I thought it would be nice to celebrate the birthday of one of the great character ladies by taking us back to where it all began, or as nearly there as we can. Alice Ghostley was one of the lucky young talents vaulted to stardom in New Faces of 1952, the Broadway revue that also put Paul Lynde, Eartha Kitt, and Carol Lawrence, among others, on the map.
Here, from the film New Faces, the surprisingly little-known 1954 film made from the stage show, she sings the hell out of Sheldon Harnick's "The Boston Beguine." It's miles away from her neurotic dithering on Bewitched, Mayberry RFD, and Designing Women, but pretty great stuff, no?
How delicious it must've been to be in the deciding chair for the auditions for New Faces..considering the talent they found!
ReplyDeleteWhat a group fo true talents in that show!
ReplyDeleteMay I tell you one more time, how much I enjoy my daily visits to your blog?
Alice also did a nice, decidely un-Esmeralda-ishy turn as Miss Hannigan a few years into the run of Annie.
ReplyDeleteI love that Ghostley's husband of fifty years was named Felice Orlandi. It sounds so continental and immediately calls to mind Esmeralda's erstwhile beau, Ramon Verona, salad chef at the Warlock Club.