Danny Kaye in one of his funniest films. I saw this first in 1948 along with Wonder Man. The Technicolor is beautiful. The comedy infectious. The interplay between the characters superb. Vera-Ellen dances energetically while the lovely Virginia Mayo never disappoints. I am reminded of so many other great American musicals where colour, dance, great songs all combined to a visual masterpiece. This film is an uncomplicated delight. And not a vulgar word said Would that more films were made like this. It never dates. Enjoy!
... View MoreCute, silly very lightweight comic musical with Kaye antic as ever and an amazing array of wonderful supporting actresses. As for the main story it's a bit of nonsense about beanpole milkman Danny somehow becoming a winning prize fighter after accidentally knocking out the reigning champ. As preposterous as it sounds, the cast still make it fun by playing the goofy situations straight faced. About those supporting actresses. Eve Arden is acerbic and terrifically droll as a wised up gal with an astounding wardrobe and a way with a quip. Vera-Ellen in only her second film is youthful, fresh and she dances like a dream. She hadn't at this point succumbed to the over dieting that would make her emaciated with a frighteningly tiny waist and is buoyant and peppy. Fay Bainter is all fractured dignity as a society matron with a pugilistic bent and then there's Virginia Mayo sweetly charming and at the height of her beauty. They all perform expertly and since the film is shot in old style Technicolor they are all attired in primary hues which makes the screen alight with color.Best for Danny's fans but a fun comedy for anyone who is willing to suspend belief for a couple of hours.
... View MoreDanny Kaye began to show his comic genius in this so-so film of 1946. He would star with his constant co-star Viginia Mayo. In this film, he plays a milque-toast milkman and often acts like he is ready to do Walter Mytty. He is mistaken for knocking out a prize fighter (Steve Cochran) and that's when the fun starts.Cochran, managed by Walter Abel with a wise-cracking girlfriend, Eve Arden, tries to recruit Kaye to fight in the ring. Kaye is hilarious in the ring but it doesn't take a genius to note that the fights are fixed so that Kaye will win.Mayo plays his love interest and sings delightfully. Vera-Ellen plays his charming sister and dances up a storm in a number called "Josie." To complicate the plot somewhat, Ellen and Cochran fall for each other.Fay Bainter is a steal scener playing a patron of the arts who tries to spar with Kaye. The scenes with them doing this are hilarious.The picture goes downhill as success spoils Kaye and he goes into inane musical routines.The film is definitely for the lighthearted. Beautifully filmed in Technicolor.
... View MoreEveryone in THE KID FROM BROOKLYN is at their best--thanks to a zestful comedy based on "The Milky Way" with Harold Lloyd, only this time the timid milkman is DANNY KAYE, who goes from lovable, funny Kaye to totally extroverted Kaye who thinks he really won all those fights that he was signed up for by crooked manager WALTER ABEL.VIRGINIA MAYO, looking her most luscious in Technicolor, is Kaye's partner again and the great supporting cast includes VERA-ELLEN (as Kaye's dancing sister), EVE ARDEN, LIONEL STANDER and STEVE COCHRAN, who steps away from his usual serious role (as a heavy) to show that he had a flair for slapstick comedy.The story is nonsense, of course, and even the usually repressed FAY BAINTER gets into the spirit of things as a woman Kaye teaches some boxing pointers to. It's all very lightweight, easy to take and pleasant to watch, especially if you enjoy Kaye's special brand of comedy. Included are some specialty numbers for Vera-Ellen, surrounded by chorus boys and The Goldwyn Girls and a nice song number for Virginia Mayo, all emphasizing some dazzling Technicolor hues.Kaye does only one of his tongue-twisting routines, but it's a gem--a Russian number called "Pavlova" written for him by Sylvia Fine, his wife.Summing up: Light-hearted entertainment impossible to dislike and all of it is photographed in gorgeous Technicolor.
... View More