Danny Kaye on blu-ray? (1 Viewer)

[PODER]

While I agree wholeheartedly that THE COURT JESTER is one of the all-time great comedies, and the "vessel with the pestle" is sheer
genius, I've always found it curious that Angela Lansbury's story never gets wrapped up. She's a major character for most of the film,
and then just disappears!
Am I missing something here? If so, I'd love to have someone tell me what ...

 

[Douglas R]

While I agree wholeheartedly that THE COURT JESTER is one of the all-time great comedies, and the "vessel with the pestle" is sheer
genius, I've always found it curious that Angela Lansbury's story never gets wrapped up. She's a major character for most of the film,
and then just disappears!
Am I missing something here? If so, I'd love to have someone tell me what ...

I've just been watching this in HD on SKY TV. It looked pretty good. Angela Lansbury doesn't disappear. She's there in the last shot, hand in hand with Griswold to whom she has clearly become attached following his fealty to the rightful King.
I saw THE COURT JESTER when it was first released when I was 10 years old and found it hilarious. I'd also seen, before then, WHITE CHRISTMAS and HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (my parents must have been Kaye fans) but my memory of the latter is very hazy - I must have only been 7 years old and it must have been one of the earliest films I saw.

 

[John_S]

Definitely put me down for WONDER MAN, THE COURT JESTER, A SONG IS BORN, THE KID FROM BROOKLYN and THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY.

Me too! Any with Virginia Mayo get my vote!

 

[MattPeriolat]

Didn't the Goldwyn library just get picked up by WB? If so, MAYBE we might get these movies. Is a real mystery that they are so rare on either Blu or DVD.

 

[shoeshineboy]

With the upcoming Ben Stiller remake of the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, might we finally get a new release of this -- and hopefully some of the others that seem jammed in the gum works -- Danny Kaye gem? It could cause me to get that BR machine (which, would also require a new TV and system, hence my he$itation)... It's been OOP a very long time. What could the hold up be? Who owns the Goldwyn properties now?

 

[moviepas]

Warner Bros leases them now.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I too am a huge Danny Kaye fan and hopeful that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Court Jester will be released this year.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by Keith Cobby
I too am a huge Danny Kaye fan and hopeful that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Court Jester will be released this year.

I think if we get any Danny Kaye on Blu-ray this year, it'll be one or both of those two.

 

[lukejosephchung]

"Hans Christian Andersen", Danny's 1952 Goldwyn musical, is already available on BD from Warner and was done properly for the most part...the Forum's resident film restoration expert Robert A. Harris gave it a largely favorable review, which I concur with. Given that this is the first of the Kaye/Goldwyn musicals to be released for the HD physical media market, it's a promising start...I'm hopeful that his catalog will be treated rightly by George Feltenstein and Ned Price at Warner's!!!

 

[Mark-W]

There is a great run of Danny Kaye films today (SUN 1/20/2013) on TCM for those who haven't seen or don't remember how wonderful these films are.

 

[Matt Hough]

And it's been interesting catching his daughter Dena's comments between the films.

 

[Steve Armbrust]

Also interesting to watch the Dick Cavett episode featuring Danny. It was a much lower key era of talk shows back then.

 

[Ejanss]

Didn't realize Merry Andrew was the last bigscreen Kaye-vehicle musical, but I can see that--Caught it on TCM long ago, and it's pretty awful. Even so, you can see White Christmas exhibiting the symptoms that studio musicals were on the way out by 1956 (the "big show" is a TV broadcast?), which is one of the things that bugs me every December about people who think it's "the" classic Christmas version without ever having heard of Fred Astaire in "Holiday Inn". (Yes, I'm stuck with some folks like that, and I'm sure everyone is.)

Also interesting to watch the Dick Cavett episode featuring Danny. It was a much lower key era of talk shows back then.

(sigh)...I remember the days when afternoon talk shows were benign housewife-filler, the shows tried to be daytime Johnny Carsons, and old stars needed the work. Can't remember which were Mike Douglas and which were Merv Griffin, but think those were my first exposures to Alfred Hitchcock, Moe Howard, and John & Yoko.

 

[Matt Hough]

But the big show in White Christmas (which was released in 1954, not 1956) is NOT a television broadcast. Ed Harrison wanted to broadcast it, but Bob Wallace said no. The stage show is for the visitors to Pine Tree Lodge, and one suspects that with the Haynes sisters newly added, it will likely travel back to Broadway with the two newly married couples.

 

[Ejanss]

But the big show in White Christmas  (which was released in 1954, not 1956) is NOT a television broadcast. Ed Harrison wanted to broadcast it, but Bob Wallace said no. The stage show is for the visitors to Pine Tree Lodge, and one suspects that with the Haynes sisters newly added, it will likely travel back to Broadway with the two newly married couples.

