Product: The Court Jester [VHS] (1956)
Rating: 5.0
"The Court Jester (1955) ... Danny Kaye ... Classic Among Classic Musical Comedy (1999)"
Paramount Pictures presents "THE COURT JESTER" (1955 101 min/Color) -- Starring: Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, Cecil Parker, Mildred Natwick, Robert Middleton & John CarradineDirected by Melvin Frank & Norman PanamaOne of the most unknown classics in film history, with an outstanding cast, melodic tunes with great melodies and tongue twisting lyrics.While the infant King of England awaits his rightful place as leader of the British Empire, his rule is usurped by Roderick (Cecil Parker), an evil pretender to the throne. Brave rebel leader The Black Fox (Edward Ashley) intends to remove Roderick from the palace and bring the crown back to its true owner, but in the meantime the baby king needs to be looked after, which is the job of a man named Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye). The Black Fox travels with the little king and his rebels as they search for the key to a secret tunnel that will allow them passage into the castle.Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), one of the rebels, meets a man en route to the Castle who is to be Roderick's new jester. The rebels quickly hatch a plan: detain the jester and send Hawkins in his place; the king can then find the key and initiate the overthrow. Hawkins is able to persuade Roderick and his men that he is indeed a jester, but his espionage work gets complicated when Princess Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury) falls in love with him, and he runs afoul of Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone), the evil genius behind Roderick.Danny Kaye spoofs medieval swashbucklers in this classic musical comedy which features Kaye's famous "Pellet with the Poison" with Mildred Natwick "Vessel with the Pestle" routine. They just don't make 'em like this anymore!Special footnote: -- Basil Rathbone was a world-class fencer and it was due to his efforts that the hilarious fencing scene was filmed without injury. He later admitted that several times he was almost skewered by Danny Kaye's sword.BIOS:1. Melvin Frank [Director]Date of Birth: 13 August 1913 - Chicago, IllinoisDate of Death: 13 October 1988 - Los Angeles, California2. Norman Panama [Director]Date of Birth: 21 April 1914 - Chicago, IllinoisDate of Death: 13 January 2003 - Los Angeles, California3. Danny Kaye [aka: David Daniel Kaminski]Date of Birth: 18 January 1913 - Brooklyn, New YorkDate of Death: 3 March 1987 - Los Angeles, California4. Glynis JohnsDate of Birth: 5 October 1923 - Pretoria, South AfricaDate of Death: Still Living5. Basil Bathbone [aka: Philip St. John Basil Rathbone]Date of Birth: 13 June 1892 - Johannesburg, South AfricaDate of Death: 21 July 1967 - New York City, New York6. Angela LansburyDate of Birth: 16 October 1925 - Poplar, London, England, UKDate of Death: Unknown7. Cecil Parker [aka: Cecil Schwabe]Date of Birth: 3 September 1897 - Hastings, East Sussex, England, UKDate of Death: 20 April 1971 - Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK8. Mildred NatwickDate of Birth: 19 June 1905 - Baltimore, MarylandDate of Death: 25 October 1994 - New York City, New York9. Robert Middleton [aka: Samuel Messer]Date of Birth: 13 May 1911 - Cincinnati, OhioDate of Death: 14 June 1977 - Hollywood, California10. John CarradineDate of Birth: 5 February 1906 - New York City, New York, USADate of Death: 27 November 1988 - Milan, ItalyMr. Jim's Ratings:Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 StarsPerformance: 5 StarsStory & Screenplay: 5 StarsOverall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]Total Time: 101 min on DVD ~ Paramount Pictures ~ (March 30, 1999)