Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye in a weirdly altered photo. Image: Alamy
Danny Kaye, we owe you an apology.
We never were a fan of your films. We thought you were Too Much, and you seemed, to us, cloying in your efforts to be silly. Your boundless energy wore us out because we refused to see the point.
We did acknowledge your mental dexterity and commitment to going All Out, but we also found you overwhelming at times.
Even though your films were (and still are) beloved by many, we remained unmoved. We didn’t laugh at your antics, and we wondered how you got to be famous.
Then we saw you in The Five Pennies (1959), and we were taken aback. You actually made us laugh and you almost moved us to tears.
It was like we’d never seen you in a movie before.
Kaye fails to out-hustle Susan Gordon.
The Five Pennies is a biopic about the Dixieland jazz band leader, Red Nichols, who became popular in the late 1920s. “Red Nichols and The Five Pennies” was the name of his group, and various members over the years included Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller – basically a Who’s Who of popular music in the mid-twentieth century.
In addition to being a bandleader, Nichols played the coronet and he was, apparently, one of The Best.
You, Danny Kaye, were a surprisingly good choice to play Nichols. Although you never mastered the coronet for your role (you “faked” the fingering while the actual Red Nichols played), you made us believe you were the Real Deal.
You have terrific chemistry with your co-stars. The scenes with Louis Armstrong are magic; they feel like history in the making.
Barbara Bel Geddes played your wife, and a young Tuesday Weld played your teenage daughter. You lean into their impressive performances without stealing them.
And you’re fabulous with wee Susan Gordon, who was cast as the younger version of your daughter. You wink at us while playing her straight man, yet you direct our focus towards her so we can appreciate how truly funny she is.
You also proved your dramatic Acting Chops in the scene where Gordon is diagnosed with polio, and your character trades an up-and-down music career for steady employment at a California shipyard during WWII.
But that scene where you throw your coronet into the river.
It’s a pivotal moment in the film, and it signals an unwelcome change of Tone. “No!” we shouted, as you hurl the instrument into the water, your face a mix of grief and regret and determination. It’s exquisitely done.
We nearly wept, and that’s when we realized we’d become a fan.
Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, and baby on tour. Image: TCM
The Five Pennies isn’t an entirely faithful re-telling of Nichols’s life; that’s how it is with most Hollywood biopics. It also had to be a vehicle for Danny Kaye’s personae because that’s what audiences paid to see.
The film was nominated for four Oscars, including music, cinematography, and costume design. These are not insignificant achievements for a film, and it’s surprising The Five Pennies isn’t more well known today, especially considering how influential Red Nichols was as a musician.
It took us a long time to cross paths with this film and become a fan, but here we are.
As for our previous assessments of your work, Danny Kaye, we take them all back.
Notes
Read more about this film and the music of Red Nichols at Caftan Woman’s blog.
This post is dedicated to our pal at The Observation Post, who sometimes posts Red Nichols’s music and always expands our musical horizons.
The Five Pennies: starring Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong. Directed by Melville Shavelson. Written by Melville Shavelson & Jack Rose. Tonylyn Productions, 1959, Technicolor, 117 mins.
I’ve met Danny Kaye only in The Court Jester (that I watched for my beloved Angela Lansbury actually) and I did not like him at all. As you say, he was just too much, always trying to be funny but never actually making me laugh. If I ever come across this Five Pennies I will give it a shot anyway, thanks!
I normally don’t care much for Danny Kaye, but like him in The Court Jester, which IMHO is the best film he ever made (including The Five Pennies). But don’t just take my word for it: film critic Leonard Maltin calls it “one of the best comedies ever made” and rates it four out of four stars.
Oh, Ruth, you’ve almost moved me to tears. It makes me so very happy to know that you see Danny in a new light. Thank you so much for giving him another chance. I really appreciate your stark frankness in regard to your reservations about him. Indeed, his overall style can be offputting to some — very much in the likes of Mickey Rooney and Jerry Lewis, amongst others. Their antics are outlandish, partly because that was the style of the day and partly due to that “mark” setting them apart from their peers. Deep down most of them are sensitive, versatile people. 🙂
This is a terrific film with a great cast. I was surprised to see how well he and Barbara Bel Geddes meshed together. It is certainly a weeper but this sadness is redeemed when things get better. Despite it veering from the course of reality, the curse of most Hollywood biopics, the film has definite authenticity.
It was so nice of you to put a link to Paddy’s article. Whenever I come across this film, I automatically think of her. She loved it so.
I want to thank you again for contributing to the blogathon. You surely made Danny smile!
Thanks for your wonderful comment, Erica. This film really opened my eyes to Danny Kaye’s talents. I’m going to revisit his films with new appreciation, and your fab blogathon will give me lots of titles to do so.
He and Barbara Bel Geddes really had wonderful chemistry, didn’t they? It would be hard to steal a scene from her, but Kaye didn’t even try.
So glad you chose to give Danny another chance and ended up loving this film, Ruth. It’s my favourite film and performance of his. Such a touching film.
Love this honest review, I had a few similar fears about this actor before seeing Peter Pan and he totally surprised me with a fabulous take on Captain Hook. Will have to check this out and not just for the Dallas connection.
Barbara Bel Geddes is fabulous in this film. She has kind of a thankless role, but she puts so much into the character that she appears to have more screen time than she actually does. I hope you get the chance to see it.
