The Desert Song opened at the Casino Theatre on November 30, 1926 and ran for 471 performances.
Final film of Viola Essen.
This version restores the original plot element of making Pierre the son of General Birabeau, as originally written in the stage operetta. The other filmed versions made Margot the daughter of the general. However, the comic relief roles of Benny and Susan are eliminated entirely.
A young Neil Simon was brought in to modernize and sanitize certain plot elements to make it suitable for 1950's television, toning down sexual and homosexual innuendo.