Leonard Sillman

Who was Leonard Sillman?

Leonard Sillman was an American Broadway producer. Born in Detroit, Michigan on May 9, 1908, he was the brother of June Carroll, the brother-in-law of Sidney Carroll and the uncle of Steve Reich and Jonathan Carroll. He is perhaps best known for his series of musical revues, Leonard Sillman's New Faces, which introduced many major stars to Broadway audiences, such as Eartha Kitt, Inga Swenson, Paul Lynde and Maggie Smith. Versions of New Faces were produced in 1934, 1936, 1943, 1952, 1956, 1962 and 1968. The very first New Faces in 1934 included actors Henry Fonda, Imogene Coca and Frances Dewey Wormser.

Songwriter Arthur Siegel, who contributed many songs to the New Faces series and radio show, described Sillman's philosophy: "He believed that a revue should be a potpourri, a bouillabaisse, in which there was something for everyone. Pace was very important. He didn't want to give an audience a chance to think about what it just saw. The music had to be nonstop." Sillman also produced many other plays from the 1930s into the late 1960s, including All in Fun, Mask and Gown and the Family Way.