Trivia

While he played the part of Nick Arnstein in the Broadway cast of "Funny Girl" he was not considered enough of a 'big name draw' to play the part in the movie version of the musical.

In 1939, he formed his own singing group. The group was first called the "Downbeats", but after being hired to work with Bob Crosby's big band in 1940, it was renamed the "Bob-O-Links".

During his time with Glenn Miller's Army Air Force orchestra he performed on a number of propaganda broadcasts aimed at German troops. He sang German-language versions of several of the band's hits, including "Mein Herz Sagt Mir" (My Heart Tells Me), "Wo und Wann" (Where or When), and "Lang ist's Her und Weit Zuruck" (Long Ago and Far Away).

As a boy, he sang on a local radio station but, at age 15, he quit to work at his father's grocery. He still retained a love of music, however, and went to the Detroit Conservatory of Music briefly before heading to the nightclub circuit, playing piano and singing.

Singer of the 1949 Hit: "Mockin' Bird Hill" (Auf der Alm in Tirol) with music by Vaughn Horton.

He began singing in the St. Joseph's parish choir when he was 11 years old.

He made several films, including a co-starring role with Victor Mature in China Doll.

After his discharge from military service, Desmond became the singer and master of ceremonies on the Teentimers Club, a Saturday morning program on NBC radio.

On Broadway, Desmond appeared in Say, Darling (1958) and as Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl, after Sydney Chaplin left the cast.

At the age of 11 he began singing in his parent's grocery store between doing his chores - sweeping the floor and stacking fruit. One day a customer heard him singing and told his parents that she thought his boy soprano voice would be perfect for him to appear on the local radio station. It was a program for talented children. He was so good that they signed him up straight after the audition.

After the war he took a job on The Breakfast Club, a radio variety program in Chicago, Illinois.

In 1961, Desmond co-starred on the CBS summer replacement series Glenn Miller Time, which featured the Miller orchestra under the direction of host Ray McKinley.

Up to his death he got unbelievable quantities of mail from Europe from people who remembered the singing Sergeant.

A pair of 1957 films from Columbia Pictures cast Desmond in starring roles, the musical Calypso Heat Wave and the crime drama Escape from San Quentin, as did a 1958 adventure film, Desert Hell.

While over in England, he played before millions of GI's in person and did 18 weekly radio shows. Johnny also had his own BBC radio series 'A Soldier and a Song' on a Sunday lunchtime. One show was a command performance for the British royal family. It was later reported that Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth became quite a Desmond fan and asked him to send her his records when he got back to America and made them.

Johnny took special courses in dramatics, tap dancing and piano. A trial period as a song and dance man convinced him this wasn't to be his career.

In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army, but his military service was in fact a continuation of his singing career. He was a member of Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces Orchestra and replaced singer Tony Martin after he joined the US Navy, from November 1943 until July 28, 1945, when the band was shipped home. He and the band played troop and air bases in England, and eventually went to France in December 1944.

When Johnny and the Glenn Miller Band were over in Paris, they were given a night off to see the sights and enjoy themselves. Johnny found himself in a small café where he heard a band playing C'est Si Bon. He enjoyed the tune so much that he took it back to America and recorded it. This was to become his first No.1 hit song.

Johnny Desmond had been due to record an album with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in late 1985 but very sadly he died before he was able to.

He also was a song writer, with one of his tunes having the intriguing title of "I Wonder What Little Dogs Dream Of?".

He was offered the roll of Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand. This was to last for two years. Johnny jokingly said "I was the only Italian Jew on Broadway, parts like that were hard to come by.".

In January 1950, he recorded the American version of the French song "C'est si bon" which was written in 1947 by Henri Betti (music) and André Hornez (lyrics). The English lyrics were written by Jerry Seelen in 1949. The recording took place in New York with Tony Mottola and his Orchestra.

Desmond also recorded several versions of songs that did not chart but became hits for other singers: for example, "Mister and Mississippi" (a hit for Patti Page) and "Too Young" (a hit for Nat King Cole).

On September 24, 1953, he joined with Don Cornell and Alan Dale to record "(The Gang that Sang) Heart of My Heart," a No. 10 hit on the chart. During this time he switched recording companies frequently. His 1946 recordings were made for RCA Victor, the 1949-51 recordings for MGM, and the 1953 recordings for Coral Records.

He made a number of charted hit recordings: "Don't You Remember Me?" (recorded 1946, reaching No. 21 on the charts), "Guilty" (recorded December 6, 1946, reaching No. 12), "C'est si bon" (recorded May 11, 1949, reaching No. 25), "Don't Cry, Joe" (recorded May 21, 1949, reaching No. 22), "Just Say I Love Her" (recorded January 20, 1950, reaching No. 24), "The Picnic Song" (recorded April 1, 1950, reaching No. 20), "Because of You" (recorded February 10, 1951, reaching No. 17), and "Woman" (recorded September 15, 1953, reaching No. 9).

He made a number of radio broadcasts with the Miller band, and was given his own show called "A Soldier and a Song." on the American Forces Network (and sometimes on BBC Radio). His discharge took place on November 23, 1945.

In 1957, Desmond joined Boris Karloff in a guest appearance on NBC's The Gisele MacKenzie Show.

Desmond retained a love of music, and briefly attended the Detroit Conservatory of Music before heading to the nightclub circuit, playing piano and singing.

In the 1940s and 1950s, many artists would record the same song at about the same time, and some chart hits for Desmond were also major hits for other singers. Thus "Guilty" (No. 12 for Desmond) was an even bigger hit for Margaret Whiting, with a No. 4 position. "Because of You" (No. 17 for Desmond) was a No. 1 hit for Tony Bennett. "The High and the Mighty" (No. 17 for Desmond) was No. 4 for Les Baxter and his Orchestra. The Desmond/Dale/Cornell version of "Heart of My Heart" reached No. 10, but the Four Aces' version peaked at No. 7 on the chart. In some cases, Desmond's version was the biggest hit. Teresa Brewer also recorded "The Picnic Song" but her version did not chart. "Woman" was recorded by José Ferrer (back to back with a recording of "Man" by his wife, Rosemary Clooney), but Desmond's was the bigger version in the US (though the UK Singles Chart favored the Ferrer recording).

He married Ruth Keddington in 1942. The had two daughters named Diane and Patti.