.
With over 200 credits to his name, Otto Hoffman was a prolific actor who worked in Hollywood for over twenty years. He was often cast as a mean, menacing character.
Marie Wells was a film actress who appeared in over thirty films throughout the 1930s.
John Miljan appeared in Untamed with Joan Crawford, and was a highly prolific actor with a successful career playing villains.
The Desert Song marks one of the many small roles Myrna Loy played in the lead up to her “breakthrough” in The Thin Man (1934). She became immensely popular and went on to appear in over 100 films. Loy was voted Queen of Film in 1936 (along with Clark Gable as King). In 1991, Loy received an Honorary Academy Award “In recognition of her extraordinary qualities both on screen and off, with appreciation for a lifetime's worth of indelible performances.”
Musical Virtues
Richard Barrios states that The Desert Song
is nothing like a masterpiece, though it does contain musical virtues lacking in some of its contemporaries. Its main importance is its indication of new directions such as the departure from the dominant backstage milieu.”
The tantalizing YouTube clip of the opening sequence leaves me wanting more. Given that UCLA is not within easy access, I have been hunting for an archival copy to watch. I have potentially found a copy, but I'm not convinced I'll ever actually receive it. Keep your fingers crossed that I can update this post with my own review in the coming weeks!
Update 7/28/2015
Much to my surprise, I did manage to obtain a copy of The Desert Song. Serial Squadron is an online forum and archive that aims to preserve old cliffhanger and serial movies, and they provide copies of old non-commercially released movies for “educational and research purposes.” I'm curious how Warner Bros, or any of the other big studios, feels about such sites selling DVDs of their old wares.
With a run time of two hours, The Desert Song is a bit of a slog, and unfortunately, I have to agree with the critics that this film is not a winner. A tale of love and deception set in the exotic deserts of Morocco, the film is full of painful ethnic stereotypes, terrible accents, and unbelievable disguises.
John Boles is charming as Pierre (whose name I wonder could have been the inspiration for Pierre in Singin' in the Rain), and his alter-ego the Red Shadow, and it is easy to see why Boles went on to become a much loved movie star. The same cannot be said of his love interest, Margot, played by Carlotta King. Margot comes across as sappy and silly. She has no agency, and no role except to be pretty and fall in love. King’s shrill soprano does not add to her likability.
The comedy duo, Susan and Benjamin, played by Louise Fazenda and Johnny Arthur, reinforce the structure of the romantic duo sidekicks so prevalent in later musical theatre. Johnny Arthur is particularly hilarious, and threatens to steal the whole film with his snappy lines and excellent comic timing.
In the world of The Desert Song women are either white and pretty, or “ethnic” and sassy. Azuri, the “wilful” “half-caste native” (played with convincing energy by Myrna Loy), is one of the few women in the film who has the chance to exercise her agency. She knows how to play the system, and isn’t afraid of using her feminine charms to get what she wants, money. It’s a pity she doesn’t get a song — it could have been a fabulous early rendition of “Whatever Lola Wants”.
The soporific writing of women, along with the awful stereotypes of “Moroccan natives” and “Spanish” concubines, represented by their ridiculous rolled r’s, contributes to a mediocre script that spends too long telling and not showing. This is not helped by the long passages of tedious dialogue and the few superficial attempts at social commentary on colonial interactions.
The filming of The Desert Song is strangely hit and miss. While some scenes are beautifully set up, with sumptuous sets and clever edits, the majority of the film is awkwardly captured, with the camera placed as though looking onto a stage. Several duets between Boles and King have them facing an invisible audience for the entire number, even though they are singing a love song to each other. The edits jump awkwardly between mid-shots and close-ups, and the continuity is laughable.
Although the score contains several upbeat numbers and a large chorus, dance is almost never utilized. The two scenes in which dance is used, it is so paltry and sad, one wonders why they bothered.
The real saving grace of The Desert Song is the music, which is far more intricate than any thing else from 1929. Hammerstein, Harbuch, Romberg, and Silvers were masters of their craft, and The Desert Song captures their skill. The score is sumptuous and rich, full of beautifully orchestrated love songs and rousing chorus numbers. The whole film is underscored with finesse, and the music serves to drive the action.
The operatic style of the singing somewhat detracts, but only because the lyrics are difficult to understand. In one scene, mid-way through the film, the Red Shadow commands his troops in song. It is rousing and beautifully performed, but as dialogue is only sung once in this way, the singing seems out of place.
As Barrios wrote, The Desert Song is not a masterpiece, but it does provide a glimmer of the potential of movie musicals to be so much more than trite backstage comedies.
With a run time of two hours, The Desert Song is a bit of a slog, and unfortunately, I have to agree with the critics that this film is not a winner. A tale of love and deception set in the exotic deserts of Morocco, the film is full of painful ethnic stereotypes, terrible accents, and unbelievable disguises.
John Boles is charming as Pierre (whose name I wonder could have been the inspiration for Pierre in Singin' in the Rain), and his alter-ego the Red Shadow, and it is easy to see why Boles went on to become a much loved movie star. The same cannot be said of his love interest, Margot, played by Carlotta King. Margot comes across as sappy and silly. She has no agency, and no role except to be pretty and fall in love. King’s shrill soprano does not add to her likability.
The comedy duo, Susan and Benjamin, played by Louise Fazenda and Johnny Arthur, reinforce the structure of the romantic duo sidekicks so prevalent in later musical theatre. Johnny Arthur is particularly hilarious, and threatens to steal the whole film with his snappy lines and excellent comic timing.
In the world of The Desert Song women are either white and pretty, or “ethnic” and sassy. Azuri, the “wilful” “half-caste native” (played with convincing energy by Myrna Loy), is one of the few women in the film who has the chance to exercise her agency. She knows how to play the system, and isn’t afraid of using her feminine charms to get what she wants, money. It’s a pity she doesn’t get a song — it could have been a fabulous early rendition of “Whatever Lola Wants”.
The soporific writing of women, along with the awful stereotypes of “Moroccan natives” and “Spanish” concubines, represented by their ridiculous rolled r’s, contributes to a mediocre script that spends too long telling and not showing. This is not helped by the long passages of tedious dialogue and the few superficial attempts at social commentary on colonial interactions.
The filming of The Desert Song is strangely hit and miss. While some scenes are beautifully set up, with sumptuous sets and clever edits, the majority of the film is awkwardly captured, with the camera placed as though looking onto a stage. Several duets between Boles and King have them facing an invisible audience for the entire number, even though they are singing a love song to each other. The edits jump awkwardly between mid-shots and close-ups, and the continuity is laughable.
Although the score contains several upbeat numbers and a large chorus, dance is almost never utilized. The two scenes in which dance is used, it is so paltry and sad, one wonders why they bothered.
The real saving grace of The Desert Song is the music, which is far more intricate than any thing else from 1929. Hammerstein, Harbuch, Romberg, and Silvers were masters of their craft, and The Desert Song captures their skill. The score is sumptuous and rich, full of beautifully orchestrated love songs and rousing chorus numbers. The whole film is underscored with finesse, and the music serves to drive the action.
The operatic style of the singing somewhat detracts, but only because the lyrics are difficult to understand. In one scene, mid-way through the film, the Red Shadow commands his troops in song. It is rousing and beautifully performed, but as dialogue is only sung once in this way, the singing seems out of place.
As Barrios wrote, The Desert Song is not a masterpiece, but it does provide a glimmer of the potential of movie musicals to be so much more than trite backstage comedies.
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