The Jack Benny Show, "The Kid from Brooklyn", April 28, 1946
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Guest: Danny Kaye
Regulars: Jack Benny, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Mary Livingstone, Don Wilson, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Mel Blanc |
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The cast walks home after viewing Danny Kaye's latest motion picture, "The Kid from Brooklyn" and eventually run into Danny on the way. Later, at home, Jack is visited by four ghosts, including one from one of Danny's earlier pictures. |
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Listen closely to hear Jack having a hard time keeping from laughing when Danny Kaye performs. The two have a lot of fun doing this show. Danny performs "Concerto for Tongue and Orchestra." A good, solid Benny Show. (Sadly, a few lines appear to be missing, ostensibly in the transition between recording disks, and other static and additional recording problems mar the recording.)
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"Mr. Miland" must refer to actor Ray Miland who earned an Academy Award earlier that year for his performance as an alcoholic in the movie The Lost Weekend. |
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"Jack and Mary run into Danny Kaye when they go to Warner Brother's offices to talk about plans for a new motion picture on Jack's Life."
ReplyDeleteI love the way Jack talks about Danny and Danny's reaction to it. And the "swelling" part is wonderful. And when Jack says look at that confident expression on Danny's face. I could just see it. Him sitting there, reading the newspaper. Confident and all.
"the kid from brooklyn"
ReplyDeletewell, that scene with jack and danny on the street is hillarious! how they keep out-joking each other. and that last one with danny saying, the manager did already return the admission to him, just wonderful. i love his voice the whole scene there. it sounds like they were having a spectacular time. what a priceless time it was too. and that song...unforgettable...
"the kid from brooklyn"
ReplyDeletei also like the way, they explain in that book jack's reading about ghosts. and how they come to be.
"some guy kept blowing the horn at midnight. it drove me nuts." oh, my goodness...this is so funny! i love danny's laugh and interpretation and how jack can't keep from laughing at danny's performance...this is really special!
ReplyDeletebemosi wrote: "I could just see it. Him
ReplyDeletesitting there, reading the newspaper. Confident and all."
The way the audience reacts in small waves here, I often wonder whether Danny has come up near the microphones by that time and what his facial expression must be at that line.
bemosi wrote: "that scene with jack and danny on the street is hillarious! . . . it sounds like they were having a spectacular time. what a priceless time it was too. and that song...unforgettable... "
ReplyDeleteI think it is a little unusual for Danny to laugh enough to lose a line in the middle of one of his own songs, isn't it? I mean, usually he has so much control and precision when performing his songs, even if he is freely enjoying himself with the radio scripts. I think he must have been watching Jack during part of his "Concerto" and really enjoying the moment more than concentrating on the precision of his performance--which, in this case, is delightful for us to hear!
Yes, Danny and Jack were certainly having a grand time. It is a wonderful moment! I'm glad you could enjoy it with me.
bemosi wrote: "some guy kept blowing the horn at midnight. it drove me nuts." oh, my goodness...this is so funny! i love danny's laugh and interpretation and how jack can't keep from laughing at danny's performance...this is really special!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is the part that prompted me to put up this post. It was just too fun not to share! I'm so glad you could enjoy it with me. :-)
"The way the audience reacts in small waves here, I often wonder whether Danny has come up near the microphones by that time"
ReplyDeleteme too. how wonderful it would be if he had. i think he might have. hard to resist with such a wonderful audience :-)
"I think it is a little unusual for Danny to laugh enough to lose a line in the middle of one of his own songs, isn't it?"
ReplyDeletei'd like to think so too. that's why i love this moments so much. when you can't help yourself and just let it out no matter what. and that's also why i loved the "evie" moments when they were doing the danny kaye radio show. when in the middle of singing a russian ballad danny fall out of it and starts laughing so he misses a couple of words and the orchestra has to wait for him to get back into it. the scene is when he's singing it to evie...perhaps she was making a face ;-)). i noticed, after watching some of eve arden's own work, that there were so many similarities. when she appeared on what's my line for example. she reminded me of danny. the timing of the jokes and how she did them was so similar. i couldn't help but think, how they studied their lines and accents together. wonderful times indeed...
