![]() Glynis Johns is nobody's damsel in distress. ![]() Angela Lansbury and Basil Rathbone (pictured above in the greatest commissary shot ever taken) are wonderfully tough and mischievous. Part of that talent is the sparkling cast. Named after Kaye's daughter and funded by Paramount Pictures, Dena Productions sought to 'prove that films can capture the quality of spontaneity that Kaye reveals onstage to an audience.' Their first effort, Knock on Wood (1954), contained promising glimpses of the company's mission, but it wasn't until the second try that Kaye would have his due." Written and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, TCJ is a skillfully rendered comedic masterpiece with exceptional talent in front of and behind the camera. As TCM notes, "The feeling that film audiences had yet to see the 'real' Danny Kaye was the motivation behind establishing Dena Productions, a venture between Kaye, director Norman Panama, and writer Melvin Frank. Hoping to show Hollywood what Kaye was capable of, Dena Productions was formed. She wrote some of his most famous work, including "Anatole of Paris" from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Despite their estranged relationship, Fine was brilliant and knew exactly how to best display Kaye's artistry. The wife of Kaye from 1940 until his death in 1987, Fine often wrote material for her husband in addition to helping manage his career. ![]() Is it because 80% of the time Kaye is the only one doing the musical numbers?) For TCJ's routines, Sammy Cahn and Sylvia Fine were hired as co-writers. ![]() (The same could be said for quite a few of Kaye's films actually, which is a little weird. Although the film is a comedy with a handful of musical performances by Kaye, people rarely call The Court Jester a musical. ![]()
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