The Court Jester

Plot synopsis:
During the main titles, Danny Kaye, dressed as a jester, sings the clever song, Life Could Not Better Be, with lyrics that are apropos to the actors or technicians who are being introduced. A narrator introduces the film while the audience sees a cadre of horsemen riding along the English coastline: "This is the story of how the destiny of a nation was changed by a birthmark, a royal birthmark, on the royal posterior of a royal infant child." Roderick the Tyrant had killed all of the royal family except for a baby boy who survived and has been cared for by a group in the forest. This band of loyalists to the throne is lead by a Robin Hood-type outlaw, the Black Fox (Edward Ashley). The scene changes to the castle where King Roderick (Cecil Parker) is considering an alliance with Griswold of McElwaine in which the King would offer his daughter, Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury), as Griswold's bride. Gwendolyn is completely opposed to this arrangement. Back in the forest, the audience is led to believe the Black Fox is singing "(You'll Never) Outfox the Fox." He is assisted by a band of midgets, all in Black Fox outfits. However, soon the real Black Fox arrives and we learn that the person who was impersonating the Black Fox is Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye), a former carnival entertainer, and the midgets are his pals from the carnival. When the Black Fox reprimands Hawkins for wearing his clothes, he responds that he is only trying to improve the morale of the troops. Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), who is a Captain in the Black Fox's band of outlaws, enters to announce that a group of recruits is arriving. The Black Fox orders Hawkins to get the child - the royal child. Hawkins retrieves the infant and holds the baby on his shoulder to reveal the royal birthmark - the purple pimpernel - for the recruits to see so they will know the Black Fox and his gang are fighting to restore the rightful heir to the throne. The Black Fox orders Hawkins and the Captain to transport the baby to the Abbey in Dover for safekeeping. Hawkins disguises himself as an old man, while Jean transforms from the Captain into a lovely young maiden. They conceal the baby in a fake wine cask. When the King's men stop them on the road, Hawkins claims he is Foutzingdale, the wine merchant, and Jean is his granddaughter. After safely eluding the King's forces, a thunderstorm forces Hawkins and Jean to spend the night in a woodman's hut. Hawkins sings "Baby, Let Me Take You Dreaming," as a lullaby for the baby. Since there is only one straw bed, Hawkins and Captain Jean share it. Hawkins has always been attracted to Jean and she now warms to him. They kiss, but Jean resists. She says, "We daren't think of ourselves until our fight is won." Jean reveals to Hawkins the existence of a secret tunnel leading from the forest to the castle. The problem is it is locked at both ends and the key is in the King's possession. However, if they could get someone inside the castle that could access the King's chambers and retrieve the key, it could be opened so the Black Fox's forces could launch a surprise attack against King Roderick. Suddenly, their planning is interrupted by a stranger entering the hut seeking shelter. He introduces himself as Giacomo (David Carradine; Giacomo is pronounced "Jockamo"), "King of Jesters and Jester of Kings." He is headed for King Roderick's court to become his jester. Jean knocks out Giacomo so Hawkins can become the jester. The wicked Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone) has hired Giacomo as jester because he is also an assassin. So Hawkins assumes the identity of Giacomo and heads for the castle, while Jean and the infant king continue their journey to the Abbey. However, Giacomo's wagon loses a wheel, so he is delayed on the road and Jean runs afoul of the King's men who are scouring the countryside for the fairest wenches in the land. Therefore, Jean and the wine cart with the precious baby hidden inside arrive at the castle before the new Giacomo has finished repairing his cart. Once at the castle, Jean whistles a secret signal. A blacksmith responds to the signal and takes the child to safety. When Giacomo finally arrives, he sings "My Heart Knows a Lovely Song," which includes the whistle signal. When Giacomo hears the signal returned, he thinks it came from Lord Ravenhurst. Meanwhile, Princess Gwendolyn is fretting to the witch, Griselda (Mildred Natwick), about being forced to marry Griswold. Griselda reassures her that she is destined to wed someone else. When Griselda witnesses the arrival of Giacomo, she tells Gwendolyn he is her intended. Ravenhurst introduces Giacomo to the King. Their conversation about the Italian court is a classic Danny Kaye tongue-twister that ends with, "Yes! The Duchess dove at the Duke just when the Duke dove at the Doge. Now the Duke ducked, the Doge dodged, and the Duchess didn't. So the Duke got the Duchess, the Duchess got the Doge, and the Doge got the Duke!" The King is on his way to select a wench from those who have been recently rounded up by his men. Ravenhurst convinces the King to allow Giacomo to make the appropriate selection. During all of this, the blacksmith is desperately trying to identify himself to Hawkins as his contact. Shortly after Giacomo is shown to his room, the blacksmith comes there, but is interrupted by the arrival of Griselda. Using her evil eye, she hypnotizes Giacomo. He can be brought in and out of this trance by the snap of a finger. She sends him to make love to the Princess. The blacksmith, who has been hiding behind a curtain, has overheard everything. Meanwhile, Jean has made her way to the King's chamber and has found the key to the secret tunnel. As she is leaving, she runs into Giacomo, who is under Griselda's spell. Jean, unaware of the trance, gives the key to Giacomo. When the King arrives, he thinks Jean is Giacomo's choice from the wenches and immediately takes a fancy to her. Giacomo continues to the Princess' chamber. Gwendolyn discovers the key and assumes he has secured it for their escape from the castle. She keeps the key and gives him her silk handkerchief. In several instances, finger snaps bring Giacomo in and out of the trance with comic results. When he leaves Gwendolyn, Giacomo goes to Ravenhurst's chamber, where again finger snaps cause hilarious results. At one instant he is Ravenhurst's assassin-for-hire, at another he is in Griselda's trance as the super confident romancer, and at another he is Hawkins, the scared former carnival performer. When he leaves Ravenhurst, he returns to his room where Griselda puts him to sleep. Meanwhile, Jean is being dressed by ladies-in-waiting for her presentation to the King. She sends the attendants away when she hears the whistle signal from the blacksmith. She tells him to take the baby to the jester. Once Giacomo awakens, he is the jester again. When he arrives at the King's banquet room, he sees Jean seated next to the King. During this sequence, there is great deal of confusion: the blacksmith delivers the baby to Giacomo in a basket, Ravenhurst confuses Giacomo by talking about Plan 1 and Plan 2 in the assassination attempt, and Gwendolyn tells him to meet her at midnight at the north gate. When he finally realizes that the infant king is in the basket, he diverts everyone's attention away from the basket by singing "The Maladjusted Jester." During his performance, Griselda puts poison pellets in three flagons. Just as Jean retrieves the basket and is stopped by some guards, Giacomo proposes a toast to the King. As the guards turn to participate in the toast, Jean gets away. Sirs Brockhurst, Finsdale and Pertwee fall over dead when they drink from the poisoned flagons. Ravenhurst is very impressed by Giacomo's tactics. A page announces the arrival of Sir Griswold (Robert Middleton) at the castle. Jean hands the baby off to the blacksmith again. Griswold enters and accepts the terms of the alliance, but Gwendolyn tells her father she loves someone else and refuses to marry Griswold. She has presented her loved one with her silk handkerchief. Giacomo is arrested and they find Gwendolyn's silk handkerchief stuffed in his blouse. The King throws Giacomo, or whoever he is, in jail. When Ravenhurst learns that Giacomo is an impostor, he suspects he is the Black Fox. He recommends the King knight the jester so he can legitimately joust Sir Griswold. The winner, which should be Griswold, would marry Gwendolyn. The King quickly agrees. It usually takes years to attain knighthood, but Giacomo is rushed through the tests with comic ease. Jean approaches the King in his chamber while his dressers are grooming him. She gets him to dismiss his attendants and while she combs his hair, she retreives the key to the secret tunnel. The King also reveals to her the plans to knight the jester so he can be killed in the fight with Griswold. As soon as she gets away from the King, Jean gives the key to the blacksmith to get it to the Black Fox so he can attack. Just before the knighting ceremony, Jean warns Giacomo/Hawkins about the plot and urges him to run. He doesn't get away, however, and the ceremony begins. It is speeded up with hilarious results to allow the tournament to commence before it can be delayed by a storm that is brewing. Immediately upon being knighted, Hawkins is challenged to a duel to the death by Griswold. Gwendolyn