New Faces of 1937

Thirty years before Max Bialystock over sold his show Springtime For Hitler in The Producers, Jerome Cowan was in that same racket in New Faces Of 1937. It wouldn't surprise me that Mel Brooks got his inspiration for his zany film from this zany film.

Unlike Zero Mostel who took some direct action when catastrophe struck, Jerome Cowan who sold 85% of the show that Harriet Hilliard brought him from boyfriend William Brady takes a powder and hands it over to his assistant Milton Berle. It's going to take the divine hand of Providence to get Berle out of the pickle he was in.

New Faces Of 1937 is a second banana comics convention. At the time of this film Berle wasn't the comic legend he became through television. He was among many in this film which also included Joe Penner, Bert 'the Mad Russian' Gordon, and Harry 'Parkyakarkus' Einstein. Against this quartet any player worth anything would have to be on as big a constant alert as the Strategic Air Command. The nominal male lead in the film is a rather colorless William Brady. But I suspect more well known singers wouldn't want to get into a film like this with so many crazy comedians.

Gordon, Dewey Robinson, and Richard Lane are the backer who will have to sort things out if the show New Faces Of 1937 becomes a hit like Springtime For Hitler. Also in the cast is a young and twinkle-toed Ann Miller. Hilliard and Brady sing a couple of forgettable songs to make this classified a musical.

But if zany unorthodox comedians is what you like you will think you died and went to heaven watching this film. Come to think of it, the cast is all there now.

So OK, the plot of a Broadway producer who purposely makes flop shows so he doesn't have to pay his investors is quite familiar to every now. But this 1937 film comes 3 decades before Mel Brooks had a hit with this idea.

This film stars Milton Berle in his first talkie feature film (yes he had been a boy actor in silent films) as a dope who gets stuck producing a show after crooked Jerome Cowan skips town. Berle doesn't know Cowan has swindled several people into backing the show. Harriet Hilliard (better known as Harriet Nelson) is to be the star of the show. There's also a guy (Joe Penner) trying to crash the show and an associate (Parkyakarkus) determined to keep him out.

The film has several songs (Nelson and William Brady) and lots of comedy, with Penner and Parkyakarkus mangling the English language, and Berle (with Richard Lane) doing a long stock market skit. This is also the first showcase for Ann Miller (who was all of 14 years old).

Others of note include Lorraine Krueger who dances and plays the girl friend, Patricia Wilder as the secretary, Dewey Robinson as one of the backers, starlets Frances Gifford and Hillary Brooke, Jan Duggan as an opera singer, and George Rosener as the doorman.

The funniest bit may be the production number built around the jive dance called peckin' with Harriet Nelson as a peckin' bride.

Of course both Harriet Nelson and Milton Berle would go on to become major television stars of the 1950s.

In this film, Jerome Cowan plays a seedy producer who would rather have flops than hits. Why? He sells more than 100% of the show to his investors. Does this plot sound familiar? This is the basic plot of Mel Brooks' classic "The Producers". However, this film was made 30 years earlier! Now "New Faces" is not nearly as funny or inventive as "The Producers". The plot is only there to hold together the various musical numbers, comedy sketches, and specialty acts which make up the film. By the middle of the film, Cowan has left his show in the hands of young Milton Berle, because Cowan's girlfriend is about to rat him out to his investors. Berle fixes the show.

"New Faces" is filled with 1930s comedians. Joe "Wanna Buy a Duck" Penner is top billed, but it is Milton Berle who really drives the film. Due to his caustic personality and "anything for a laugh" attitude, people tend to discount Berle's comedic abilities. He is truly funny in this film and it is his best cinema showcase until "Always Leave Then Laughing". Also on hand are Harry Einstein (Parkyakarkus)(the father of Albert Brooks and "Super Dave" Bob Einstein), and Bert "The Mad Russian" Gordon. Harriet Nelson, this time without Ozzie, is the leading lady. Teenage Ann Miller has a specialty number. The film also presents various '30s vaudeville performers doing their routines.

"New Faces" is not a great film, but it is certainly enjoyable. I wonder how many times Mel Brooks saw this film!