THE MUSICAL DANNY KAYE

To start off the posts of the week right, I've turned my attention to the quadruple threat, named Danny Kaye. In Acting, Dancing, Singing & Comedy, he excelled with flying colors that have never been duplicated to this day. From "The Court Jester" (1956) to "Hans Christian Andersen" (1952), he created a Musical genre on his own.

What I love about him was his clean humor. He never had one inappropriate moment, not one dirty joke, just PURE comedy. No one can successfully imitate his speedy limericks or his dizzy tongue twisters, but this wasn't all he had to offer the world. His voice was honest and his acting moving.

He may not have danced like Gene Kelly nor sung like Frank Sinatra but he created his own space in the universe of Hollywood.

AS AN ACTOR:
"Hans Christian Andersen" (1952) & "Wonder Man" (1945) are the first to come in mind. To me, he will always be the author from Denmark. He was the perfect fit for the film, since his voice was matched with his acting. In "Wonder Man," we see him take on two completely opposite roles. From the book worm to the party animal, he never compromised his special something that he always gave in a performance.

AS A DANCER:
With "White Christmas" (1954) as popular as it is in our day, I don't see it needful to elaborate on his talent of dancing. In fact I may only be able to mention a little known fact from the movie itself. As he & Bing Crosby finished off the "Sisters" routine, he had Bing laughing so hard, they had to re-shoot it. With each new take, the laughing got worse until they finally abandoned the idea and stuck with the first shot they had, which is in the film today.

 AS A SINGER:
He had one of the most soft and pure voices of the big screen. My favorite songs of his were "Inchworm" in Hans & the lullaby "I'll Take You Dreaming" in the Jester. Then all of sudden, he becomes a humorous opera singer in "Soliloquy for Three Heads" & "Gypsy Drinking Song" for "The Inspector General" (1949). Another is when he finds himself disguised as the lead in an Opera on "The Wonder Man."

AS A COMEDIAN:
I think the best film to portray his Comedy spectrum was "The Court Jester." It contains all of his shape-shifting, tongue twisting, facial expressing, cowardice best. What a spectacular movie! Each time he was in front of the camera, he presented to us a new side of himself. To find a twin of a comedian, I would have to turn to the great Red Skelton. Both with red hair and each with there own unique pantomimic expressions.

I wish I could show all of my favorite clips but this post would take up the whole site. Instead, I have created this collage to portray his alter egos.