Danny Kaye

I remember my mom taking me to a downtown theater in Cleveland, Ohio, (a real treat) when I was quite young and Danny Kaye was live on stage, singing and introducing his new movie. I became a fan right there and then and remained a fan until his death in 1987. There were better dancers and there were better singers and there were better comedians but Danny Kaye just seemed to put it all together in a wonderfully unique way.

One of Danny Kaye's best movies was The Court Jester.

Plot: Hawkins (Danny Kaye) is a follower of the Black Fox, a Robin Hood-style rebel who hopes to put the royal heir on the throne in place of the usurper. Hawkins is assigned to entertain the troops and care for the heir, a baby with the royal birthmark on his rear. He is in love with Jean (Glynis Johns), a smart, courageous, and tough Captain of the rebel forces.

Hawkins disguises himself as Giacomo, the King's new jester, to get access to the palace. He finds himself in the midst of intrigue, hypnotized into wooing the Princess (Angela Lansbury) by her lady in waiting, Griselda (Mildred Natwick), and hired by Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone) to kill those who stand between him and the throne. Jean is captured by the King's soldiers, who have been told to round up the prettiest "wenches" in the kingdom. Eventually the good guys triumph, and "life could not better be."

Click here for the funniest dialog in the movie which could only have been done by Danny Kaye. It was copied from this website:

Danny Kaye also starred in "Five Little Pennies" with Louis Armstrong and Barbara Bel Geddes. Songs from that movie included
the title song, Five Little Pennies (lyrics only);
Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey ;
Back Home Again In Indiana ;
Music Goes Round and Round ;and
Lullabye in Ragtime (lyrics only).

A seasonal favorite starred Danny Kaye with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen in White Christmas. (I couldn't find many midi files but have included lyrics.) The music was written by Irving Berlin.

Songs include "White Christmas" which is in the Christmas Music section;
Sisters and Snow (lyrics only).
Count Your Blessings (lyrics only) was sung by Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby.
and The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing featured Danny with Vera-Ellen.

DISCLAIMER: All the songs contained in this site are believed to be in the public domain. The music and information are intended only for personal enjoyment. I have tried to give credit to every website on which I found either the midi or the lyrics for this file. If there is any material used on this site that the author objects to, it will be removed upon notification