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Danny Kaye: King of Jesters
You remember the red-haired zany from the holiday favorite White Christmas ... the lovable storyteller Hans Christian Andersen ... the daydreamer Walter Mitty ... the tongue-tied Court Jester ... Now step behind the camera during the making of these classic movies.
Packed with never-before-published anecdotes and photos, Danny Kaye: King of Jesters takes the first-ever behind-the-scenes look at the creation of his film, TV, radio and stage work, and at the secret life of the incredible
performer behind them.
As the first performer ever to be personally requested by His Highness to headline a Command Performance, Danny Kaye was literally both King of Jesters and Jester of Kings. But his was a life built on much more than buffoonery, for he could conceivably master any discipline he committed himself to singing straight or scat, dancing, comedy, even the culinary arts and humanitarian efforts, indeed anything he put his mind to.
Ironically, it took years for him to be discovered in show business because he could do too much and proved impossible to classify. So, too, his particular genius required absolute concentration so absolute that everything and everyone around him usually vanished. Consequently, he ceded management of his career to others first a kindly Catskills mentor, then revue impressario Max Liebman, and finally hyper-aggressive songstress Sylvia Fine, who would catapult Kaye to stardom and become his lifelong coach, content provider, and wife.
Although he reached princely heights as an entertainer, his six-decade career in show business never resulted in an accurate, even-handed biography or analysis of his work. Danny Kaye: King of Jesters provides both. Based on decades of research and interviews, the book clears up previous misconceptions about Kaye, right down to his birthday. Even more, it is a fun, backstage look at the making of his greatest roles, recounting the production of all of his films, his weekly TV series, radio series, Broadway roles, and the best of his work off-Broadway, in audio recordings, and TV specials.
Packed with never-before-published anecdotes and photos, Danny Kaye: King of Jesters takes the first-ever behind-the-scenes look at the creation of his film, TV, radio and stage work, and at the secret life of the incredible
performer behind them.
As the first performer ever to be personally requested by His Highness to headline a Command Performance, Danny Kaye was literally both King of Jesters and Jester of Kings. But his was a life built on much more than buffoonery, for he could conceivably master any discipline he committed himself to singing straight or scat, dancing, comedy, even the culinary arts and humanitarian efforts, indeed anything he put his mind to.
Ironically, it took years for him to be discovered in show business because he could do too much and proved impossible to classify. So, too, his particular genius required absolute concentration so absolute that everything and everyone around him usually vanished. Consequently, he ceded management of his career to others first a kindly Catskills mentor, then revue impressario Max Liebman, and finally hyper-aggressive songstress Sylvia Fine, who would catapult Kaye to stardom and become his lifelong coach, content provider, and wife.
Although he reached princely heights as an entertainer, his six-decade career in show business never resulted in an accurate, even-handed biography or analysis of his work. Danny Kaye: King of Jesters provides both. Based on decades of research and interviews, the book clears up previous misconceptions about Kaye, right down to his birthday. Even more, it is a fun, backstage look at the making of his greatest roles, recounting the production of all of his films, his weekly TV series, radio series, Broadway roles, and the best of his work off-Broadway, in audio recordings, and TV specials.
- GenresBiographyNonfictionFilm
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
David Koenig
34 books47 followersDavid Koenig is the senior editor of the 80-year-old business journal, The Merchant Magazine.
After receiving his degree in journalism from California State University, Fullerton (aka Cal State Disneyland), he began years of research for his first book, Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland (1994), which he followed with Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks (1997, revised 2001) and More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland (1999) (All titles published by Bonaventure Press).
He lives in Aliso Viejo, California, with his lovely wife, Laura, their wonderful son, Zachary, and their adorable daughter, Rebecca.
After receiving his degree in journalism from California State University, Fullerton (aka Cal State Disneyland), he began years of research for his first book, Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland (1994), which he followed with Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks (1997, revised 2001) and More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland (1999) (All titles published by Bonaventure Press).
He lives in Aliso Viejo, California, with his lovely wife, Laura, their wonderful son, Zachary, and their adorable daughter, Rebecca.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 13, 2020
I spotted this in the library and picked it up, hoping to learn about this performer I loved in the movies I saw. And the introduction by the author led me to believe he had a lot of information about Danny Kaye and was going to share it with us. Either he did not have the information, or he decided to keep it to himself.
The book basically skims over Kaye's childhood, mentioning how he got into performing and some of his characteristics, such as how he was able to absorb a great amount of information at once and how he was multitalented. Most of the rest of the book mentions all the movies and television shows he performed in, his personal life being little covered. The author claims that he wanted to avoid digging into his private life, but it felt like an excuse for being too lazy to research his subject and explain why he chose the paths in life that he did.
If you want a biography of Danny Kaye, this isn't it. We learn little about his childhood and family life, or why he chose to be a performer as opposed to say, playing sports (which he was also good at), what his attitudes were about the times and society he lived in, and basically what made him tick and what kept him going on his life journey. This is what I want from a biography, and this book does not provide.
The book basically skims over Kaye's childhood, mentioning how he got into performing and some of his characteristics, such as how he was able to absorb a great amount of information at once and how he was multitalented. Most of the rest of the book mentions all the movies and television shows he performed in, his personal life being little covered. The author claims that he wanted to avoid digging into his private life, but it felt like an excuse for being too lazy to research his subject and explain why he chose the paths in life that he did.
