The 1955 Danny Kaye musical remains a lovable classic
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
The Pick: The Court Jester (1955)
When I saw The Court Jester on Brendan’s suggested list of swashbucklers for this month’s theme, it was an instant yes. The ’50’s era musical features silly songs, crazy tight corsets and many men in tights. Danny Kaye stars as Hubert Hawkins, a former carnival worker who currently babysits the rescued baby heir to the kingdom but yearns to contribute more to the cause.
He and his partner Jean (Glynis Johns, Mary Poppins, While You Were Sleeping) come up with a plan to sneak in to the castle and put the rightful heir on the throne. A lovestruck princess (Angela Lansbury), her witchy maid (Mildred Natwick, The Quiet Man, Barefoot in the Park) and a scheming advisor (Basil Rathbone) to current king Roderick (Cecil Parker, The Lady Vanishes) quickly disrupt their plans. Hijinks ensue.
The Team
The Court Jester showcases Kaye’s earnestness, zaniness and eagerness to do most anything. I’ve been a fan since I first saw it in junior high; here’s where I admit that Danny Kaye in this picture was one of my earliest film crushes. The opening credits give us a clue as to what we’re in for, as he sings “Life Could Not Better Be” to the audience (the song will recur at the close of the film). Kaye’s wife and partner Sylvia Fine co-wrote the catchy songs with Sammy Cahn (“Written on the Wind,” “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”).
Glynis Johns is the straight woman to Kaye’s goofball character Hawkins. Her Jean is more serious and focused. Hawkins is easily distracted by accidental hypnosis or his confused assumption that Basil Rathbone’s Ravenhurst is their accomplice in the castle. That doesn’t mean Kaye and Simmons don’t have chemistry – let’s be honest, Kaye sparks off most of his scene partners in the film. The sweet lullaby scene where she tells him, “Sometimes tenderness and kindness can also make a man,” still makes me feel a certain way.
I won’t try to piece together the nonsensical plot, because nobody watches this movie for the plot. We watch to see Kaye’s arrogant Giacomo (under hypnosis) woo Princess Gwendolyn (Lansbury), to enjoy the witty wordplay (“the chalice from the palace,” “the flagon with the dragon,” etc.), and to see Hawkins and the rest of his renegade crew take on a tyrant. You can’t take The Court Jester too seriously, and it never asks you to. Yet it’s easy to see the classic film’s influence in later films, such as The Princess Bride. From the choreography (the knighting sequence, especially) to the songs to Kaye’s electric lead performance, there’s a reason we continue to turn to this silly musical in dark times to cheer us up.
THE COURT JESTER was my SPACEBALLS.
That’s Elder Millennial for “movie that parodied a childhood favorite of mine that I was so steeped in that every joke seemed tailor-made for me.” When my babysitter introduced me to a film where Mrs. Banks & Jessica Fletcher were scheming against Sir Guy of Gisborne, it wouldn’t have had to be better than competently mediocre to win me over, but unlike the aforementioned Mel Brooks B-side, this is a film I argue holds up marvelously.
Part of this has to do with the as-yet unsung titular hero, who seems a prefect fit for Danny Kaye’s combination of genuine song-dance-man chops and slick physical comedic timing. It’s downright exhausting watching him bounce around this marathon of carnival clown, lovesick romantic, and brainwashed assassin that he has to embody from scene to scene – often at the literal snap of the fingers. Fellow Cinapse Brendan, Foley, has called Kaye the best example of someone embodying the difference between Clark Kent and Superman right alongside Reeve, and it’s hard to dispute. But what makes him work is how everyone around him is playing just earnestly enough as though they were in a Grand Technicolor Swashbuckler without letting to much cheek overwhelm proceedings.
The film also manages more than a few impressive set pieces in its own right, from the comedic semi-musical knighting ceremony to a third act castle siege that could arguably be the inspiration for part of the Battle of Endor in RETURN OF THE JEDI. There are musical interludes that are still stuck in my head days later, a tongue-twisting escalating bit that rivals the infamous “Who’s On First?” and a final duel between Kaye and Basil Rathbone that’s both genuinely terrifying and hilariously exhilarating. This is the kind of film I love introducing people to, and should be sought out immediately by anyone unfamiliar who’s enjoyed this month’s theme.
Going into this Two Cents, I’ll admit that my knowledge and experience of this era of Hollywood filmmaking, specifically the large scale musicals that seemed to run the industry from the 1930’s all the way through to the early ‘60s, was admittedly lacking, and, truth be told, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. While I’m pretty sure my mileage will probably vary quite a bit with these films (I’d be lying if all the bright technicolor, big musical showcases, and broad pun-based comedy didn’t make me feel like I was having a sugar crash about halfway through), I can say that I enjoyed The Court Jester well enough.
The real sell here, and what kept me entertained throughout, is the masterful Danny Kaye. A perfect example of the Hollywood “showman”, Kaye is able to do it all here; dance, sing, sword fight, and comedy. His repartee between characters is what kept the energy high and fun throughout, from accidentally talking himself into an assassination plot, to bouncing in and out of his lothario persona at the snap of a finger. He’s entertaining as hell, with a supporting cast that are game to be bounce points or crash pads for his antics.
While I did enjoy this, I can also understand why the over reliance on films like this helped in the collapse of the industry back in the late ‘60s. Sure, I can totally believe that The Court Jester is the gold standard, and one of the “good ones”, but, betting the house on these big, broad musical comedies seems like an easy to forecast disaster all these years later (kinda how the superhero boom is looking in 2025…).
Looking at it through the perspective of the modern era, it feels fun and light and almost like a breath of fresh air, how everything just moves and clicks. But, it’s also very clearly the era’s equivalent of a “4 quadrants” film, designed to get as many butts in seats as possible. While I don’t want to seem like an old miser, wagging my cane at what people find fun, I also can’t not see this as what it is; a big, broad studio film.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just no fun anymore; I’ll just stick with my mean-spirited dramas and violent action films. And, what feels like embarrassing proof to that hypothesis: my favorite moment of the film was realizing this was the film used to help illustrate how weird and lonely Jake Gyllenhal’s character is in Nightcrawler.
I admittedly hadn’t watched The Court Jester until 2020. It was the height of lockdown, and like most folks, I was looking for something to take my mind off of anything having to do with the reality of the day. No one could have asked for a better diversion than this fairy tale about humility, chivalry, and the kind of zany laughter that the best classic comedies are made of.
I’m a huge fan of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Danny Kaye’s signature role, but I don’t think the actor ever found a part more suited to him than that of Hubert, whose variation on the classic Robin Hood character is full of such playful energy and true heart, it’s impossible not to fall in love with him. The movie feels like an obvious vehicle for Kaye’s talents, with a large assortment of moments that are solely built to showcase his flair for comedy. When you’re Danny Kaye, however, that’s not so bad. His energy and willingness to literally play the fool at every turn results in the quintessential comedy performance and his commitment to the material lifts The Court Jester into classic territory.
Kaye is not alone in making The Court Jester the laugh riot it is, however. The comedian is joined by a collection of talented actors who each bring their own brand of humor to the hilarious proceedings. Angela Lansbury, in particular, is a hoot as Gwendolyn, the scorned Princess, who scores unexpected laughs when she summons her maid to her room only to insist she drink a deadly potion as punishment for incorrectly predicting her future.
Yet nothing beats the movie’s most signature sequence in which a nervous Hubert is about to battle a more experienced knight and is told that he can save himself by avoiding the cup that has poison in it. The “pellet with the poison” bit is one of the most famous in all of comedy movie history thanks to its brilliant use of wordplay and actors like Mildred Dunnock and Glynis Johns matching the more experienced Kaye and working together in such perfect harmony for a laugh-filled few minutes. When it comes to old-school comedy from the kind of pros that just don’t exist anymore, very few titles beat The Court Jester.
The Court Jester pulls off that loftiest of satirical tricks: It is simultaneously a very funny parody of a thing while also being a sterling example of that thing. Yes, you can watch The Court Jester and delight in all the ways that the film subverts and mocks all manner of studio swashbucklers. This is after all a film with a climax involving a room full of people bowing to an infant child’s butt cheek. Silliness does abound.
But even if you’ve never swung through Sherwood Forest alongside Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, The Court Jester also totally works AS a big swashbuckling adventure film. Like Young Frankenstein does with Universal monster movies, The Court Jester builds a comic universe that’s just a nudge and a tweak away from the real deal, which only makes the outlandish comedic moments all the funnier.
And Danny Kaye nimbly negotiates the difference between sincerity and parody. It’s no surprise that he can play a lovably bumbling doofus, but it is surprising how successfully he slips into the persona of a swaggering lothario and bandit. The way he shifts from one character to another with just the slightest changes of posture and bearing is a real feat of full-body acting, and for my money is the best iteration of the Clark Kent/Superman split this side of Christopher Reeve taking off his glasses.
I would love The Court Jester enough just for being a colorful, witty good time, but what really knocks it over the line into full adoration is the way the movie quietly subverts typical ideals of masculine identity. Without putting so much stress on it as to stop the fun time, The Court Jester makes the very convincing case that empathy, kindness, and fearless silliness are every bit as proud manly qualities as brute force and power-grabs. Kaye’s Hubert starts the film lamenting that he’s not strong enough to make a difference, and by movie’s end it’s clear that it’s a different sort of strength needed to save the day.
This is likely the Two Cents film I’d least likely have watched on my own in the whole time I’ve written for this site. I don’t watch much that’s pre-late 60s. This month’s theme isn’t one I’m generally drawn to. And, I generally don’t find time to watch nearly any musicals not including any of the words Repo, Hedwig, or Rocky. However, I kinda loved the experience – even if not a film I’m going to run back to.
There was comfort for me in the music. While I rarely watch sure musicals now, this particular type of musical and era of film musicals is one I grew up digesting an awful lot of. My mother was a pastor most of my life but she has been a music lover her entire life. These musicals are generally wholesome, so they were on the TVs I grew up around quite often. She’d sing songs from The King and I or South Pacific day in and day out. While I don’t specifically remember this film, I remember seeing Danny Kaye on my screen and his voice is unmistakable.
Couple the comforting music and the fun story with the fact that I intentionally watched this film with some… herbal refreshment. The film’s colors and sounds were all the more vivid. The comedy was more engaging and damn right hilarious at times. The song and dance was extremely fun. And Glynis Johns all the more stunning!
I had a genuinely wonderfully enjoyable evening with The Court Jester that I’d never have had if not invited to by the wonderful Ms. Elizabeth, life could not better be!
March: Swashbuckling Adventure On and Off the High Seas
Our month of Swashbuckling culminates in the two-part adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel!
March 31 – The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (Hulu – 2 hrs 1 minute) / Milady (Hulu – 1 hour 55 minutes)