expects Giacomo to be killed, so she warns the witch that if he dies, she dies. Therefore, Griselda puts poisonous pellets in the vessel with the pestle. One of Griswold's men overhears the plot and informs his master. In a scene full of tongue-twisting confusion, the "Vessel with the Pestle (or The Pellet with the Poison)" routine begins. Lightning hits Giacomo's suit of armor making it magnetic. During the hilarious joust, Griswold's weapon sticks to Hawkins' shield, so Hawkins pulls him off his horse and wins the joust. When he is proclaimed the winner, Ravenhurst accuses him of being the Black Fox and Jean as being his accomplice. They are arrested and taken to the castle for judgement. In the forest, the Black Fox and his men prepare to sneak inside the castle, but the secret passage collapses. The Black Fox immediately summons Hawkins' midget friends to infiltrate the castle first. As Hawkins and Jean stand trial, the midgets attack. Jean runs to raise the drawbridge so the Black Fox and his men can attack. Hawkins engages Ravenhurst in a sword fight. Griselda hypnotizes him again into believing he is a great swordsman. In the hilarious scene that follows, finger snaps cause him to alternate between a cowardly carnival performer and a master swordsman. Eventually, with the help of Jean, Hawkins bests Ravenhurst. Once the usurpers of the throne are defeated by the Black Fox and the army of midgets, the rightful King is revealed by the distinctive birthmark - the purple pimpernel. Hawkins embraces Jean and sings a reprise of "Life Could Not Better Be." As the film ends, Gwendolyn and Griswold can be seen in the crowd holding hands.

Tags: fantasy, whimsical, action, humor, romantic, entertaining

Review:
From the finger snapping sequence through the end of the film is one long build up with increasingly outrageous situations, until we finally arrive at pandemonium, complete with tens of acrobatic midgets battling a cadre of knights in a scene remarkably prescient of the anarchic screwball comedies of the latter half of the 1960s.Kaye's vocal talents are also put to considerable use, both in songs and in rapid-fire, sometimes nonsensical alliterative rhymes.
There are a number of very famous--and rightfully so--instances of the latter throughout the film including the "vessel with the pestle/chalice from the palace/flagon with the dragon/brew that is true" bit, which has oddly taken on a life of its own outside of the film, and which like all of the comedy throughout the film slowly builds up to a hilarious climax.Kaye also does a lot of physical comedy, including my favorite bit--the super-fast knighting ceremony, and he even does a bit of mostly serious fencing with Rathbone.
Danny Kaye stars as Hubert Hawkins, an entertainer by trade, who due to circumstances within his control becomes jester to the court of King Roderick I (Cecil Parker).
And yea, verily, yea, the intrigue mounts as Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone) jostles for position within the court, while a rebel known as the `Black Fox' (Edward Ashley), along with his beautiful daughter, the Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), and his band of merry men attempt to install the true king to the throne.
From the `Initiation of Knighthood' sequence, to the famous tongue-twisting `The vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison, the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true' scene, to Kaye crooning a lullaby to a baby, this film is rich with humor and song that has an innocence and purity about it that makes it readily accessible to any audience.
The real key to the success of this movie is, of course, the multi-talented Danny Kaye, who sings, dances, jokes and mugs his way through one of his best performances ever.
A nice bit of work by Johns, who some eight years later would create one of her most memorable roles, that of Mrs. Banks in `Mary Poppins.'	Basil Rathbone is a delight, as well, in a role that is essentially a parody of others he's played, specifically his Sir Guy of Gisbourne in `The Adventures of Robin Hood,' opposite Errol Flynn.
A fun, feel-good film, `The Court Jester' is a virtual showcase for the versatile Danny Kaye, and he responds with an unforgettable performance.
The inspired casting of Danny Kaye as a performer who wants to be a patriotic fighter, gorgeous Glynis Johns as his stern captain, Angela Lansbury as a love-prone princess, Cecil Parker as her lascivious and bumbling evil father (a usurper of course), Basil Rathbone and Michael Pate as his co-conspirators and Robert Middleton and Mildred Natwick as roadblocks to the restoring of a baby as the rightful king of the realm guaranteed a film filled with well-acted fun.
