Pic 3

Additional picture references from the J.C. Williamson collection

Broadway cast:

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154726965/ (Act I Scene 1—The Alicia Allen Milk Farm on Long Island)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148755268/ (Act I Finale)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148798974/ (Act II Scene 2—The Boathouse of the Hollyhock Inn – Danny Kaye and Eve Arden)

 

Australian cast:

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507386/ (Olive Kingette)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507487/ (Olive Kingette)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507683/ (Marie Ryan)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506788/ (Act I Scene 2—Don Nicol in jeep, and cast)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509225/ (Olive Kingette and Marie Ryan standing at back with Ron Beck, Don Nicol and Fred Murray)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509122/ (Bobby Mack and Don Nicol)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508425/ (Bobby Mack)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154311692/ (Act I Scene 3—Ron Beck, Don Nicol & Fred Murray posing as statues with Bobby Mack & Joy Youlden)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148799072/ (Lily Moore, Yvonne Banvard and Marie La Varre)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148799177/ (Yvonne ‘Fifi’ Banvard with Lily Moore and Marie La Varre)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507889/ (Marie La Varre)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508080/ (Marie La Varre)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507781/ (Marie Ryan and Olive Kingette)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154507280/ (Olive Kingette)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508620 (Don Nicol)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506689/ (Act II Scene 3—Scene at the Hollyhock Inn Gardens)

Pic 2

Australian chorus:

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509028/ (Act I Scene 1—female ensemble)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506387/ (Act I Scene 1—Beryl Meekin [mislabelled as ‘Lily Moore’] & ladies chorus)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508189/ (Shirley Freeman)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154508287/ (Unidentified)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509426/ (Act I Finale—‘Rub Your Lamp’ ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154311896/ (Act I Finale—‘Rub Your Lamp’ female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506986/ (Act II Scene 3—‘A Little Rumba Number’ ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509578/ (Act II Scene 3—‘A Little Rumba Number’ ballet with Gwen Bazeley and Gerald McErlean)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510579/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510129/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510325/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510421/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510777/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509927/ (Shirley Freeman in Act II Finale)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154510026/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154311998/ (Act II Finale—female ballet)

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154509720/ (Act II Finale—soloist)

Pic 1

Scenery by Dres Hardingham and George Upward (from original designs by Harry Horner):

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154505688/ Act I Scene 1—The Alicia Allen Milk Farm on Long Island

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506281/ The Service Club at Camp Roosevelt

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154505881/ Act I Scene 3—A part of the Parade Grounds at Camp Roosevelt

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154506082/ Mrs. Watson's Summer House at Southampton, Long Island

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154505980/ Act II Scene 3—The Hollyhock Inn Gardens

Pic 4

Productions

  • Broadway

    Composer/ lyricist Cole Porter (Library of Congress, Washington, DC) (left) and Broadway producer Vinton Freedley (private collection) (right) Tthe genesis of Let’s Face It!, under veteran Broadway producer, Vinton Freedley, had actually preceded America’s involvement in the war, having been set...
  • Sydney

    Notwithstanding the fact that the Broadway production of Let’s Face It! had succeeded chiefly on the strength of its star-making lead performance by Danny Kaye (his successor in the role, José Ferrer, only managed to keep the show open for an additional month to see out its total New York run of...
  • Melbourne

    By the time that the show commenced its Melbourne season there had been a number of cast changes (with Marjorie Gordon replacing Yvonne Banvard, Douglas Stark replacing Ron Beck and Natalie Raine substituting for Joy Youlden for the first few performances; and although Frank Martin and Percy...
  • London

    Let’s Face It! enjoyed a far more successful career in Britain than it had in Australia. Following a five month pre-London tour, which commenced at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, on 22 June 1942, the musical played for a further seven months at the London Hippodrome, after opening there on 19...

Additional Info

  • Discography

    Discography Original Broadway cast recordings Let’s Not Talk About Love—Danny Kaye (with orchestra under the direction of Johnny Green)—(cat. no.) Columbia 36582 Farming—Danny Kaye (with Vocal Quartet and orchestra under the direction of Johnny Green)—Columbia 36583 Melody in 4-F—Danny Kaye (with...
  • Filmography

    Filmography: Let’s Face It (1943)—Paramount Pictures—Directed by Sidney Lanfield; Screenplay by Harry Tugend; Songs by Cole Porter; additional songs by Jules Styne and Sammy Cahn. Cast included Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, Dona Drake, Cully Richards, Eve Arden, Zasu Pitts, Marjorie Weaver and Raymond...
  • Picture References

    Additional picture references from the J.C. Williamson collection Broadway cast: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-154726965/ (Act I Scene 1—The Alicia Allen Milk Farm on Long Island) https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148755268/ (Act I Finale) https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148798974/ (Act II Scene 2—The Boathouse of...
  • Additional sources

    Additional sources Stanley Green, The World of Musical Comedy, 4th Edition, Da Capo Press, New York, 1980 Robert Kimball (ed.), Cole, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, New York, 1971 Frank Van Straten, Hanky-Panky: The Theatrical Escapades of Ernest C. Rolls, Australian Scholarly Publishing, North...