I loved her in Alfred Hitchcock Presents in Lamb to the Slaughter, so I definitely want to see her in more things – so this may be the film I’ve been looking for.
I love your unique presentation of this post, Ruth — and you have me completely sold on this movie. I’m not a big Danny Kaye fan, either (I’ve only seen Hans Christian Andersen), but your post had me scouring the Internet to see if I could find it. I see that it’s available for rent on YouTube, and you can just bet that I’m going to fork over the cash to see it. Thanks for this first-rate write-up — and the link to Paddy’s post as well!
I did rent it on YouTube, and I wasn’t expecting much, but this movie is really engaging. Kaye has good chemistry with all his co-stars, and it’s a treat to see all those famous musicians, too. I hope you enjoy!
I liked your honest review of this film and since I had not seen it, I rented it last night. I found The Five Pennies inspiring, joyous and touching. It’s now definitely on top of the Danny Kaye movies I like.
It was wonderful. I discovered his wife wrote songs for many of his movies, including The Five Pennies, for which she nominated for the Oscar – Best Original Song.
Silver Screenings 
I’ve met Danny Kaye only in The Court Jester (that I watched for my beloved Angela Lansbury actually) and I did not like him at all. As you say, he was just too much, always trying to be funny but never actually making me laugh. If I ever come across this Five Pennies I will give it a shot anyway, thanks!
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I normally don’t care much for Danny Kaye, but like him in The Court Jester, which IMHO is the best film he ever made (including The Five Pennies). But don’t just take my word for it: film critic Leonard Maltin calls it “one of the best comedies ever made” and rates it four out of four stars.
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Thanks for the recommendation. I don’t think I’ve ever had a look at The Court Jester, but I’ll be tracking it down soon.
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The Five Pennies changed my mind about Danny Kaye, and I think it was his dramatic scenes. He’s really good as a man dealing with thwarted ambitions.
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Oh, Ruth, you’ve almost moved me to tears. It makes me so very happy to know that you see Danny in a new light. Thank you so much for giving him another chance. I really appreciate your stark frankness in regard to your reservations about him. Indeed, his overall style can be offputting to some — very much in the likes of Mickey Rooney and Jerry Lewis, amongst others. Their antics are outlandish, partly because that was the style of the day and partly due to that “mark” setting them apart from their peers. Deep down most of them are sensitive, versatile people. 🙂
This is a terrific film with a great cast. I was surprised to see how well he and Barbara Bel Geddes meshed together. It is certainly a weeper but this sadness is redeemed when things get better. Despite it veering from the course of reality, the curse of most Hollywood biopics, the film has definite authenticity.
It was so nice of you to put a link to Paddy’s article. Whenever I come across this film, I automatically think of her. She loved it so.
I want to thank you again for contributing to the blogathon. You surely made Danny smile!
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Thanks for your wonderful comment, Erica. This film really opened my eyes to Danny Kaye’s talents. I’m going to revisit his films with new appreciation, and your fab blogathon will give me lots of titles to do so.
He and Barbara Bel Geddes really had wonderful chemistry, didn’t they? It would be hard to steal a scene from her, but Kaye didn’t even try.
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So glad you chose to give Danny another chance and ended up loving this film, Ruth. It’s my favourite film and performance of his. Such a touching film.
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This is a remarkable film, and I’m a bit sad it took me so long to see it. I didn’t expect Danny Kaye to be so good in this film.
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Love this honest review, I had a few similar fears about this actor before seeing Peter Pan and he totally surprised me with a fabulous take on Captain Hook. Will have to check this out and not just for the Dallas connection.
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Barbara Bel Geddes is fabulous in this film. She has kind of a thankless role, but she puts so much into the character that she appears to have more screen time than she actually does. I hope you get the chance to see it.
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I loved her in Alfred Hitchcock Presents in Lamb to the Slaughter, so I definitely want to see her in more things – so this may be the film I’ve been looking for.
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Another one to add to the growing list of films you’ve recommended that I need to watch!
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I hope you can see “The Five Pennies”. I was not expecting it to be half as good as it is.
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I love your unique presentation of this post, Ruth — and you have me completely sold on this movie. I’m not a big Danny Kaye fan, either (I’ve only seen Hans Christian Andersen), but your post had me scouring the Internet to see if I could find it. I see that it’s available for rent on YouTube, and you can just bet that I’m going to fork over the cash to see it. Thanks for this first-rate write-up — and the link to Paddy’s post as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did rent it on YouTube, and I wasn’t expecting much, but this movie is really engaging. Kaye has good chemistry with all his co-stars, and it’s a treat to see all those famous musicians, too. I hope you enjoy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked your honest review of this film and since I had not seen it, I rented it last night. I found The Five Pennies inspiring, joyous and touching. It’s now definitely on top of the Danny Kaye movies I like.
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Yay! Kate, I’m so glad (and relieved) to hear that. It’s a wonderful film, isn’t it?
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It was wonderful. I discovered his wife wrote songs for many of his movies, including The Five Pennies, for which she nominated for the Oscar – Best Original Song.
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I’m with you–this looks intriguing, and not like Danny Kaye’s usual stuff. That was nice that you linked to Paddy Lee’s blog, too, rest her soul. 🙂
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Rebecca, I think you’d really enjoy this film. It has a lot of heart – and Danny’s scenes with Louis Armstrong are fabulous.
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