A blackmailing tabloid publisher (Dennis Price) becomes the target of various murder plots by his victims in "Your Past is Showing," also known as "The Naked Truth," a 1957 British film starring Peter Sellers, Terry-Thomas, Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton, and Joan Sims. Price is Nigel Dennis, whose paper, The Naked Truth, is prepared to print damaging stories unless Nigel receives a 10,000 pound contribution to his favorite charity - himself. Among his victims are a lord (Terry-Thomas), an entertainer (Sellers), a murder mystery writer (Mount), and a model (Eaton). The writer decides on murder by drowning, the entertainer wants to plant a bomb, and the model wants to go to the police.A very funny concept with some good scenes, "The Naked Truth" suffers from uneven performances and a script that could have been a lot better. Peggy Mount and Joan Sims are way, way over the top in their portrayals of the writer and her nervous daughter. Sellers and Terry-Thomas, on the other hand, give very balanced performances and are quite funny.Enjoyable, but one wishes it was just a notch or two better.

The tattletale magazine Confidential hit American newsstands like a bombshell in the mid- 1950's. To a star-struck public accustomed to the sanitized fluff of a Photoplay or a Screen Gems, the "real" low-down on celebrity private lives proved both irresistible and a publisher's bonanza. Entries trumpeted steamy innuendo, like Marilyn and Rod Caught Overnight in Room 19. Soon the market was flooded with imitators, while the courts were flooded with lawsuits as bigwigs sought to repair damaged reputations. The flurry proved short-lived, probably because of expenses, and soon the scandal magazines were replaced by supermarket tabloids, a tamer, less libelous version. I mention this bit of cultural history as background to the movie, which is clearly based on that passing fad.It's a funny movie, but then any feature with Peter Sellars is bound to be funny. His cheesy TV show Wee Sonny MacGregor is a hoot, along with the several threadbare disguises. And when he fumbles around as the inept old "barge inspector", there's clearly a Clouseau waiting to break out. I wish he had also taken on Terry-Thomas' role. Yes, Thomas is funny, but he has basically one comedic persona, whereas the super-talented Sellars can deliver all kinds of nuance. But pity poor daughter Ethel (Joan Sims). She's on the edge of a comic nervous breakdown as the tyrannical "Mumsy" (Peggy Mount) pushes her around like a helpless yo-yo. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. And though easily overlooked in a stellar cast, the aristocratic Georgina Cookson makes a deliciously droll straight-woman for hubby Thomas' frazzled highjinks.I guess my only reservation is with the direction (Zampi), which at times fails to come up to the level of the material, especially in the pacing. Perhaps that's one reason the film falls short of classic status. Nonetheless, it does have its moments. And—oh yes—it seems as though blackmailer Dennis (Price) has the goods on a big chunk of the British establishment. No wonder those tell-all magazines passed so quickly out of existence.

Go on we all like to read a bit of gossip about people in the media spotlight. But what if someone has uncovered something decidedly unflattering that the person concerned does not want to be revealed. Welcome to the delightful black comedic premise of late 50s 88 min comedy film "The Naked Truth". With his typical iconic roguish person it's another excellent performance from that British cad Terry Thomas as Lord Mayley. His pivotal scene exemplifying the premise occurs during his conversation with Nigel Dennis (played with well educated, unscrupulous brilliance by Dennis Price) when he looks over a copy of the scandalous publication, initially salivating at the prospect of what he might read. His demeanour soon changes when he finds that surreptitiously he is the main object of intrigue. For me, good though he is, he is easily overshadowed by the acting genius of Peter Sellers whom excels as television audience favourite 'Wee Sonny McGregor' a fake Scots entertainer with an ability to create a wealth of characters. Amongst the ones we see are the elderly canal boat inspector and a quite ridiculous over the top Irishman, no wonder he gets punched by a Dublin pub customer for taking the micky! Also worthy of praise is Peggy Mount as the anxious, desperate authoress Flora Ransom and her extremely nervous daughter Ethel played by Joan Sims. Delighted to finally nab a DVD copy of this bright and breezy comedy (which benefits from a jaunty moving incidental music score) earlier this week and was pleasantly surprised that you also get an approx 2 min trailer which perfectly captures the manic mood of a movie whose premise is as relevant today as it was on its original release. Definitely one of the best black and white British film comedies and is well worth adding to your collection!

Apparently released both as "The Naked Truth" and "Your Past Is Showing" (the name on the title card and title I remember in the U.S. run), this bustling little comedy about tabloid blackmailer is still jolly good fun going on 50 years later. Credit an amusing script and some fine casting that captures a gaggle of top-flight '50s British comedy talent in top form. Terry-Thomas and a young Peter Sellers (filmed here just before he gained fame with "The Mouse That Roared") are at the pinnacle of their Brit-comedy game and are ably abetted by the redoubtable Peggy Mount, luscious Shirley Eaton (a few years before her turn as the "golden girl" in "Goldfinger"), a caddish Dennis Price (as the oily blackmailer) and assorted classic British comedy stars, a number of whom seem to have had recurring bits in the "Carry On" series. The humor here is not as low and juicy as the "Carry On"s or as high and dry as the classic Ealing Studio Ealing comedies of the period - a pleasing mix. By contemporary standards, the film is a little slow - especially the set-up through the opening reels - but it all pays off very nicely with an avalanche of chuckles and a few great belly laughs. Keep a close eye on Sellers: although he plays a single character (a cheesy TV variety show emcee), he dons multiple disguises through the film, warming up for future roles in "Mouse" and "Dr. Strangelove" (where he played three parts in each) and those later "Pink Panther" comedies.