"Yes, this is the part that prompted me to put up this post. It was just too fun not to share! I'm so glad you could enjoy it with me. :-)"
ReplyDeletetoo fun indeed! i love the moment when professionals can't take it anymore and they just let it out. those are really special moments. and i often wonder how they were able to keep straight faces on long enough to film all those fun court jester moments. i know i would have cracked every time ;-))
i forgot to mention one particular part...i'm listening to the kid from brooklyn show once more...when they are on the street and jack starts the "you and i" bit and then changes it to "i and you" while already laughing and then danny shouts "what happened to you and i????"...oh, my godness that really cracks me up. i still have a smole all across my face... :-)))
ReplyDeletebemosi wrote: ". . . i often wonder how they were able to keep straight faces on long enough to film all those fun court jester moments. i know i would have cracked every time ;-))"
ReplyDeleteConcentration, I suspect. But, yes, I would have a hard time keeping a straight face, too.
I'm pretty sure my favorite moment in "The Court Jester" is where where Danny turns from Fergus the Ostler to face Griselda (Mildred Natwick) just as she has walked in. Danny is grinning as he comes nose-to-nose to her and says, "Who are you?" and she returns the grin (photo clip here) and states her name before both immediately drop into dead seriousness for Danny to ask, "Gri-whooll-da?." It really doesn't make any sense for either of the characters to be grinning with such delight at that point. I feel certain that Danny was bubbling over from having fun, that Ms. Natwick found Danny's smile just too contagious to resist, and then both snapped out of it as good professionals do. How delightful that it was decided to use that take for the movie, for the rest of us to enjoy!
I wrote: ". . . that Ms. Natwick found Danny's smile just too contagious to resist, and then both snapped out of it as good professionals do."
ReplyDeleteActually, I just re-watched that clip and think maybe I was wrong: Their snapping out of the shared smile looks like it was probably planned that way. Still, the smiles as they first approach each other seem too delighted to really be expected in the storyline, so perhaps this happened in an earlier take and they kept that part just because it was more fun that way? At any rate, I still love that scene.
"Danny is grinning as he comes nose-to-nose to her and says, "Who are you?" and she returns the grin (photo clip here) and states her name before both immediately drop into dead seriousness for Danny to ask, "Gri-whooll-da?."
ReplyDeletethat "gri-whooll-da" makes me laugh every singe time. and that "who-goos-the-what's-ler" too :-). danny's magnificent in his timing and interpretation. and how he moves thru the scene. and the hypnotic moment that follows. the first time i watched that scene my jaw dropped and i couldn't move till it was over. had such an effect on me. i read somewhere that it was imperative for this movie to use and english cast with english theatrical actors. and they really did cant this movie perfectly."
"so perhaps this happened in an earlier take and they kept that part just because it was more fun that way?"
ReplyDeleteoh, i really need to rewatch this myself. i'll do it as soon as i come home. you have really made me want to see that clip a.s.a.p. :-) thank you so much :-)
bemosi, now I look at it (yet again) and think maybe Ms. Natwick really is spontaneously reacting to Danny's fun, then taking a breath and switching back to all seriousness. I think you are better equipped to judge than I am. I'll be interested to hear what you think.
ReplyDeleteYes, all-in-all, it is a fun scene, with engaging pacing and motion throughout. I always enjoy how you worked into your Tribute video the clips of Danny marching toward the door and leaning toward the motion of Griselda's commanding fingers.
"I always enjoy how you worked into your Tribute video the clips of Danny marching toward the door and leaning toward the motion of Griselda's commanding fingers."
ReplyDeletethe leaning part i even flipped horizontally, because i wanted the video to keep going "forward" :-). i took the liberty. hope you don't mind. i even tweeked the marching to the door part. i'm so glad you mentioned it. because the music was slower i needed to slow the marching down a little bit still i wanted to keep the tweeking unseen :-) so it does not disturb the clip itself. i do love those moments so much. there are so many more of my favourite ones but could not fit them all into one video :-))
had to visit this one again. just wonderful. thank you.
ReplyDelete