Another Favorite Film

I was so fortunate to be exposed to many, many old films as a kid. I have so many movies on VHS recorded from AMC that I have watched countless times over the years. The entertainment value is so high in these movies, often higher than the films of today. I wish the present generation was exposed to more of these, but their era makes them seem automatically boring or uninteresting. children today are missing out on wonderful, enriching entertainment.

Probably my third favorite actor other than Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire, is Danny Kaye. He was an amazing combination of comedic and serious. He was a great actor that could transition from a moment of tension into crazy comedy with an ease unmatched since his time, in my opinion. He was handsome and yet unafraid to contort his features or make himself look rediculous for the sake of entertainment. He could do impressions, voices, accents and was known for singing songs that were basically one big tongue twister. His wife, who understood his talent best, often crafted the words of the songs just to showcase his abilities.
In this clip from The Court Jester, he shows his fantastic grace and poise as well as his fabulous physical comedy skills and his ability to change from suave to silly in an instant. By this point in the film he has been through a series of identities. It's difficult to explain in a nutshell, but he is posing as a Robin Hood-type character called the Black Fox fighting against the evil Ravenhurst in the palace of the king. The princess is convinced that he (although he entered the palace in the guise of a jester) is the one she is meant to marry and she charges her personal seer with his protection. He is really in love with a girl who is also part of the Black Fox's group from the forest. She shows up at the end of the clip.
Please rent the film if you enjoy this at all. I haven't seen a film of his that I didn't like, but this one is truly a gem.