The Court Jester

Most of us has seen the Christmas classic, White Christmas with Bing Crosby. Danny Kaye made a number of other funny movies and I believe The Court Jester ranks supreme as the funniest movie he ever did and may rank up there with some of the most funniest movies ever made.

The story sets in medieval England where a band of outlaws led by the Black Fox is determined to put the rightful king on the throne. The rightful king is a newborn baby bearing a royal birthmark, the purple pimpernel on his backside(that little twist is worth the price of a rental). The Black Fox plans to storm the castle in order to dethrone the king.

Danny Kaye plays Hubert Hawkins, a circus performer and a little bumbling, who is very passionate about the cause. He is chosen by the Black Fox for a special mission to infiltrate the castle along with one of his best and brightest, Jean, played by Glynis Johns (you may recognize her from Mary Poppins as Winifred Banks, Jane and Michael Banks mother). They want to go in disguise and make contact with one of their spies inside the castle and also to smuggle the baby, the newborn king inside the castle but they don't have access to the palace or the King's chambers. The spend the night in a barn where they declare their love for each other but are interupted by Giacamo, King of Jesters, and jester to the King. He is on his way to the palace to be the next Court Jester. Jean and Hubert knock him out and its up to Hubert to take his place as court jester to make way for the army of the Black Fox to storm the castle.

Danny Kaye is in his element in this film. His comedic genius is unsurpassed. I believe he would be the Jim Carrey of his day.

Other characters include Angela Lansbury, clinging to the ideal of romance is being forced to marry a brute nobleman, Griswald to make an alliance. She threatens her companion with death unless she achieves her dream lover. Her companion is Griselda, a witch who raised her since an infant.



Watch a clip: