The French Military Marching Song
WHY, in the name of goodness, did the movie makers cut this marvelous concerted number from the film? It's one of my favorite songs in the entire canon of musical theatre, and just knocks my socks off whenever I hear it. When the double chorus begins, I defy anyone not to break into a huge smile. The substituted "Gay Parisienne" is not even in the same league, and makes me gag. Didn't the producers have any taste at all? Why bother to do "The Desert Song," if you don't like its gorgeous score?
To hear what I mean, check out "French Military Marching Song" on YouTube. There are at least two versions:
1.) 1959 recording of "The Desert Song" starring Mario Lanza, featuring Judith Raskin in this number.
2.) clip from 1929 early film version of the show, starring Carlotta King.
The sound quality is, of course, much better in the 1959 recording.
I know there was also an LP of a lot of "The Desert Song" score, starring Gordon MacRae and Lucille Norman, because I had it, thanks to my dad, when I was a young girl.
Some of my happiest memories from my life were performing, back in the 1960's and '70's, in such wonderful operettas as "The Merry Widow," "The Student Prince," and "The Desert Song." And one of the very happiest of all was "The French Military Marching Song." What glorious fun!