Released on May 1, 1929, the first film adaptation of The Desert Song, directed by Roy Del Ruth, starred John Boles, Carlotta King, Louise Fazenda and Myrna Loy. The two-hour film was extremely faithful to the original stage work, retaining 10 of the songs from the score and adhering closely to the original libretto. Portions of the film were released … Read More
1927 West End
Directed by Laurence Schwab and choreographed by Bobby Connolly, the first London production of The Desert Song opened at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on April 7, 1927. Edith Day and Harry Welchman starred, with featured performances by Gene Genard, Dennis Hoey, Sidney Pointer and Harry Welchman. The London Times called it a “delightful evening,” and Horace Horsnell of the London … Read More
1926 Broadway
After tryouts in Wilmington, Washington, New Haven and Boston (under the working title of Lady Fair), The Desert Song opened on Broadway at the Casino Theatre on November 30, 1926. Directed by Arthur Hurley with choreography by Bobby Connolly, the production starred Vivienne Segal and Robert Halliday. Though reviews were mixed, audiences loved the show, and it ran for an … Read More
1954 Motion Picture
Starring Ann Blyth and Howard Keel, the third MGM film adaptation of Rose Marie (again, styled without the hyphen) was released on April 1, 1954. Bert Lahr, Fernando Lamas and Marjorie Main were among the supporting cast. Only three songs from the original stage production were included in the movie: “The Mounties,” “Indian Love Call” and “Rose Marie.” Busby Berkeley’s … Read More
1936 Motion Picture
Released on January 13, 1936, MGM’s second screen adaptation of Rose Marie (again, with the hyphen removed) starred Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Reginald Owen, Allan Jones, James Stewart, Una O’Connor and David Niven were among the supporting players. Directed by W.S. Van Dyke, the film contained very little of the original Friml/Stothart score, and the plot was significantly altered. … Read More
1928 Motion Picture
MGM released a silent film adaptation of the stage musical Rose Marie (spelled without a hyphen) on February 11, 1928. Starring Joan Crawford, James Murray and House Peters, the 70-minute feature retained most of the musical’s plot but did not capture the sounds of the score. However, the studio provided each venue with score (available for piano, organ or full … Read More
1925 West End
Opening at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on March 20, 1925, the London production of Rose-Marie ran for an astonishing 851 performances. Directed by Felix Edwardes and choreographed by J. Kathryn Scott, the musical featured Edith Day, Derek Oldham and Brian Gilmour. London critics were less effusive than their American counterparts, but reviews were positive nonetheless. The London Times said, “The … Read More
1924 Broadway
After tryouts in Atlantic City and Long Branch, New Jersey, Rose-Marie made its Broadway premiere at the Imperial Theatre on September 2, 1924. Directed by Paul Dickey and choreographed by Dave Bennett, the show featured orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and starred Mary Ellis, Dennis King and Frank Greene. The production was hugely successful, running 557 performances and setting a … Read More
1963 West End
A few months after closing on Broadway, No Strings made its London debut at Her Majesty’s Theatre on December 30, 1963. Restaged and choreographed by Wakefield Poole, the West End production starred Beverly Todd and Art Lund, with Erica Rogers, Geoffrey Hutchings, Hy Hazell, David Holliday, Ferdy Mayne, Marti Stevens and Meg Walter in featured roles. Reviews were mixed, but … Read More
1962 Broadway
After tryouts in Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland and New Haven, No Strings premiered on Broadway at the 54th St. Theatre on March 15, 1962. Directed and choreographed by Joe Layton, the musical starred Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley, with Noëlle Adam, Paul Cambeilh, Don Chastain, Alvin Epstein, Mitchell Gregg, Bernice Massi and Polly Rowles rounding out the cast. The production later … Read More