“Danny Kaye, the Brooklyn Kid Is O-
The Milwaukee Journal – Apr. 29, 1945
By: Bea J. Pepan
Danny Kaye stacks up as one of the brightest comedians to come the way of radio or the screen in a long time. He seems to have everything—looks, personality and talent cut a yard wide. On first appearance he strikes you as a modest, likable chap, rather reserved. Then, bang, he’s coming at you with a fast line of chatter that’s startling for its rapid fire delivery, whiz bang asides and absolute zaniness.
It took but one picture, “Up in Arms,” to call the public’s attention to the wavy haired wit. Critics hailed him as the hottest thing on the screen since Bob brought Hope to the box office.
Yet when people call Danny an overnight sensation, he voices a loud protest. “No one seems to realize that for 12 years on the stage I played every whistle stop in America and beat my brains out all over the world.”
It’s true, too. Back in 1933 when Danny played Milwaukee in a musical, “La Vie Parisienne,” his act stirred little comment. And no one rolled out the red carpet to greet him. His 1945 visit here, Apr. 2, between trains en route to the west coast, was slightly different. At a gathering of local dignitaries, his brewery sponsors and the press, Danny spent three hours as the man of the hour.
D.K.’s visit was the occasion of reunion, also, with Roland Pierre Tournier, Milwaukee, with whom Danny traveled through China and Japan 15 years ago in an A. B. Marcus show. The luncheon was peppered with screaming tales of what took place when the two trouped together.
There was the memorable night in Japan in 1934 (as Danny told it) when Roland was appearing in both “Pagliacci” and “Martha.” The performance schedule kept shifting between the two. At one stand Roland got his cues mixed. Detained somewhere along the streets of Japan, Roland dashed in two minutes before curtain time, dressed hurriedly, was about to enter on cue when he noticed the performance was “Martha,” not “Pagliacci” as he supposed. Dashing back to his dressing room he whipped into his tuxedo, tore back on stage to swing into his opening solo. But he sensed from the murmuring audience that something was wrong. In his haste he had forgotten to remove the ruff worn around the neck of his Pagliacci costume. It fairly broke up the show.
That was 11 years ago but Danny was still laughing about the business while he posed for a color photograph in The Journal studios. Mr. Tournier, in turn, had plenty to say about friend, Kaye. As a comedian, he said, “Danny is a natural. He doesn’t need a script.” (Except when I broadcast, Danny interjected.) “He just does whatever pops into his head. He can switch dialects faster than a chameleon changes color. Mugging? He’s got that down so pat it’s no wonder he keeps his studio audience in stitches however flat the line may register over the air.”
It seems safe to say that the occidental races in China and Japan were the first to really appreciate Kaye’s talent. Something about Danny’s pantomime and grimaces won them over completely.
Danny interrupted here again to tell a story about Roland. While in Niko the troupe had its first introduction to wooden blocks for pillows while they slept. “I can still hear Roland as he roared, ‘We should have brought our mattresses from Milwaukee!’ That is what probably started the war!”
We discovered the redheaded comedian’s one point of vanity—his hair. Roland takes credit for it. “I practically wore my arm out brushing it in the orient.”
Between riotous take-
Danny’s change of pace technique is what keeps his Friday night radio show moving
at a dizzy pace. One minute he will warble the sweetest of songs, the next he’ll
be speaking in Russian dialect, doing a take-
The kid from Brooklyn insists he’s a wife made man. “My wife (Sylvia Fine) has a wonderful head on my shoulders. It’s her words in my mouth that have made me what I am today.”
It’s true, Danny’s wife does play an important role in his present radio show. She writes all of his songs and musical numbers. Four or five script writers worry about putting the rest of his $16,000 weekly show together.
Danny’s latest picture, “Wonder Man,” is scheduled to be released in Chicago come
June. With the sign-
Sizing him up, Danny is probably what people mean when they speak of a phenomenal
success. In his case it took 12 years of heard work and digging to hit the top, but
right now, what with his screen and radio work, 32 year old Danny is doing O-