Website: Elizabeth's Danny Kaye Page
Website: Tsirk's Shrine to Danny Kaye
I've heard a couple of opposing opinions on Martin Gottfried's book, Nobody's Fool. Some say that it is an authoritative book on the life of Danny Kaye, whereas say that the book is not entirely true, and that certain liberties have been taken in the writing of this book.
In my opinion, the book is an interesting read, providing enough insight into Danny Kaye that I could easily believe that most of it was true. So, having said that, let's look at Mr. Kaye and the legacy he left behind.
Born in 1913 in Brooklyn, New York, David Daniel Kominski had many talents, the most famous being his ability to speak gibberish. But most of America remembers him singing about the pestle in the vessel or wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen.
However, he began his career in show business as a teenager working at a resort in the Catskills. At White Roe Lake House, Kaye worked as a tumbler, a job in which he was made to entertain guests in between "real" entertainments. It was here that Kaye honed his abilities to work with a crowd - always seeking the laughter and approval. Once he reached adulthood, he longed for something more than just entertaining resort guests and accepted an offer to go on the road with a vaudeville act with two other White Roe entertainers.
During the initial tour, the trio performed in Utica, NY, and it was there that Danny Kaye met musician and songwriter, Sylvia Fine, whom he began to date. It was also during this summer that Kaye came up with his famous "git-gat-giddle gibberish" routine. He joined a tour of the Far East and since he didn't speak the language, he would fake it by speaking and singing in this gibberish he made up. It was very successful, and Kaye added it permanently to his act. He also eventually permanently added Sylvia Fine--as his personal songwriter and wife.
After Kaye conquered the vaudeville stage, it was natural that Hollywood would come courting. He made his film debut co-starring with Dinah Shore in Up in Arms in 1943, a bit of propaganda and patriotism in wartime. It was a successful film, and led to more work for Kaye. He went on to make such classic films as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Inspector General, The Court Jester and,my personal favorite, Hans Christian Andersen.
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