Millions to this day are still laughing about: the "An Unemployed Jester" song; the switches from hypnotized bumbler to dashing super-swordsman that afflict Kaye in the course of his penetration of the royal stronghold; the classic duel Kaye fights with with the Gruesome Griswold (Middleton); the switching of poisoned drinks that occurs just before the duel with everyone repeating "The poison is in the vessel with the pestle, etc."; and the high-speed knighting of Kaye that precedes both these scenes.
The story and the medieval setting also make a great showcase for Kaye's varied talents such as singing, dancing, role-playing, and his other comic gifts.All of this makes "The Court Jester" a wonderful and timeless film, great comic entertainment done with exceptional skill and talent.
Danny Kaye is an absolute delight as the young rebel impersonating a jester in the court of an evil king (although in this film, his evil is blunted) but mistaken for a hit man.
(Once seen, it is impossible to forget the repetitive flipping scene used to obtain more converts.)Everyone should by now know the plot: once the hapless carnival entertainer Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye) assumes the identity of the new court jester Giacomo (who happens to well deserve his reputation as a skillful assassin), Hawkins is thrown into one court intrigue after another, each beyond his control or understanding.As the socially powerless court jester, Hawkins has to survive not only accidents and royal petulance, but deliberate attempts at his execution as part of court intrigue.So I won't waste time recapping all that.Instead, I'd like to mention the still potent generation gap politics and gender politics that routinely consumed the weakest of mediaeval society, sometimes court jesters, or often just women.King Roderick has a rather cynical and self-possessed daughter in the Princess Gwendolyn (a shockingly young and beautiful Angela Lansbury), whom he nastily views as more a threat than a loved one, and their war of wills is hilarious.
A supremely wacky and delightful Danny Kaye comedy.Kaye plays a court jester impostor who infiltrates a king's court in order to put in motion a plan hatched by a scrappy band of Robin Hoodesque rebels who want to depose the tyrant and put the rightful heir on the throne.
Unfortunately for Kaye, but fortunately for us, the plot is not as simple as it sounds, not when a traitor in the king's court (Basil Rathbone) has formulated his own plan to have the jester assassinate the king, and especially not when the king's saucy daughter (Angela Lansbury) has set her sights on marrying the jester as a way to avoid having to marry a rival king with whom her father wants to forge an alliance.Kaye is absolutely hysterical, whether he's singing and dancing a big production number with a band of midgets or jousting with a rival knight while wearing a magnetized suit of armor.
Hubert's girlfriend Maid Jean (Glynis Johns) is on hand to try to assist, only to watch as Princess Gwendolyn finds the "jester" attractive - and when Hubert is hypnotized by Gwendolyn's sorceress maid Griselda (Mildred Natwick) he becomes - well a dashing swordsman and adventurer, like the real Giacomo...so long as he does not snap his fingers!
If you can watch this movie without laughing, please seek immediate medical attention -- you may not have a pulse!Much is made of Danny Kaye's outstanding performance in this film;  it is clearly his best.
And that famous Danny Kaye routine about the poisonous vessel with that elusive pestle was taken from Bob Hope's 1939 movie Never Say Die.Well no one claimed The Court Jester was original, it's just very funny.
A spoof of the great sword-fighting movies of the classic era such as Robin Hood and Captain Blood, "The Court Jester" holds up even 50+ years after it was released.I grew up loving classic films  a legacy developed by my father (of course these "classics" were films he often saw in the theaters)  and I always enjoyed this movie, excited to find it on my local television station for the Sunday afternoon classic film festival (this was pre-cable and vcrs were not heard of at the time).
Now, my two daughters, ages 4 and 2 1/2, request to watch this movie which I purchased on DVD recently.However, don't think for an instant this is a "child's movie"; it is a movie full of intelligent wit at every corner, classic acting (a little hammy in some ways, but charming...quite a typical output for a film of this genre in this era) and entertaining songs.I think what attracted me as a child to this movie were the bright colors of the costumes and scenery, the sweet romance, fun musical numbers and the "incomparable Giacomo" Danny Kaye.
The script is chock-full of one-liners...some of the most memorable quotes in movie history...and they weave wonderfully into a plausible storyline.With a cast as experienced and strong as Danny Kaye, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, and Glynnis Johns, such a terrific script and rich visuals, you can't go wrong with this film, whether you're 4, 24 or 64!Now, if we could just get more of Kaye's classics released on DVD!.
