swinginsean This film is a delightful surprise. I did not expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. It is somewhat of a dark comedy, and as one who rarely laughs out loud while watching a comedy, this film had me in stitches at various times. I came away puzzled as to why I had never heard of this film before, because I found it extremely entertaining. The only negative aspect of this film was how it ended, but otherwise, dark comedies don't get much better."The Naked Truth", aka: "Your Past is Showing" is a wonderful film about a British tabloid writer who blackmails his subjects. Peter Sellers plays one of the subjects, a master of disguise who refuses to pay up. He attempts to use his skills to eliminate his nemesis, but not before making a series of blunders. He soon discovers that he is not alone, and that he can only hope to be successful in his quest by joining forces with his fellow victims.

ShadeGrenade Mario Zampi does not appear to have enjoyed the kind of respect bestowed on other British comedy directors such as Charles Crichton, Henry Cornelius or the Boulting Brothers, which is strange when one considers he made a number of excellent movies in the late '50's/early '60's, including 'Laughter In Paradise' starring Alistair Sim, 'Happy Ever After' with David Niven, 'Top Secret' with George Cole, and this. Unscrupulous publisher 'Nigel Dennis' ( Dennis Price ) plans on launching a scandal magazine in Britain. Entitled 'The Naked Truth', it will implicate high-profile public figures in major financial or sexual scandals. Among the victims are toff 'Lord Henry Mayley' ( Terry-Thomas ), bestselling mystery writer 'Flora Ransom' ( Peggy Mount ), model 'Melissa Right' ( Shirley Eaton ), and television presenter 'Wee Sonny McGregor' ( Peter Sellers ). To save their reputations, each must pay Dennis £10,000. Naturally, they don't want to do this, so they concoct separate plans to do away with the blackmailer. Much of the first part of the picture is concerned with these varying murder attempts, which range from blowing Dennis up to knocking him out with a Mickey Finn before tossing him in the Thames. Needless to say, they all fail, and the would-be killers then pool their resources in order to stop Dennis from telling the naked truth.It is a sprightly black comedy in the mold of 'The Ladykillers', deftly written by veteran comedy scribe Michael Pertwee ( cousin of Jon ) and well directed by Zampi ( it turned out to be one of his last pictures - he died in 1963 ). The cast are marvellous, particularly Sellers whose 'McGregor' keeps slipping into disguise, including an old man with a 'creeping alopecia' problem and who sounds like 'Willium Mate Cobblers' from 'The Goon Show', along with a country gent who could be a distant relative of 'Hercules Grytpype-Thynne' from the same series. McGregor's television show ( which resembles a geriatric version of 'The X Factor' ) was allegedly inspired by a real one starring Wilfrid Pickles. Popping up in minor roles are Joan Sims as Flora's nervous daughter 'Ethel', Miles Malleson as a befuddled vicar, Wilfrid Lawson as a veteran soldier with a fondness for playing a penny-whistle, and Kenneth Griffith as McGregor's confidante.Funniest moment - the finale in which all of Dennis' victims - including a scout master - band together to spring him from police custody, culminating in an airship escape. If the final gag is a little predictable, well, it hardly matters.Second funniest moment - McGregor trying to buy gelignite from I.R.A. terrorists. His convincing Irish accent is let down when he tries to speak gaelic, and instead utters the name of a Welsh town ( 'Llanfairpwllgwyn...etc., etc.' )!

dougdoepke 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.

winstonnc-1 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.