“Award Winner To Show Talent”

Lake Charles American Press – Oct. 21, 1960

By: Don Royal

Captions:
TV HOLDOUT – Ever the perfectionist, Danny Kaye listens intently to a playback of some of his material which will be used in his October 30 television special “Danny Kaye” show over the CBS-TV network. The show will be seen locally on KFDM-TV, Channel 6 and KTAG-TV, Channel 25.

ROLL ‘EM! – Apparently pleased with the way his show is going, Danny Kaye gives an OK signal as he poses near a CBS-TV camera. The “Danny Kaye” special will be seen form 7 to 8 p.m. October 30 over the CBS-TV network.

* * *

Danny Kaye and television meet head-on Sunday, October 30, over CBS-TV. The results of this impart between these two irresistible forces is something watching with interest. So far in his 25 years in show business, entertainer Kaye has mastered with ease every medium that has challenged him—vaudeville, night clubs, Broadway stage, motion pictures, concert stage—you name it.

But the mop-topped singer-dancer-comedian has studiously avoided the challenge of television for more than a decade. When television first went big time, it was assumed the medium was tailor-made to Kaye’s broad band of talents. His mimicry, his timing, his pantomime, his dancing, all made him a TV natural—said the professionals.

Kaye, to the professionals’ surprise, however, evinced a curious reluctance to meet this new challenger. He seemed perfectly content to go on as before, making one picture a year, playing theater engagements at places like New York’s Palace or London’s Palladium, conducting concert orchestras, working for the United Nations Children’s Fund—in general behaving as though television never had been invented.

Since nothing inflames television executives like indifference, Kaye was deluged with fabulous offers to enter this new medium. To all offers, Kaye turned a deaf ear.

Not to be refused, these sponsors offered Kaye every inducement possible—the finest writers, the best directors, color, prime evening time slots. Finally, Kaye made his first TV show—a black and white program filmed by newsreel cameramen under the worst possible conditions, with no director, no script, not even a planned format and shown on a Sunday afternoon. What is more, Kaye did the program for no fee, turning all proceeds over to UNICEF.

The resulting show, called “The Secret Life of Danny Kaye,” detailing the work of the UN Children’s Fund around the world, is one of the most honored programs of all time. It won the Peabody Award and enough other awards to fill a small room.

This filmed show was Danny Kaye, the humanitarian. By no stretch of the imagination could it be considered the Danny Kaye the sponsors were so anxious to have—Danny Kaye, the brilliant, warm entertainer.

After a decade of refusals, sponsors and networks reluctantly came to the conclusion that Mr. Kaye meant it when he said “no.”

Quite astonishingly, early this summer it was announced that Danny Kaye would do three television shows, for General Motors Corporation, over a three-year period, on the CBS network. How to explain this abrupt reversal of form? Perhaps Danny Kaye can explain it best in his own words.

“I have never said that I would not appear on television,” says Kaye. “I have said only that I was not ready to appear on television—yet. On stage, I’m an instinctive sort of performer and I have to make decisions about my performance the same way—instinctively. I had to wait until I was ready for television—and,” he added with a small grin, “until television was ready for me.”

Whatever brought about the end to Danny Kaye’s holdout, television viewers will be the richer for it. For his first show, Kaye plans nothing more than a one-man display of talent, with a few “surprise” guests, including Louis Armstrong. Basically, the format will be the same as for the stage shows Kaye has presented throughout the world.

Danny’s wife of 20 years, Sylvia Fine, is producing the show and has created a […unintelligible…] of new material for her husband. While Kaye will use considerable material on the show that has never been seen before, he’s a wise enough showman to include many of his old favorites. He learned this lesson on his second appearance at London’s famed old Palladium Theater.

Kaye was the biggest success London had ever known when he first played there. When he returned for a second engagement after a few years, however, he reasoned the English audiences would want to see something they hadn’t seen before. So he created an entire new show for London.

“Opening night,” relates Danny. “I could sense something was wrong from the opening number. I wasn’t getting the same kind of response from the audience I had when I first played London. There was nothing wrong with the material and I was working as hard as ever, but I could sense the audience’s dissatisfaction.

“Then, when we came to the request period, the audience exploded with requests for all the old numbers. I did them and they were happy again. I learned then to intersperse enough familiar material with new stuff. That’s what I’ll do on television—at least the first time around.”

Kaye’s deal leaves his second and third shows entirely up to him and he admits they may be something entirely unique. He may even do one show from abroad, or he may film a show in many different places, as he did his UNICEF show. Whatever Kaye does, however, it’s certain to be off the beaten TV path.

Danny’s deal to make only one television program a year may set new standards of reticence for video performers, but it’s in keeping with his track record in show business.

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