They gave Kaye a first-rate supporting cast, among them Basil Rathbone, Glynis Johns and Robert Middleton, and two of the best comedy writers of the time, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, who also co-directed the film.
Basil Rathbone handles the job of bad guy perfectly and Cecil Parker is excellent in the role of the evil king who is not really so bad.One of Danny Kaye's best films and a must see for anyone interested in this wonderful actor's career..
Rarely in this new millennium of film making do movie makers find a way to convey a storyline without using all the newfangled technology that they can, and in doing so they loose the main point of the story- which is the characters, and it is possible to do this- I submit for example The Court Jester.
********* The Court Jester (12/25/55) Norman Panama, Melvin Frank ~ Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone.
Here he gets to play both the coward and the hero in a delightful dual role that is as energetic as it is mirthful, and luckily the supporting cast {Cecil Parker, Angela Lansbury and Basil Rathbone in particular} are clued into the nature of the film to bring about top entertaining results.
There are comics,and then there are comic geniuses.Danny Kaye,with his lightning quick delivery,was nothing short of the latter.This film was the perfect stomping ground for his remarkable talent.The story is very fast paced,and Kaye never misses a beat.His talent didn't stop at comedy.He had an unbelievable singing talent which is also showcased here.From the dazzling opening number to the very tender lullaby he sings to the baby,I was nothing short of amazed,not having seen any of Kaye's work for many years.He is supported well here,but with as much talent as the man had,he hardly needed it.Also worthy of note are Basil Rathbone,who obviously was not afraid to poke a little fun at his role from The Adventures of Robin Hood,and Angela Lansbury,who was delightful to look at even then.Need a laugh?You'll find plenty to spare here.Funny stuff!.
I find "The Court Jester a delight.Unlike some Danny Kaye movies it is an ensemble piece with other actors making vital contributions rather than just making up the numbers.And it is so wonderfully well written.
The basic plot:a court jester  gets tangled up in palace affairs,while simply intending to usurp the throne from an untrue ruler.The praise:Danny kaye is great in a role full of puns,wisecracks,running jokes,wit,and crazy talking.Clever scenes abound : the Basil Rathbone duel,the midget attack,the joust,"the duke,the doje,and the duchess,"the pellet with the poison.....",and the change of demeanor by snap of finger,and the birthmark are only the more carried on ones.The Sylvia Fine songs are more than fine,and the technicolor is lively.Also,a lot of humor is based on how intertwined and complex Hawkins involvement in the multiple subplots is.It also takes it's action-adventure qualities seriously,and one can appreciate  it from face even if one has not seen the swashbuckler Errol Flynn movies ("The Adventures of Robin  Hood"'"Seahawk",etc.) which it satires.
He has a lovely controlled voice, he is very light on his feet as a dancer and has impeccable comic timing while making his character endearing rather than making him a total clown.He is wonderfully supported by an elegant, suave and suitably repellent Basil Rathbone as the film's villain (who plays it straight, which despite the film's silly nature contrasts very well), a hilarious Mildred Natwick and Glynnis Johns and Angela Lansbury who both have seldom looked more luminous and like Rathbone play it straight too while also being very charming and bagging just as many laughs as Kaye.
They are advantaged hugely by a deliciously witty and hysterically funny script, that is a non-stop laugh riot and filled with inspired wordplay and endearingly written characters that are essentially spoofs of pre-existing characters (Rathbone is like a Guy of Gisborne sort of character) and with every ounce of charm and spark.The story could have easily been tired (comedy of errors is not a new concept, and has had variable results when executed on film) and admittedly it's a bit sketchy, but that doesn't matter because the time just flies by, the spoofs are so much fun to spot and very cleverly incorporated and it's just so greatly entertaining, good-natured and warm-hearted.
The Court Jester's most memorable scenes have to be the sword fight duel which is so professionally choreographed, on par with the likes of The Adventures of Robin Hood as one of the greatest and brilliantly wild (how Kaye and Rathbone managed to keep a straight face when doing that particular take is amazing, reportedly Rathbone kept getting convulsed with laughter before) and most notably the classic "vessel-with-the-pestle" routine, which is one the funniest things Kaye ever did and is reason alone to see The Court Jester.The Court Jester looks absolutely beautiful, with ravishing colours, lavish costumes and sets that give off a real sense of the medieval period and meticulously loving colour photography, while the film is superbly directed.