If you want a biography of Danny Kaye, this isn't it. We learn little about his childhood and family life, or why he chose to be a performer as opposed to say, playing sports (which he was also good at), what his attitudes were about the times and society he lived in, and basically what made him tick and what kept him going on his life journey. This is what I want from a biography, and this book does not provide.
December 29, 2020
I consumed this book - I couldn't stop reading. The author's stated goal is to walk a middle ground between fawning and sensational muck-raking and I think he did a great job of that. I loved that the book was centered on Kaye's various projects -in chronological order - and much information was provided on the background of how each project came to be and the critical reaction to each - though I'm shocked to learn that neither Kaye nor the public nor the critics liked The Inspector General, one of my all time favorite movies! I definitely recommend this book if one is a Kaye fan or even if one enjoys learning more about the movie business in the 40s and 50s or the making of television shows in the 60s (the "black and white" vs "color" war between NBC and CBS was amazing to me - I didn't know anything about that!) or enjoys reading about the showbiz industry in general.
May 29, 2016
It took forever to read this book. It's not that it's not interesting, it is. The idea of telling Danny Kaye's life through his work was brilliant and kept it from dragging through the mud. Still, it lacked a narrative throughline which made it easy to put it down after only a page or two. Glad I read it, but also glad it's over.
June 10, 2013
Although there is much of interest - over all it is a very tedious read. Danny Kaye is a favorite of mine and there were things I learned that were of interest but I am not sure I would recommend it. The author wrote it basing the arrangement on Danny Kaye's various movies and shows and appearances starting from the very first to the end so interesting in some ways.
September 27, 2020
An interesting and detailed book about Danny Kaye’s body of work. It lacks any detail about Danny Kaye the person. A tedious read and I’m glad I got to the end! Rather disappointing :-(
January 7, 2022
I love Danny Kaye. Such a brilliant entertainer, such a complex man. I really appreciated that this wasn't a book full of gossip. I'm not interested in that. What I wanted was to get a sense of this amazing man and his talent from people who worked with him. As always with anything concerning Danny Kaye, I am left wanting more. If you admire Danny for the genius he was, you will enjoy this book.
February 1, 2023
I really enjoyed this look at the life of one of my favorite Golden-Age actors. After I read this book (which sometimes felt a bit like scrolling through his IMDb), I went on a Danny Kaye film festival to catch the movies I hadn't seen him in. I think finding clips and/or watching the movies Koenig speaks about in this biography help paint a picture and give you insight.
July 30, 2020
Was a little too detailed for me, but I did enjoy learning more about his life and work. Danny Kaye has been my favorite actor since I was little, so it was fun to get a better idea of who he was and how his movies and shows came about.
June 22, 2022
A frustrating book about a fascinating man. This could have been so interesting, but read more like a biography of what Danny Kaye did, rather than the man himself.
December 18, 2024
An interesting book about Danny Kaye. I'd have given it four stars, but way too much detail at the end-lists of every tv show and who was in the cast, etc.
December 29, 2014
Absolutely great for everyone who wants detailed descriptions and "making of"s of Danny Kaye's movies, tv-series and -specials and radio-shows. The author started his research in the early 1980s and was able to interview many of Kayes's contemporaries, from co-stars to writers and producers.
As stated in the foreword, this is not a biography - apart from a general outline of Danny Kaye's childhood and some remarks now and then about him getting married or the birth of his daughter, there is practically no personal information.
This is a book that focuses solely on the actor's work and shows in well-written and -structured chapters how his act developted and how the individual movies and shows were made. It also includes the creative personel of every radio- and tv-program he made as well as a list of all the episodes of the "Danny Kaye Show", complete with guest stars, sketches and songs.
For a more personal look on Danny Kaye (as well as some of the gossip - be it true or not) I recommend "Nobody's Fool" by Martin Gottfried.
As stated in the foreword, this is not a biography - apart from a general outline of Danny Kaye's childhood and some remarks now and then about him getting married or the birth of his daughter, there is practically no personal information.
This is a book that focuses solely on the actor's work and shows in well-written and -structured chapters how his act developted and how the individual movies and shows were made. It also includes the creative personel of every radio- and tv-program he made as well as a list of all the episodes of the "Danny Kaye Show", complete with guest stars, sketches and songs.
For a more personal look on Danny Kaye (as well as some of the gossip - be it true or not) I recommend "Nobody's Fool" by Martin Gottfried.
January 23, 2016
This book was a look at the career of Danny Kaye. There is some personal information, including his family history, marriage to Sylvia Fine and mention of his daughter's birth, the focus really is on his career and charity work, rather than an indepth examination of his life.
I liked reading about his movies, tv shows and other projects but I felt that because it was so focused on his career that it started feeling repetitive. There were credits for every episode of his shows. I think I would have liked it better if this had been more a mixed look at the entertainer, a little more personal life, a little less career details.
(this is written by the same guy who wrote MouseTales and the writing style is exactly the same. Stories tend to be just put out there but not a lot of narration to string the story together. )
I liked reading about his movies, tv shows and other projects but I felt that because it was so focused on his career that it started feeling repetitive. There were credits for every episode of his shows. I think I would have liked it better if this had been more a mixed look at the entertainer, a little more personal life, a little less career details.
(this is written by the same guy who wrote MouseTales and the writing style is exactly the same. Stories tend to be just put out there but not a lot of narration to string the story together. )
October 1, 2014
Informative read ... but contains none of the overall 'sparkle' which was Danny Kaye...
March 14, 2019
A little dry in delivery but when the subject is Danny Kaye it’s always interesting.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews