I Never Forget a Face is a 1956 documentary short film produced by famed silent comedy enthusiast and filmmaker Robert Youngson.

About the Film

Robert Youngson wrote, directed, and produced over fifty comedy short and feature-length film documentaries covering comedies from the silent era through the 1940s.^[1] Five of his short films, beginning with Blaze Busters in 1950, were nominated for Academy Awards (two won) with "I Never Forget a Face" being his last to receive a nomination.

The film consists of a series of classic silent clips with narration by well-known (at the time) radio announcer, Dwight Weist, and veteran film narrator Ward Wilson.

The film was nominated for the 1956 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film (one-reel sub-category) but did not win.^[2] With the revamping of the category the following year, including the elimination of the one-reel and two-reel sub-categories, there was a clear emphasis on contemporary topics rather than retrospectives. Youngson's This Mechanical Age in 1954 was the last retrospective compilation to win and "I Never Forget a Face" in 1956 was the last to receive a nomination. Despite this, Youngson continued producing comedy retrospectives for the rest of his life.^[3]