The small number of songs, eight in total, fare memorably and have sweet melodies and extremely clever and witty lyrics (the same quality as the script-writing), Life Could Not Better Be and Outfox the Fox set up the characters nicely too without being heavy in exposition.In conclusion, The Court Jester is simply a delightful film which will be of no disappointment whatsoever to Danny Kaye fans.
The movie is superb with Danny Kaye in the title role and myriad supporting players including a deliciously sinister Basil Rathbone, and a young Angela Lansbury who combine to make it truly memorable.
I watched this movie at least a dozen times, and it keeps getting funnier, When you think of the great comic actors of the past you always think of, Chaplin, Marx Brothers, Abbot and Costello, Keaton and so on as well as all there classics, but Danny Kaye had so much talent that i dont think even he knew what he was capable of, this movie is in my top ten as funniest of all times and a great spoof of some of the great swashbuckling movies of all time, and also Basil Rathbone playing it straight just adds to the comedy.Sometimes overlooked but never forgotten, check this movie out, you wont be disappointed and always remember:The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!.
I doubt today's Hollywood COULD make a film as magical or funny or lyrical as `The Court Jester,' mainly because there will never be another Danny Kaye.`The Court Jester' works best if you're familiar with the conventions of the costume swashbucklers Hollywood used to make, but I think the uninitiated should have a good time, too.
There are so many great moments here: Hawkins' (Kaye) songs and his flirtations with the Princess (Angela Lansbury) and his plotting with Ravenhurst (Rathbone); the joust sequence with it's wonderful tongue-twister; the final sword duel between Hawkins and Ravenhurst.
The film can not only boast a superlative supporting cast of such film icons as Basil Rathbone and Angela Lansbury, but gives Danny Kaye his best role ever.
And there are three block comedy sequences that rank right up there with the best of Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy or the Brothers Marx: the finger-snapping swordfight between Kaye and Rathbone, the speeded-up ceremony investing Kaye's Hubert Hawkins as a knight, and the justly-famous "vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison" sequence with the wonderful Mildred Natwick.
The colors and costumes are gorgeous, the action scenes are well done, the doe-eyed Glynis Johns has never looked more ravishing, Kaye seems to have more chemistry than usual with his fellow cast members--especially Cecil Parker as the horny old usurper obsessed with "wenches"--Basil Rathbone looks like he's having the time of his life, and the picture is just loads of fun to watch, definitely the best and funniest one Kaye's ever done.
in days of yore, say the mid '50s, mgm created a masterpiece of knightly nonsense.comedy, music, courtly double dealing and dueling are combined into a feast of off the wall word play and timing as the protagonists try to restore the babe with the purple pimpernel to the throne.if you get this, then you got it, and that's good.danny kaye's talents are best shown here.
Hawkins [Danny Kaye] is trying to get the real king: a little baby, on the throne, and is forced to become Giacomo, the Court Jester.
Tonight, my 5-year-old boy, seeing COURT JESTER for the first time (insisting that Danny Kaye climb back into his "magnetic armor" for the climactic fight), would not go to bed until he had checked himself for royalty proving birthmarks and bid me good night by solemnly saying I love you, Black Fox.
It is not perfect, but any flaws it has are not memorable and in no way undo the enjoyable hilarity of the entire movie.With Danny Kaye as the hero and Glynis Johns and Angela Landsbury as the heroines and Basil Rathbone, as always the superb villain, and many other memorable performances makes this movie one the funniest of it's day and for today as well.I give it a 10 out of 10.
Basil Rathbone plays a perfect straightman foil to Kaye's cowardly jester.The Chalice from the Palace scene alone would rate this film recommend-worthy.
There are many exquisitely timed comedic moments throughout the film including a fanciful sword fight and Kaye's first song performed as a court jester before the tyrannical king.
But I picked up The Court Jester anyway, and am I ever pleased that I did.Where The Secret Life of Walter Mitty seemed sloppy, this movie takes Danny Kaye and makes the best use of him.