Even so, there are a LOT of 50's-60's Decline-of-Musical symptoms, like the "Choreography" number with Danny satirizing artsy-beatnik modern-dance-- Was just about to get into discussions about Marilyn Monroe's Let's Make Love over on the 60's-Vote thread, and THAT one's rather particularly painful to sit through for two hours of sour-graping about Broadway and nightclub variety losing out to modern dance, beatnik jazz, television, the rise of experimental Off-Broadway, and those kids with their Elvis rock 'n roll. (When Yves Montand has to go and get lessons in "real entertainment" from Gene Kelly and Milton Berle, the unspoken director message is spread on pretty thick with a trowel.) Not to mention, the numbers in mid/late-50's musicals aren't what they used to be, with the style of entertainment moving out of nightspot-tuxedo NY and more into the rise of Vegas--More sequins, less substance. (I probably wouldn't be complaining in June, but yeesh, coming off a month after having to watch WC EVERY year with family who didn't know Bing sang it in any other movie...It's not even a Christmas movie anyway, it's an Army buddy comedy for sentimental Korea re-enlistee vets who wanted to reminisce about their WWII days, and it doesn't even snow till the last five minutes!)

 

[Keith Cobby]

White Christmas (my second favourite Danny Kaye film, after The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and ahead of The Court Jester and Wonder Man). I think of it as a Christmas film but could watch it on any day of the year, unlike Holiday Inn which I only watch at Christmas. Fantastic script with many 'one-liners' from Danny and Bing, wonderful Vera Ellen (also in Wonder Man with Danny and Virginia Mayo who was also in Mitty) and of course the first film released in VistaVision. They don't make them like that anymore.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I've seen both White Christmas and Holiday Inn countless times and have always thought that, despite what Leonard Maltin says in his movie guide, White Christmas is vastly superior. Fred Astaire is most unlikable in Holiday Inn (from a pure story perspective apart from the musical numbers, Bob Hope would have been a better match for Bing). Marjorie Reynolds is a pretty face, but nothing more. The other girl barely gets anything to do, and she has what I always call the Gail Patrick role, since we're not supposed to like her much anyway. The Berlin musical numbers are fine, however, even if Abraham doesn't work for today's sensibilities. By contrast, White Christmas has two powerhouse talents supporting Bing and Danny: Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. Clooney's singing and Vera-Ellen's dancing are the best that Hollywood ever had to offer. Both are far more interesting than Marjorie Reynolds and the other girl. The only complications come from misunderstandings, which makes everyone likable, which is a plus for such a light-hearted entertainment. The musical score is equal to Holiday Inn. I particularly love the new songs "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," "Count Your Blessings," "Sisters" and "Snow." The supporting players (Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes, Johnny Grant and an unbilled Barrie Chase) are tops. It's all wrapped up in a VistaVision gift package decked out in beautiful Technicolor to make an unbeatable Christmas present that I like to revisit every year.

 

[rsmithjr]

I've seen both White Christmas and Holiday Inn countless times and have always thought that, despite what Leonard Maltin says in his movie guide, White Christmas is vastly superior. Fred Astaire is most unlikable in Holiday Inn (from a pure story perspective apart from the musical numbers, Bob Hope would have been a better match for Bing). Marjorie Reynolds is a pretty face, but nothing more. The other girl barely gets anything to do, and she has what I always call the Gail Patrick role, since we're not supposed to like her much anyway. The Berlin musical numbers are fine, however, even if Abraham doesn't work for today's sensibilities. By contrast, White Christmas has two powerhouse talents supporting Bing and Danny: Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. Clooney's singing and Vera-Ellen's dancing are the best that Hollywood ever had to offer. Both are far more interesting than Marjorie Reynolds and the other girl. The only complications come from misunderstandings, which makes everyone likable, which is a plus for such a light-hearted entertainment. The musical score is equal to Holiday Inn. I particularly love the new songs "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," "Count Your Blessings," "Sisters" and "Snow." The supporting players (Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes, Johnny Grant and an unbilled Barrie Chase) are tops. It's all wrapped up in a VistaVision gift package decked out in beautiful Technicolor to make an unbeatable Christmas present that I like to revisit every year.

+1 It needed to be said. Actually, the further away from its origins we, get the better White Christmas holds up. Other elements: 1. Kaye's novelty numbers are great. Love seeing Bing and Danny mimic the sisters number in semi-drag. 2. Paramount's color scheme from the 50's is really marvelous, gives Technicolor another reason to exist. 3. So many little touches in the film that just work. The snow number with the drinks being served, the sheriff trying to arrest the girls, no snow when they arrive in New England. Everything Dean Jagger and Mary Wickes do. The inn set is wonderful. It is like Henry Higgins house in My Fair Lady: you are disappointed when you find out it is not real. My only regret is that it wasn't recorded in true stereo.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Here's hoping The Court Jester makes it out on Blu-ray soon.

 

[Matt Hough]

Love these discussions of White Christmas, a movie that has resonated with me for many decades. Never thought I'd live to have a gorgeous home video copy to play whenever I wanted. I used to LIVE for those "Saturday Night at the Movies" replays every year.