D
avid
D
aniel
Kaminsky
was born on January 18, 1913 in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, NY.
He was the third and last son of an immigrant Ukrainian tailor, and the
only one born in the United States. After attending P.S. 149, then
Thomas Jefferson High School, Danny dropped out at the age of 13 when he
ran away to Florida. There he became a 'busker'; singing in the streets
for money. It was around this time that he changed his name to Danny
Kaye and traveled to the Catskills, to an area known as the 'Borscht Belt',
to work first for a radio station then by performing comedy at camps and
summer hotels. He quickly became a success and in 1933 joined the
dance team of Dave Harvey and Kathleen Young. In 1934 Danny traveled
to the Orient, where he learned to sing, dance, mime, scat, and perform
professionally. Unfortunately, his debut in London was upstaged by
Chamberlain's sellout performance in Munich.
B
ack in
the United States by 1938, Danny met his wife to be, Sylvia Fine, at Camp
Tamiment in the Poconos - grounds consecrated to Jewish socialism.
Sylvia was a comedy writer whose styles suited Danny's talents, and during
that summer wrote "Anatole of Paris", "Stanivslasky", and "Pavlova", among
others. The two became a team, with Danny often performing works
that Sylvia had written for him.
I
n
1939
Danny made
his Broadway debut in "The Straw Hat Revue". Later that same year
he was cast in "Lady in the Dark" by Moss Hart, who had seen him performing
at a nightclub called The Martinique. Hart wrote Danny into the play
with an 11 minute part of a temperamental photographer who's mastered the
art of tongue twisters. This was made evident by the now famous song
"Tchaikovsky", in which Danny sings the names of 54 Russian composers in
38 seconds. His part debuted on January 21, 1941 in the Alvin theater,
and it brought the second act to a standstill. For this he received
a $500 weekly salary and a billing on the marquee. Danny then won
the lead role in "Let's Face It", a show about army life with a score written
by Cole Porter, Herbert and Dorothy Fields, and Sylvia Fine. Through
the early 40's Danny continued to entertain in night club acts, on Broadway,
and to support the troops overseas during WWII, until Samuel Goldwyn signed
him in 1943.
I
t is
rumored that Samuel Goldwyn wanted Danny to alter his looks with rhinoplasty
(a nose job), perhaps in an effort to create an 'all american boy' look.
When Danny refused, Goldwyn demanded that Danny bleach his hair to blond,
which he did for a short while. Despite his un-altered nose, Danny's
career took off at an extraordinary rate, starting with "Up In Arms" in
1944. Many more soon followed, some written especially to suit Danny's
talents, including "Wonder Man"(1945), "The Kid From Brooklyn"(1946), "The
Inspector General"(1949), and "White Christmas"(1954). Perhaps one
of the most well known lines comes from the movie "The Court
Jester"(1956)
where Danny, as a newly knighted court jester having been challenged to
duel, is forced to remember that "the pellet with the poison's in the vessel
with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true."
It was also during this time that Danny and Sylvia's only child was born;
Dena Kaye, in December 1946.
I
n 1948
he took him one man show overseas to London's Palladium, where his instant
success was described by Life magazine as "worshipful hysteria."
The Royal Family not only went to see him, but for the first time in history
left the royal box and sat in the first row of the orchestra.
D
anny's
association
with
the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) began in 1954. A strong
advocate for social responsibility, he logged thousands of hours as a pilot
- a hobby he enjoyed immensely - on trips for UNICEF. He was
so dedicated to the cause that he once flew to 65 cities in 5 days.
The United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez de Cueller said at the
October 27, 1987 tribute to Danny, he was the man who first "heightened
global awareness of the plight of unfortunate children throughout the world."
Danny was so identified with UNICEF that in 1965, when they received the
Nobel Prize, Danny was selected to accept it. At a ceremony in Washington
D.C., Danny was presented with his own award, by B'nai B'rith, for his
work with UNICEF. True to his nature, at the end of his standing
ovation he asked the audience to remain standing, then to sing Happy Birthday
to no one in particular. At the end of the song he asked everyone
why they were "standing up like fools" then made faces at the photographers
for 20 seconds "so they would go away."
T
he
sixties
saw a decline
in Kaye's film popularity, yet from 1963-1967 he starred in his own musical
variety show entitled "The Danny Kaye Show" which won an Emmy in it's first
season.
D
anny
returned
to Broadway
in 1970, starring in "Two by Two" where he fell during a performance and
hurt his hip. Despite the injury, he appeared for 10 months in the
show using either crutches or a cane.
A
nother
aspect
of Danny's
career involved conduction major symphony orchestras. He took up
the baton at the invitation of Eugene Ormandy, and although he claimed
he could not read a note of music, over time he raised millions of dollars
for charity. Danny couldn't resist bringing comedy to the symphony,
though, and had been known to conduct "Flight of the Bumblebee" with a
flyswatter and lie on the podium on his back and keep time by kicking his
feet in the air. Despite this, his conducting was well praised, with
Zubin Mehta stating that Danny "has a very efficient conducting style."
"Live from Lincoln Center: An Evening with Danny Kaye and the New York
Philharmonic," broadcast on PBS, was partially responsible for the Peabody
Award Danny received in 1981.
O
nly in
his last movie did Danny get the chance to prove the versatility of his
talents. In the 1981 television movie "Skokie" he earned rave reviews
as a Nazi concentration camp survivor.
D
anny
Kaye
died of a
heart attack in Los Angeles, California on March 3, 1987 at the age of
74. He left behind him an unforgettable legacy of good will and humor
that will be remembered for many years to come. Comedian, singer,
dancer, entertainer, master of mimicry, gourmet chef, pilot, symphony conductor,
UNICEF ambassador, husband, father; Danny Kaye touched many people in all
his various endeavors. As a child David Daniel Kaminsky wanted to
grow up and be a doctor; in his own way he did. Laughter, after all,
is the best medicine.
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