New Faces (1954)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Directors:

Harry Horner
John Beal

Writers:

Mel Brooks (sketches)
John Cleveland (writer)

Release Date:

6 March 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy

Plot:

A filmed performance (in CinemaScope) of the highly popular Broadway hit that was basically a collection of skits...

Plot Keywords:

Revue

Cast

Ronny Graham	...	Himself
Eartha Kitt	...	Herself
Robert Clary	...	Himself
Alice Ghostley	...	Herself
June Carroll	...	Herself
Virginia Wilson	...	Herself (as Virginia De Luce)
Paul Lynde	...	Himself
Bill Mullikin	...	Himself
Rosemary O'Reilly	...	Herself
Allen Conroy	...	Herself
Jimmy Russell	...	Himself
George Smiley	...	Himself
Polly Ward	...	Herself
Carol Lawrence	...	Herself
Johnny Laverty	...	Himself

Also Known As:

New Faces of 1952 (USA) (long title)

Runtime:

98 min | USA:99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo | 4-Track Stereo

Company:

Alson Productions

Trivia:

Debut of Alice Ghostley.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During Eartha Kitt's performance of "Monotonous," Ms. Kitt's audio sounds as if the microphone was switched off or located far away from the stage.

Movie Connections:

Featured in It's Black Entertainment (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Love Is a Simple Thing

Interesting look at Broadway revue in its fading days.

NEW FACES of 1952 has a backstage structure imposed on it of the cast requiring cash in order for the show to continue; and two cast members being in love, against the wishes of the girl's Texan father. The cast mainly featured Ronnie Graham, Alice Ghostley, Robert Clary and Eartha Kitt. Additional cast members included June Carroll, Virginia DeLuce, Paul Lynde, Bill Mullins, Rosemary O'Reilly, Allen Conroy, Jimmy Russell, George Smiley, Polly Ward, Carol Lawrence, Johnny Lavery, Elizabeth Logan, Faith Burwell and Clark Ranger. The words and music were "mostly" by Ronny Graham, Arthur Siegel, June Carroll, Sheldon Harnick and Michael Brown, with additional contributions from Murray Grand, Ellisse Boyd, Alan Melville, Herbert Farjeon (who gave Joyce Grenfell her start in revues), Francis LeMarque and Peter DeVries. The sketches were written by Ronny Graham, "Melvin" Brooks, Paul Lynde, Luther Davis and John Cleveland. The numbers included: C'est Si Bon Eartha Kitt Meet the Senate Paul Lynde, Ronny Graham & Others Lucky Pierre Robert Clary Penny Candy ? Boston Beguine Alice Ghostley Love is a Simple Thing Robert Clary, Earthy Kitt Famous Southern Writer Ronny Graham Time for Tea Alice Ghostley & Others Alouette Robert Clary Santa, Baby Eartha Kitt Waltzing in Venice ? Take Off Your Mask Ronny Graham, Alice Ghostley Mr. Canker in Darkest Africa Paul Lynde Raining Memories Robert Clary I'm In Love With Miss Logan Robert Clary Pickpocket Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, Ronny Graham Lizzie Borden Ronny Graham & Others Monotonous Eartha Kitt Finale Entire Cast

MEET THE SENATE was a senate investigation into jazz, with Ronny Graham in a zoot suit. PENNY CANDY is a heart tugging song by a bejeweled lady thinking back to her childhood when a piece of penny candy could make her happy as nothing in her rich life does now. BOSTON BEGUINE is a famous Sheldon Harnick number which Alice Ghostley really shines in. I couldn't figure out who the "famous Southern author" was supposed to be - Tennessee Williams; Truman Capote (the character's name is Kaput). TIME FOR TEA is a sad lament of missed opportunities in youth which lead to becoming two old maids. TAKE OFF YOUR MASK is Ronny Graham importuning Alice Ghostley to remove her mask at a ball in Vienna, but when he pulls it off, he begs her to put it back on and dashes away on a gondola. MR. CANKER IN DARKEST AFRICA is Paul Lynde in bandages and on crutches, narrating his unfortunate experiences on a recent trip to Egypt. I'M IN LOVE WITH MISS LOGAN is Robert Clary as a young boy with a crush on his teacher and not even knowing her first name. PICKPOCKET is a skit in which Paul Lynde is an unsuccessful pickpocket who is disappointed in his son, Ronny Graham, who plays baseball and gets A's on his report card, and doesn't seem to want to follow him into the family business. MONOTONOUS is Eartha Kitt as a femme fatale, bored with her life even though she "made Johnny Ray smile for me; a camel walked a mile for me."