The Desert Song
6.1
“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.
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Cast
17 people
Kathryn Grayson
Margot Birabeau
Known for
Kiss Me Kate
Anchors Aweigh
Gordon MacRae
El Khobar / Paul Bonnard
Known for
Oklahoma!
Carousel
Steve Cochran
Captain Claude Fontaine
Known for
Il Grido
White Heat
Raymond Massey
Sheik Yousseff
Known for
East of Eden
Things to Come
Dick Wesson
Benjamin 'Benjy' Kidd
Known for
Calamity Jane
Destination Moon
Allyn Ann McLerie
Azuri
Known for
The Thorn Birds
Jeremiah Johnson
Ray Collins
Gen. Birabeau
Known for
Citizen Kane
Perry Mason
Paul Picerni
Hassan
Known for
The Untouchables
House of Wax
Frank De Kova
Mindar
Known for
The Ten Commandments
The Mechanic
William Conrad
Lachmed
Known for
Jake and the Fatman
Police Squad!
Trevor Bardette
Neri
Known for
Gun Crazy
The Monolith Monsters
Mark Dana
Lt. Duvalle
Also in
Pharaoh's Curse
Tarzan Goes to India
H. Bruce Humberstone Director · Roland Kibbee Screenplay Oscar Hammerstein II Author
Worldwide gross $2M · United States release May 30, 1953 · Produced in United States
Box office
Worldwide gross
$2,000,000
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production · Studio
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
United States · May 20, 1953
Premiere · New York City, New York
United States · May 30, 1953
Theatrical
More from H. Bruce Humberstone
Other films they directed, best known first.
Some details come from TheTVDB.