The Desert Song 70 years old
The Best Loved of all Musical Adventures!
Shiek Yousseff, poses as a friend of the French while secretly plotting to overthrow them. Apposing Yousseff are the Riffs, whose secret leader, The Red Shadow, is Paul Bonnard, a professor who is studying the desert, and whose attacks on the supply trains intended for Yousseff keep the Riff villages in food. Foreign Legion General Birabeau arrives to conduct an investigation, accompanied by his daughter, Margot. Birabeau hires Bonnard to tutor her, and she is attracted to a Legionaire captain, Claud Fontaine. While the general, Bonnard and Fontaine pay a visit to Yousseff, an American newspaper man, Benji Kidd, discovers a secret way in and out of Yousseff's palace, with the aid of Azuri, a dancing girl in love with Bonnard. The latter is forced to resume his role as the Riffs leader, and kidnap Margot until he can convince her of Yousseff's treachery. But Yousseff's men attack the Riff camp and take Margot prisoner.
Credits
The Desert Song Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| William Conrad He was 32, 73 years old when he died | as Lachmed |
| Paul Picerni He was 30, 88 years old when he died | as Hassan |
| Kathryn Grayson She was 31, 88 years old when she died | as Margot Birabeau |
| Dick Wesson He was 30, 73 years old when he died | as Benjamin 'Benjy' Kidd |
| Allyn Ann McLerie She was 26, 91 years old when she died | as Azuri |
| Gordon MacRae He was 32, 64 years old when he died | as El Khobar / Paul Bonnard |
| Ray Collins He was 63, 75 years old when he died | as Gen. Birabeau |
| Trevor Bardette He was 50, 75 years old when he died | as Neri |
| Raymond Massey He was 56, 86 years old when he died | as Sheik Yousseff |
| Steve Cochran He was 36, 48 years old when he died | as Captain Claude Fontaine |
| Frank de Kova He was 43, 71 years old when he died | as Mindar |
| Ben Astar He was 43, 79 years old when he died | as Sheik |
| Mark Dana He was 32, now 103 years old | as Lt. Duvalle |
The Desert Song Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Robert Burks as Director of Photography. He was 43 (58) years old when He died | Camera |
| William H. Ziegler as Editor. He was 43 (67) years old when He died | Editing |
| Max Steiner as Original Music Composer. He was 65 (83) years old when He died | Sound |
| Roland Kibbee as Screenplay. He was 39 (70) years old when He died | Writing |
| H. Bruce Humberstone as Director. He was 51 (82) years old when He died | Directing |
| Oscar Hammerstein II as Theatre Play. He was 57 (65) years old when He died | Writing |
| Stanley Fleischer as Art Direction. He was 49 (70) years old when He died | Art |
| Laurence Schwab as Theatre Play. He was 60 (58) years old when He died | Writing |
| Otto Harbach as Theatre Play. He was 79 (89) years old when He died | Writing |
The Desert Song (70 years)
The Best Loved of all Musical Adventures!
- Release day: Saturday, May 30, 1953
- Runtime: 110 minutes
