Thanks, MTed. Found several references to its Middle Eastern scale, but you have explained it.
More trivia- Carol Bruce (Shirley Levy) first starred in "Louisiana Purchase," a 1940 musical by Irving Berlin. One of her last roles was in "WKRP in Cincinnati."

Roubanis et al. put out the modern popular "Miserlou" in 1941, not 1947, as mentioned by Joe for Great Song Thesaurus.