In a big way it seems that Danny Kaye was meant for show business since nothing else seemed to stick and he didn’t seem capable of staying at a job for that long without getting fired for one reason or another. He didn’t finish high school before going on his way to try and become a singer, but his father didn’t pressure him to go back or figure his life out, allowing his son to find his own way and develop his own life. That kind of backfired for a while it sounds until Danny finally found a group that he could perform with, which eventually led him to the fame that he would ride for a good long while until the 80s when he passed away due to heart failure. Throughout his career Danny was the type of guy that loved to get on stage and have a good time and was more than good enough to inspire those that tried to be like him in many different ways.
Here are five of the best movies from his career.
5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Walter is the kind of guy that everyone seems to use as a doormat and he doesn’t stand up for himself all that often. But his fantasy life is rich and inviting and that’s where he tends to go most of the time when he’s being henpecked by everyone else. Unfortunately it’s coming back from these daydreams that gets him in trouble since it usually means that he’s about to be belittled again for not paying attention. When he gets caught up in an actual adventure however he does his very best to keep it from those that have been making his life miserable. This movie was remade with Ben Still not long ago and it follows an updated course that’s kind of like the original.
4. Hans Christian Andersen
Hans is by all means a man that has a great many stories to tell but doesn’t seem to inspire those that would rather see him run out of town for being disruptive. When he is and his friend Peter do make their way to a different city the problems arise once again since despite being friendly and very gifted man when it comes to telling stories, Hans is still quite exuberant and doesn’t always seem to know the meaning of being tactful or fully understand that the woman he’s attracted to is married to a man that she still loves despite the fact that they fight quite often. In the end he’s still seen as one of the greatest storytellers around and returns to his original hometown.
3. The Inspector General
It’s odd how fate works at times since Giorgi was destined to find his neck entwined by a hangman’s noose before the townsfolk found out that the Inspector General was making an appearance in their town. Believing that Giorgi is the Inspector General in disguise they begin to treat him better while all the while plotting to get rid of him in some fashion. When the real Inspector General shows up however he comes to believe that Giorgi is the most honest person he’s ever seen and appoints him as the new mayor of the town, with his friend Yakov becoming the new chief of police. Fate is a funny thing sometimes.
2. The Court Jester
This tale of medieval trickery, deceit, and hilarity is one that has quite a few moving parts but is still kind of fun since Kaye’s character takes on the persona of a man that appears to be nothing but a court jester but is in fact a very skilled assassin. As he takes on the persona however he has no idea of this and simply makes his way to the royal court in order to pursue his own agenda. As things start to happen and he gets the credit for them however his role begins to differ as the man that hired the assassin realizes that he’s not the same person and takes steps to make sure that the jester is eventually taken care of. It’s kind of fun movie to be honest.
1. White Christmas
This is a classic to say the least and many people would likely agree since the whole story leading up to the end is something that seems to highlight the difficulties between men and women and the very real difficulty that comes with show business. Bob and Phil are just two guys trying to make their living and reputation when they meet Betty and Judy and while Judy and Phil hit it off it takes Betty and Bob a while to really come to terms with one another. But by the end of the movie things have been sorted out and everything is as it should be.
Danny Kaye was a legend without any doubt.
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