The Red Shadow

Warner Bros. got the rights to the hit Broadway operetta "The Desert Song" (1926-1928) and released the first of several big productions in 1929. "The Red Shadow" is an odd version of the classic as it was made in the "short musical" format and featured Alexander Gray and Bernice Claire. The two performers had been starring in several full-length, big budget musicals for the studio and this was unmistakably a change in fortunes for Mr. Gray and Ms. Claire. On a more positive note, publicists could say it kept the duo in the public eye during a time when audiences were bored with movie musicals. If that was the intention, it didn't work...

Although they were superior vocalists, young and physically attractive, Gray and Claire were old hat when their genre was re-popularized only a couple years later, by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy...

In the shortened plot, mild-mannered Gray (as Pierre Bierbeau) is sent to Morocco to fight Arabs. His father hopes Gary will become manlier. Our hero pulls a "Robin Hood" and joins the other side. He turns out to be very manly, adopting "The Red Shadow" as a secret identity and literally sweeping Claire (as Margot Fontaine) off her feet. Yes, it's reminiscent of "Zorro" and pre-dates comic book heroes "Superman" and "Batman". The long, sandy shots look like they are from "The Desert Song" (1929) and the sets are probably not original, either. While a letdown for Gray and Claire, director Roy Mack's work is good for a mini-musical.

***** The Red Shadow (12/3/32) Roy Mack ~ Alexander Gray, Bernice Claire, Reginald Carrington, Gracie Worth