Ruth Leon recommends… The Inspector General – Danny Kaye
Ruth Leon recommendsThe Inspector General – Danny Kaye
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Even as a small child it was difficult to make me laugh, especially at things that were supposd to be funny. Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy left me cold and I could never understand why my friends laughed at their silly grown-up antics. I was the kid who never wanted a clown at my birthday party.
But then I encountered Danny Kaye. Not in person, obviously, but on film, and he made me fall off my chair every time. Whether he was singing a nonsense song or doing some complicated mime, or pretending to be a duck, I loved him. His Ugly Duckling song made me cry in sympathy, and I knew about inchworms almost before I could talk. I could sing, almost in tune, all his songs, even those which had no comprehensible lyrics.
I was four when he made the movie of The Inspector General and I insisted on seeing it twice around in the local cinema. (Remember when you could see a film twice just by staying in your seat?) How did I know about it at all? No idea, but I was a city kid and somebody must have mentioned it in connection with Danny Kaye.
The Inspector General is a Hollywood movie musical which bears only passing resemblance to the original satirical play on which it is loosely based, The Government Inspector by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nicolai Gogol. The play is a comedy of errors, satirizing greed, stupidity, and the extensive political corruption of Imperial Russia. Kaye’s version sets the story in Napoleon’s empire, instead of Russia, and the main character is Georgi, an illiterate clown fired from a traveling carnival for not being greedy or deceptive enough. He wanders into a town which is meticulously preparing for a visit by a government inspector general. Mistaken for the official, the town caters to the clueless Georgi’s every whim–until the real inspector arrives.
I think everybody has something or someone that tickles their individual funny bone. Danny Kaye still does it for me, just as he did when I was four, but even if he’s not your bag, you can enjoy the meticulous artistry and thought that has gone into every moment of his performance in this film. I didn’t know about that when I was four. I just knew he made me laugh until I fell off my chair.
I’ve been a Danny Kaye addict since childhood, when I’d watch his films and weekly variety show on TV. Here’s a personal favorite: the final scene from “Wonder Man”, in which Kaye, pursued by gangsters who want to kill him, has to fake his way through an opera performance while simultaneously conveying information to the District Attorney (“D. A.!!”), who’s in the audience.
https://youtu.be/J8qdGLHiARY
Wonderful, Adam: thank you!
I loved his tv programme but he always went on just a little too long in his skits.
What a wonderful story, film and comedian!!! I still enjoy sharing Kaye’s brilliance with younger people (15-40?) who often respond “Wow. Cool. Can I find him on TikTok?”
We should also remember Kaye for the work he did conducting American orchestras in pension benefit concerts. I was fortunate to play in some of these with two different orchestra. He really could conduct and the programs enlisted the Musicians to act essentially as the collective “straight man.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUjMLBtCRgY
One thing the audience never saw was how severely earnest he could be in rehearsal if he was unpleased with something as a player who tried to insert a bit of a joke on his own found out. As it disrupted the timing of Kaye’s material he stopped the rehearsal and said in no uncertain terms, “Comedy is serious business—don’t ***k it up!!!”
His conducting was quite natural with the impeccable rhythm of a supreme song and dance man—some of my fondest memories in a forty-plus year career.
One of the funniest things I ever saw on TV was Kaye conducting Bolero on PBS’ Great Performances series. After a few bars, Kaye put down his baton and wandered through the audience, greeting Placido Domingo, dancing with an old lady, all with the music building. Finally, he returned to the podium to finish the piece. Hilarious!
I played in the orchestra at Yale University in 1976 when he guest conducted our group during 3 days of total fun.
It the first time he started doing benefit concerts. He couldn’t read music but he was undoubtedly the best conductor I’ve ever worked with. Why?… because of his eye contact with the musicians.
For me, no other Maestro has ever come close to him in that département.
This is just terrific, thanks for posting!
No Golden Age star has aged less well than Danny Kaye. His over-the-top, effeminate humour is more badly dated than 2 month old expired milk. He’s completey unwatchable.
I can agree. His movies seem hopelessly contrived now and it’s very difficult to put oneself in the mind of the credulous golden-age audiences.
A true genius & humanitarian. Such a wonderful man. I can instantly call up his voice, so heart-filled it still brings tears. I got put to bed with “Mommmy, gimme a drinka water!” & “Thumbelina”. And we watched all the films. One of a kind. I miss him..
I fell under his spell in Hans Christian Anderson when I was young boy. His comedy had to be more restrained in that movie but the role he played oozes with charm and sincerity. I still remember the entire glorious score by Frank Loesser, both music and lyrics. The man was so versatile: a singer whose inate talent was that of a jazz musician, dancer(remember that elegant dance number with Vera Ellen?), comedian or comic, sketch artist, mimic, linguistically facile in gibberish on par with Sid Ceasar, dramatic actor(TV movie Skokie), master chef, and a pilot. Just the mention of his name brings a smile to my face.