![]() ![]() She wrote the many rapid-fire alliterative tongue-twisters that were Danny’s trick-in-trade. Kaye drew the line, however, at getting his nose bobbed.ĭanny was among the more professionally fortunate of comedians: his wife and partner, Sylvia Fine, was a master lyricist. Kaye look more like a Gentile, Goldwyn persuaded him to change his hair color from brown to strawberry blonde. Interestingly, when Cantor’s well-made star vehicles for Samuel Goldwyn began to slip at the Depression-Era box office, Goldwyn switched to Danny Kaye. His instantaneous transformations from a mild young man into a manic song-and-dance clown seem inspired by Harry Ritz, but Danny’s film character is kin to Harold Lloyd’s innocent, seemingly effete boy who rises to a challenge that demanded courage, as does the wily yet not so innocent Eddie Cantor. It took television to make superstars of Ball, Skelton and the Stooges. Kaye never ranked among the top 10 box office champions, as did his contemporaries Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Mickey Rooney and Martin & Lewis-but, then, The Three Stooges, Lucille Ball or Red Skelton were not major box-office lures. Even at his height of movie popularity, Mr. It is difficult to say how audiences of the 21st century regard Danny Kaye, because his name is usually absent from the roster in review. For the past 50 years, however, Keaton has been considered their equal or the superior talent. Buster Keaton was far less popular in the silent era that Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin or Roscoe Arbuckle. ![]() Villainy was the life’s work of duplicitous Cecil Parker and dastardly Basil Rathbone, while comely damsels Angela Lansbury and Glynis Johns longed for love and rescue.īeing a big comedy star during one’s lifetime is a faulty predictor of how subsequent generations will react to a comedian. The Court Jester intentionally mimicked the real thing, such as The Adventures of Robin Hood. By adding musical numbers and replacing romantic heroes with musical clowns played by Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope, The Ritz Brothers or Danny Kaye, the writers mixed gags with derring-do. Clever screenwriters understood that action adventures and physical comedies both relied on a pulsing pace. Written and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, it’s spoof of what we, as kids, used to call ‘sword pictures,’ adventures that usually starred athletic leading men like Errol Flynn, Richard Greene, Tyrone Power, Cornel Wilde or Louis Hayward. Each day’s film is accompanied by fun facts, family-friendly discussion points and material from the AFI Archive to enrich your viewing experience.Many critics regard The Court Jester as Danny Kaye’s finest film. New to AFI Movie Club? Want to learn more?ĪFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. What are the common fairy tale conventions that you see parodied in this classic comedy? Can you recite it the rhyme from the movie – without looking it up online? With Basil Rathbone poking fun at his own screen persona – have you seen any of his earlier iconic film roles? Or post your responses in the comment section below. Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram now using #AFIMovieClub. The movie doesn’t end at the credits: Family-friendly Discussion Questions The honoree for the evening was director John Ford! On the set of THE COURT JESTER, Head famously told star Danny Kaye: “Oh quit fussing, women go through this all the time.”ĭID YOU KNOW? Danny Kaye was the very first host of the AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony in 1973. Head leads all other female filmmakers with the most Oscars® of all time, winning eight Academy Awards® over the course of 49 years. Olympic coach for his fencing scenes.ĭID YOU KNOW? THE COURT JESTER was co-written, co-produced and co-directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank – a duo who collaborated on many film projects, including WHITE CHRISTMAS.ĭID YOU KNOW? The producers of the film were unimpressed with how Danny Kaye looked in tights, so they made him wear “leg falsies” to improve the shape of his legs.ĭID YOU KNOW? Costume designer Edith Head worked on nearly 500 feature films over the course of her prestigious career. DID YOU KNOW? THE COURT JESTER features Basil Rathbone’s final sword fight on film.ĭID YOU KNOW? Danny Kaye was trained by a U.S.
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