![]() Written and directed by the veteran comedy team of Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, The Court Jester was shot in VistaVision, Paramount’s widescreen attempt to lure television viewers back into movie theatres. After a rental VHS copy of The Court Jester first appeared in our house, Rebecca was engrossed - so much so that we subsequently bought a copy. She was no more than three, but already aware of Danny Kaye because her maternal grandmother had a mint 10-inch vinyl copy of Danny at the Palace (1957). I didn’t discover his masterwork, The Court Jester (1955), until my daughter, Rebecca, born 30 years after the film was released, was old enough to watch with me. For the next three decades, I forgot about Kaye. Of one of his movie appearances, Pauline Kael wrote, “If he uses that Irish impersonation again, even the infants may crawl out for a cigarette.” At camp, my bunkmates were now singing Allan Sherman’s and Tom Lehrer’s timelier parodies. He then went to Hollywood, where he specialized in playing lovable dreamers - schlemiels with rich fantasy lives.ĭuring my adolescence, I began to wince at Kaye’s patented awestruck expressions and foreign accents. Born Daniel David Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1913, he’d gone from musical revues in New York and London, where he dazzled audiences with rapid-patter songs written for him by his wife Sylvia Fine, to Broadway musicals. In fact, Kaye had been a star since my parents’ childhood. At summer camp, if I heard a bunkmate wail, “Mommy, gimme a drinka water,” I knew that we owned the same Danny Kaye record. My classmates and I knew the songs from Hans Christian Andersen (1952), even if we boys didn’t always admit it. I am half agony, half hope.When I was growing up in the 1960s, the entertainer Danny Kaye seemed to be everywhere - today traveling the world on behalf of UNICEF, tonight hosting his own CBS variety show. “The stuff that dreams are made of.” ROMANCE RATING Where to Watch: The Court Jester is available on Netflix and can be bought to stream or on DVD at Amazon. Fans of Princess Bride should definitely give it a go.Ĭontent Note: The film has an Approved rating in the US. The Court Jester is a fun film with action, romance, intrigue, comedy and great costumes. Then there is Princess Gwendolyn who dreams of marrying for love, whom Hubert romances, while under hypnosis. First, there is the fondness between Hubert and his female Captain who has put aside her own happiness until the mission is successfully carried out. This was an unusual stance for a film to take at the time. It is also interesting that Jean is attracted to Hubert precisely because he is not a typical action hero but a kind and good man. The roles of the female characters stood out as being surprisingly active for the time. Besides, this film is set in a non-specific Hollywood Middle Ages that many similar films use, so accuracy isn’t all that important. While they are in no way historically accurate, they are gorgeous. The costumes are colorful and suit the tone of the film perfectly. I don’t generally like musicals but I enjoyed this one a great deal. He takes easily to swordplay and was famous for his ability to mimic. Kaye is on familiar ground here, having also starred in films like White Christmas and Hans Christian Anderson. This is certainly an old-fashioned musical in the big sense. RELATED POST – Vintage Film Review: I Was a Male War Bride (1949) – A Saucy Romantic Comedy with Slapstick There is wordplay, slapstick, farce and much more. Both women are excellent in their roles with excellent comedic timing. The Court Jester also stars Glynis Jones and Angela Lansbury who are much younger than we are used to seeing them. His performance is versatile and full of heart. Danny Kaye is the talented center of the film and carries it well. This is largely due to the writing and the performance of the stars. ![]() Seizing the opportunity to place a spy in the King’s court, Jean knocks him out and convinces Hawkins to impersonate him. On the way, they run into Giacomo, a Jester who is traveling to serve King Roderick. Hubert and Captain Jean are instructed to bring the baby safely to an Abbey where he can be protected. Hubert Hawkins is an ordinary man following The Black Fox, an outlaw hero fighting to return the true heir to power. The baby prince survived and was smuggled away by loyalists. King Roderick has usurped the throne of England, killing the entire royal family, save one. The whole thing is played tongue-in-cheek, however, for maximum comedy. ![]() There are dashing swordfights, romantic trysts, and devious plots. It is a good-natured comedy that takes full advantage of the trappings of the genre. The Court Jester is a musical parody of popular old swashbuckling films starring the likes of Errol Flynn.
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