New Faces of 1952 is a musical revue with songs and comedy skits. It ran on Broadway for nearly a year in 1952 and was then made into a motion picture in 1954. It helped launch the careers of several young performers including Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, Carol Lawrence, Ronny Graham, performer/writer Mel Brooks (as Melvin Brooks), and lyricist Sheldon Harnick.
It is also the source of several popular songs that have continued to be recorded, including "Monotonous", sung by Eartha Kitt in the show and identified with her throughout her career; "Guess Who I Saw Today", sung by June Carroll in the show and subsequently recorded by numerous singers;[1] and "Love is a Simple Thing", sung in the show by Rosemary O'Reilly, Robert Clary, Eartha Kitt, and June Carroll and recorded by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra,[2] Debbie Reynolds, Arthur Siegel, Jane Morgan, Carmen McRae and the Muppets.[3]
The revue opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on May 16, 1952, and ran for 365 performances. It was produced by Leonard Sillman, directed by John Murray Anderson and John Beal with choreography by Richard Barstow. The sketches were written by Graham and Brooks. The songs were composed by, among others, Harnick, Graham, Murray Grand and Arthur Siegel. The cast featured Graham, Kitt, Clary, Virginia Bosler, June Carroll, Virginia De Luce, Ghostley, Patricia Hammerlee, Lawrence, Lynde and Bill Milliken. De Luce and Graham won the 1952 Theatre World Award. The revue marked Kitt's Broadway debut, singing a "sultry rendition" of "Monotonous", about how boring a life of luxury was.[4]
The Equity Library Theater, New York City, presented an Off-Broadway revival in 1982, directed by Joseph Patton and featuring comedic performances by Lillian Graff, Philip Wm. Mckinley, Alan Safier, and Randy Brenner in the roles originated by Ghostley, Lynde, Graham, and Clary, respectively.[5] Kitt joined the cast late in the run to re-create her original role.
Another revue, the New Faces of 1956, ran on Broadway from June 14, 1956 through December 22, 1956. It was also conceived and produced by Sillman, with direction by David Tihmar and Paul Lynde (sketches).[6] There were five other "New Faces" in all: 1934, 1936, 1943, 1962, and 1968. According to Kay Green, of the seven "New Faces" revues, the 1952 revue was the "most admired, both for the talent of the performers and the cleverness of the writing.[7]
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"Of Fathers and Sons", written by Mel Brooks, was a parody of the Arthur Miller drama Death of a Salesman[8] with characters Mae, Harry, Stanley and Policeman; a pickpocket is angry with his son for not wanting to join the family business.[9] In "Oedipus Goes South", Ronny Graham parodies Truman Capote. Paul Lynde, wrapped in bandages, bemoans his African safari.[7] The narrative ballad "Guess Who I Saw Today" has June Carroll telling her husband that she saw him with another woman.[10] In "The Bard and the Beard" the characters - Miss Leigh, Sir Laurence, Call Boy and Maid - try to remember what play they are supposed to be in.[11]
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Main article: New Faces (film) |
Retitled New Faces, the film version was directed by Harry Horner in Cinemascope and Eastmancolor, and released by Twentieth Century Fox on March 6, 1954. Ronny Graham, Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, Alice Ghostley, June Carroll, Virginia De Luce, Carol Lawrence, Patricia Hammerlee, Paul Lynde, and Bill Millikin repeated their stage roles. 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 on opening night. A wealthy Texan offers to help out, on the condition that his daughter be in the show.[12]
The song order was changed and expanded to include:
However, some songs were omitted, or had their lyrics updated. The song "Nanty Puts her Hair Up" was omitted. However an abridged version was used as an instrumental in a dance routine. The song "Don't Fall Asleep" was omitted. The song "Love is a Simple Thing" omitted the final verse, being the Charles Addams character verse, because it was too outdated. Also, an extra verse was added to "Lizzie Borden". Some of the lines in "Monotonous" were replaced and updated, omitting the line "Ike Likes Me", and being replaced with writing the "Dragnet" theme instead.
| Leonard Sillman's New Faces Of 1952 | |
|---|---|
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| Cast recording by Original Cast | |
| Released | Late 1952 or early 1953 |
| Length | 50:06 (LP) 55:20 (CD 2009 re-issue) |
| Label | RCA Victor |
| Director | John Beal |
| Producer | Leonard Sillman |
Leonard Sillman's New Faces Of 1952 (Original Cast) was the official release of the cast recording of the Broadway revue New Faces of 1952. The album was originally released on a 12" LP by RCA Victor, LOC-1008. Some material was excluded, as not all songs could fit on the record. In 1977, the album was reissued on the RCA Red Seal label, catalog number CBM1-2206.
The cast recording, like the play, was produced by Leonard Sillman. The orchestral conductor for the album and play was Anton Coppola. Orchestral arrangements were by Ted Royal. Alice Ghostley, Allen Conroy, Bill Mullikin, Carol Lawrence, Carol Nelson, Eartha Kitt, Jimmy Russell, Joseph Lautner, June Carroll, Michael Dominico, Patricia Hammerlee, Paul Lynde, Robert Clary, Ronny Graham, Rosemary O'Reilly, Virginia Bosler, and Virginia de Luce all perform on the album, and are cited in doing so. The LP also lists some credits for the play itself, John Beal is cited as the show’s director, and the primary sketch writers as Melvin Brooks and Ronny Graham.[13]
In 2003, Jasmine Records reissued the cast album on compact disc for the first time, featuring the original RCA LP track listing.[14] In 2009, Sony Music, which now owns the RCA Victor archive, released the album on CD (catalog number Arkiv RCA-04441) and digital download. This second CD reissue included the previously unreleased song "Time For Tea" performed by June Carroll and Alice Ghostley.[15][16]
Track listings and credits adapted from the original label notes of album, unless other wise specified.[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opening" |
| Ronny Graham and Company | 2:11 |
| 2. | "Lucky Pierre" | Ronny Graham |
| 3:20 |
| 3. | "Boston Beguine" | Sheldon Harnick | Alice Ghostley Introduced by Virginia de Luce | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Love Is A Simple Thing" |
| 5:08 | |
| 5. | "Nanty Puts Her Hair Up" |
|
| 4:42 |
| 6. | "Guess Who I Saw Today" |
| June Carroll | 2:20 |
| 7. | "Bal, petit bal" | Francis Lemarque | Eartha Kitt Introduced by Robert Clary | 2:58 |
| Total length: | 25:21 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Three For The Road" a. "Introduction" b. "Raining Memories" c. "Waltzing In Venice" d. "Take Off The Mask" | Ronny Graham Ronny Graham Ronny Graham | Virginia de Luce Robert Clary
| 5:23 |
| 2. | "Penny Candy" |
| June Carroll and Company | 3:26 |
| 3. | "Don't Fall Asleep" | Ronny Graham | Rosemary O'Reilly | 2:10 |
| 4. | "I'm In Love With Miss Logan" | Unknown[17][18] | Robert Clary
| 3:57 |
| 5. | "Monotonous" |
| Eartha Kitt | 3:47 |
| 6. | "Lizzie Borden" | Michael Brown |
| 4:57 |
| 7. | "(He Takes Me Off His Income Tax)" |
| Virginia de Luce | 1:05 |
| Total length: | 24:45 | |||
Features previously unreleased song "Time For Tea".[15]
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opening" | Ronny Graham | 2:11 |
| 2. | "Lucky Pierre" |
| 3:20 |
| 3. | "Guess Who I Saw Today" | June Carroll | 2:20 |
| 4. | "Love Is A Simple Thing" |
| 5:08 |
| 5. | "Boston Beguine" |
| 4:42 |
| 6. | "Nanty Puts Her Hair Up" |
| 4:42 |
| 7. | "Time For Tea" |
| 5:14 |
| 8. | "Bal, petit bal" |
| 2:58 |
| 9. | "Three For The Road" |
| 5:23 |
| 10. | "Don't Fall Asleep" | Rosemary O'Reilly | 2:10 |
| 11. | "Lizzie Borden" |
| 4:57 |
| 12. | "I'm In Love With Miss Logan" |
| 3:57 |
| 13. | "Penny Candy" | June Carroll | 3:26 |
| 14. | "Monotonous" | Eartha Kitt | 3:47 |
| 15. | "He Takes Me Off His Income Tax" | Virginia de Luce | 1:05 |
| Total length: | 55:20 | ||