New Faces

"A front row seat for the FIRST musical revue in CinemaScope with STEREOPHONIC SOUND."

Mar 6 1954 Approved 1h 38m
Comedy, Musical

New Faces was a musical revue with songs and comedy skits tied together by a quirky plot. It ran on Broadway for nearly a year in 1952 and was then made into a motion picture in 1954. It helped jump start the careers of several young performers including Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, Eartha Kitt, Carol Lawrence, performer/writer Mel Brooks (as Melvin Brooks), and lyricist Sheldon Harnick. The film was basically a reproduction of the stage revue with a thin plot added. The plot involved a producer and performer (Ronny Graham) in financial trouble and is trying to stave off an angry creditor long enough to open his show. A wealthy Texan offers to help out, on the condition that his daughter be in the show.

Plot

A filmed performance (in CinemaScope) of the highly popular Broadway hit that was basically a collection of skits, sketches, songs and dances built around a flimsy plot to meld them all together which, for the most part, worked. The plot involves a performer/producer (Ronny Graham) who finds himself in financial difficulties on the eve of opening night because a big check is needed before the curtain can go up. But a wealthy Texan says he will put up the money, if his daughter is in the show and he can see it first. End of plot, but the beginning of the careers of some young and talented people who have had careers across many decades. Eartha Kitt sings four songs, including "C'est si bon" (music by Henri Betti, lyrics by André Hornez) and "Santa Baby" in and around some funny skits; "Trip of the Month", "Snake Charmer", "Crazy Man" and "Oedipus Goes South." Graham and Mel Brooks (in his Melvin Brooks days) are credited with most of the sketch material and just the title of the "Oedipus" bit suggests Brooks. There is a burlesque of "Death of a Salesman", which was probably the easiest to write of all. It also appears that when Brooks later did "The Producers", he hadn't forgotten everything about "New Faces".

Written by

Ronny Graham, Mel Brooks, Paul Lynde

Directed by

Harry Horner, John Beal

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Edward L. Alperson Productions, 20th Century Fox

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
211
Average Rating
5.2 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA