1937 film by Leigh Jason

New Faces of 1937

Lobby card to New Faces of 1937

Directed by| Leigh Jason
James Anderson (assistant)
Written by| Story:
George Bradshaw
("Shoestring")
Sketch:
David Freedman
("A Day at the Brokers")
Adaptation:
Harold Kussell
Harry Clork
Howard J. Green
Screenplay:
Nat Perrin
Philip G. Epstein
Irv S. Brecher
Produced by| Edward Small
Starring| Joe Penner
Milton Berle
Parkyakarkus
Harriet Hilliard
William Brady
Jerome Cowan
Thelma Leeds
Cinematography| J. Roy Hunt
Edited by| George Crone
Music by| Roy Webb

Production
company

Edward Small Productions for RKO Radio Pictures

Distributed by| RKO Radio Pictures (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
RKO Home Video (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Release date

* July 2, 1937 (1937-07-02)

Running time

| 100 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $728,000[1]
Box office| $775,000[1]

New Faces of 1937 is a 1937 American musical film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Joe Penner, Milton Berle and Harriet Hilliard. Its plot is similar to The Producers (1968). Intended as the first film of an annual RKO Pictures revue series, poor reception ended plans for future productions.

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Cast
* 3 Production
* 4 Soundtrack
* 5 Reception
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## Plot[edit]

A crooked theatrical producer deliberately sets about creating an unsuccessful show after selling more than 100% of it to investors.

## Cast[edit]

* Joe Penner as Seymore Seymore, aspiring actor
* Milton Berle as Wallington 'Wally' Wedge
* Parkyakarkus as Parky
* Harriet Hilliard as Patricia 'Pat' Harrington
* William Brady as James 'Jimmy' Thompson
* Jerome Cowan as Robert Hunt
* Thelma Leeds as Elaine Dorset
* Lorraine Krueger as Suzy
* Tommy Mack as Judge Hugo Straight, Conductor
* Bert Gordon as Count Mischa Moody
* Patricia Wilder as Pat, Hunt's Secretary
* Richard Lane as Harry Barnes, Broker
* Dudley Clements as Plunkett, Stage Manager
* William Corson as Assistant Stage Manager
* George Rosener as Peter, Stage Doorman
* Dewey Robinson as Joe Guzzola
* Harry C. Bradley as Count Moody's Secretary

## Production[edit]

An alternate title for this film, which was in production from late March to mid-May 1937, had been listed as Young People. Singer Rene Stone, who appears in the film, was discovered by Edward Small singing while cleaning dishes in a Manhattan restaurant.[2]

## Soundtrack[edit]

* "New Faces"

(1937)
Music and Lyrics by Charles Henderson
Played during the opening credits
Sung and danced by showgirls (including The Brian Sisters) and showboys to open the final show
Danced by Ann Miller
Sung by Harriet Hilliard and showgirls

* "The Widow in Lace"

(1937)
Music by Harold Spina
Lyrics by Walter Bullock
Sung by Thelma Leeds and showgirls at rehearsal
Played and danced by unidentified children, probably The Loria Brothers

* "Our Penthouse on Third Avenue"

(1937)
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Lew Brown
Played on piano by Harriet Hilliard and sung by her and William Brady

* "It Goes to Your Feet"

(1937)
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Lew Brown
Played and sung by Eddie Rio and Brothers
Danced by Lowe, Hite and Stanley act, with Lorraine Krueger

* "If I Didn't Have You"

(1937)
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Lew Brown
Sung by Harriet Hilliard and William Brady

* "Love Is Never Out of Season"

(1937)
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Lew Brown
Sung by William Brady and danced by Harriet Hilliard and male chorus

* "When the Berry Blossoms Bloom"

(1937)
Written by Joe Penner and Hal Raynor
Sung and danced by Joe Penner in the show

* "Peckin'"

(1936)
Music and Lyrics by Ben Pollack and Harry James
Additional lyrics by Eddie Cherkose (1937)
Sung and danced by The Three Chocolateers, The Four Playboys and chorus in the big finale in the show

* "Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)"

(uncredited)
from "Lohengrin"
Music by Richard Wagner
Swing version in the song "Peckin'"

* "The Wedding March"

(uncredited)
from "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61"
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Swing version in the song "Peckin'"

## Reception[edit]

The film recorded a loss of $258,000.[1] Reviews were mixed.[3][4]

The film was meant to be the first in a series of musical revues designed to introduce new RKO talent, but this did not eventuate. Film writers Richard B. Jewell and Vernon Harbin wrote that:

> Containing not a single memorable musical number or inspired comedy routine, this tedious mish-mash caused the studio embarrassment a-plenty. Theatre owners and audiences displayed such hostility towards the Edward Small production in general, and Penner and Parkyakaras in particular, that RKO cancelled plans to make a New Faces of 1938.[5]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951', Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p57
2. ^ Read, Kendall. (May 18, 1937). "Around and About in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. p. 10.
3. ^ "THE THEATRE: Top Summer Fare". Wall Street Journal. July 2, 1937. p. 13.
4. ^ FRANK S. NUGENT (July 2, 1937). "THE SCREEN: A Suspicious Glance at 'New Faces of 1937,' at the Music Hall-New Films at Rialto and Palace At the Rialto". New York Times. p. 25.
5. ^ Richard B. Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story, Octopus 1984 p 108

## External links[edit]

* New Faces of 1937 at IMDb
* New Faces of 1937 at the American Film Institute Catalog
* New Faces of 1937 at The New York Times
* New Faces of 1937 at Answers.com
* New Faces of 1937 at Flixster
* New Faces of 1937 at the TCM Movie Database
* "Wanna Buy a Duck?" New Faces of 1937, by Craig Hodgkins

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Leigh Jason

* The Price of Fear (1928)
* Wolves of the City (1929)
* Eyes of the Underworld (1929)
* The Tip Off (1929)
* The Body Punch (1929)
* High Gear (1933)
* A Preferred List (1933)
* Bubbling Over (1934)
* The Knife of the Party (1934)
* Love on a Bet (1936)
* The Bride Walks Out (1936)
* That Girl from Paris (1936)
* New Faces of 1937 (1937)
* Wise Girl (1937)
* The Mad Miss Manton (1938)
* The Flying Irishman (1939)
* Career (1939)
* Model Wife (1941)
* Three Girls About Town (1941)
* Lady for a Night (1942)
* Dangerous Blondes (1943)
* Nine Girls (1944)
* Carolina Blues (1944)
* Meet Me on Broadway (1946)
* Lost Honeymoon (1947)
* Out of the Blue (1947)
* Man from Texas (1948)
* Okinawa (1952)
* The Go-Getter (1956)
* The Choppers (1961)
* The Festival Girls (1961)

* v
* t
* e

Films produced by Edward Small

1910-20s|

* Who's Your Neighbor? (1917)
* The Sporting Lover (1926)
* The Cohens and Kellys (1926)
* The Gorilla (1927)
* McFadden's Flats (1927)
* Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath (1928)
* The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris (1928)
* My Man (1928)
* Companionate Marriage (1928)
* Song of Love (1929)

1930s|

* Clancy in Wall Street (1930)
* Igloo (1932)
* I Cover the Waterfront (1933)
* Palooka (1933)
* The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
* Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (1934)
* Let 'Em Have It (1935)
* Red Salute (1935)
* The Melody Lingers On (1935)
* The Last of the Mohicans (1936)
* The Bride Walks Out (1936)
* We Who Are About to Die (1937)
* Sea Devils (1937)
* New Faces of 1937 (1937)
* Super-Sleuth (1937)
* The Toast of New York (1937)
* The Duke of West Point (1938)
* King of the Turf (1939)
* The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)

1940s|

* My Son, My Son! (1940)
* The Son of Monte Cristo (1940)
* South of Pago Pago (1940)
* Kit Carson (1940)
* International Lady (1941)
* The Corsican Brothers (1941)
* A Gentleman After Dark (1942)
* Twin Beds (1942)
* Miss Annie Rooney (1942)
* Friendly Enemies (1942)
* Up in Mabel's Room (1944)
* Abroad with Two Yanks (1944)
* Brewster's Millions (1945)
* Getting Gertie's Garter (1945)
* Temptation (1946)
* The Return of Monte Cristo (1946)
* T-Men (1947)
* The Black Arrow (1948)
* The Fuller Brush Man (1948)
* Raw Deal (1948)
* Walk a Crooked Mile (1948)
* Black Magic (1949)

1950s|

* Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950)
* The Iroquois Trail (1950)
* Valentino (1951)
* Lorna Doone (1951)
* The Texas Rangers (1951)
* Indian Uprising (1952)
* Scandal Sheet (1952)
* The Brigand (1952)
* Cripple Creek (1952)
* Kansas City Confidential (1952)
* The Bandits of Corsica (1953)
* Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953)
* Dragon's Gold (1953)
* Gun Belt (1953)
* The Neanderthal Man (1953)
* 99 River Street (1953)
* Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953)
* Sabre Jet (1953)
* The Steel Lady (1953)
* Wicked Woman (1953)
* Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954)
* Khyber Patrol (1954)
* The Lone Gun (1954)
* Overland Pacific (1954)
* Return to Treasure Island (1954)
* Southwest Passage (1954)
* Down Three Dark Streets (1954)
* New York Confidential (1955)
* The Naked Street (1955)
* Top Gun (1955)
* Comanche (1955)
* Gun Brothers (1956)
* UFO (1956)
* Chicago Confidential (1957)
* 5 Steps to Danger (1957)
* Gun Duel in Durango (1957)
* The Iron Sheriff (1957)
* Monkey on My Back (1957)
* Curse of the Faceless Man (1958)
* Hong Kong Confidential (1958)
* It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
* Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958)
* Witness for the Prosecution (1958)
* The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)
* Guns, Girls and Gangsters (1959)
* Inside the Mafia (1959)
* Invisible Invaders (1959)
* Pier 5, Havana (1959)
* Riot in Juvenile Prison (1959)
* Solomon and Sheba (1959)
* Timbuktu (1959) (had name removed from credits)
* Vice Raid (1959)

1960s|

* Cage of Evil (1960)
* A Dog's Best Friend (1960)
* Gunfighters of Abilene (1960)
* The Music Box Kid (1960)
* Noose for a Gunman (1960)
* Oklahoma Territory (1960)
* Three Came to Kill (1960)
* The Walking Target (1960)
* Boy Who Caught a Crook (1961)
* The Cat Burglar (1961)
* Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961)
* Frontier Uprising (1961)
* Five Guns to Tombstone (1961)
* The Flight That Disappeared (1961)
* The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961)
* Gun Fight (1961)
* Mary Had a Little... (1961)
* Operation Bottleneck (1961)
* Police Dog Story (1961)
* Secret of Deep Harbor (1961)
* The Snake Woman (1961)
* Three on a Spree (1961)
* When the Clock Strikes (1961)
* You Have to Run Fast (1961)
* The Greengage Summer (1961)
* Beauty and the Beast (1962)
* The Clown and the Kid (1962)
* Deadly Duo (1962)
* Gun Street (1962)
* Incident in an Alley (1962)
* Jack the Giant Killer (1962)
* Saintly Sinners (1962)
* Tower of London (1962)
* Diary of a Madman (1963)
* Twice Told Tales (1963)
* I'll Take Sweden (1965)
* Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966)
* Frankie and Johnny (1966)
* The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968)
* The File of the Golden Goose (1969)
* The Christine Jorgensen Story (1970)

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