The Court Jester (1955)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

My early thirties year old lodger and I did the "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle" routine about two hours ago. Realistically we were probably the only people in London that did. Yet the fact that the film still resonates has to count for something. It's just fun.

Every time I watch this movie I laugh hilariously. That's saying a lot because I rarely feel the same emotions after watching a movie.... I know exactly what's coming.Danny Kaye is in a role made for him, as a bumbling man who is thrown (or hypnotized) into the role of "Giacomo", a famous lover and experienced fighter. The scene where he is in and out of a trance while engaging in swordplay is terrific. For me, the granddaddy of all scenes is when he is going through the trials to become a Knight, then his initiation ceremony. These scenes are pure gold and I noticed they are most mentioned by reviewers here too. Mildred Natwick has a terrific role as Griselda, the one who makes Kaye think he is really Giacomo. She gives him ridiculously complicated rhymes to remember which drink has poison and of course, Kaye keeps forgetting. The rest of the Knight's trials are just as funny and the final initiation ceremony had me on the floor with laughter. It starts off slow and as the drums quicken, and Kaye is literally carried through. This stuff is priceless! Beautiful Angela Lansbury and Gorgeous Glynis Johns are the love interests.I gave it a 9 out of 10, not because of Kaye, but for the silliness with the baby's birthmark (on its rear), and the too lengthy romance scenes. Danny Kaye is a decent singer, but his true calling is as a funny man.Yay...Verily.....Yay.

I won't pretend like I'm the biggest fan of Danny Kaye, given that the only other projects I've seen him in are "The Inspector General" and his guest appearance on The Muppet Show. However, I feel like this movie is to Danny Kaye what Muppet Treasure Island was for Tim Curry: a must-see for any and all who want others to join in worship of their idol.The film borrows a few elements from Robin Hood: band of rebels in a forest, evil usurper sitting on the throne, romance, swordplay, antics for everyone. However, the focus of the film is, in fact, the bumbling sidekick that no one expects anything of. Hawkins (played by Kaye), after he's done singing musical numbers while impersonating his boss, finds himself caught up in a plot to oust the tyrant usurper and restore the rightful heir: a small baby with an obviously painted flower on his left buttock. And even though Hawkins is as bumbling as bumblers get, he manages to woo a princess, insult nobility, assassinate royal advisers, and avoid any morning stars on a collision course with his cranium.Like I said, this movie has about everything Danny Kaye can bring to the table in it: he jumps around, he swings on ropes, he's bumbling, he talks quickly, he sings, he dances, he injures himself for our amusement, he steals props from the set (seriously, look that up on YouTube; he's even more over-the-top as himself), he's just all-around a great lead.And, to the movie's credit, the songs are pretty entertaining as well. "The Maladjusted Jester" is one of the best solo numbers I've ever seen in a movie, certainly a cut above the stuff that roles out from The Muppets or whatever hot new band is being paraded around by record companies. "The Black Fox" number in the beginning is also wonderful, being mysterious and quick like its subject matter, as well as providing a good fake-out for first time viewers.Overall, I have no complaints about this movie. The story's great, the songs are great, the characters are great, the comedy's great, and Danny Kaye is FANTASTIC.

This is an extremely funny movie, in all sorts of ways, from very broad humor to very clever word play - a lot of the latter. While the performances are uniformly first-rate and the directing keeps this movie moving, the real key to its quality is the script. It is full of brilliant tongue twisters - Danny Kaye's specialty - delivered not just with speed, but downright brilliance by the whole cast. "The vessel with the pestle" routine is first delivered by two other characters, and both do it masterfully. You have to listen carefully to some of the word play to catch just how clever it is, but it's definitely worth it.There's nothing profound here, but that doesn't matter. This movie laughs with the joy of the pleasure to be derived from playing intelligently with language. It shows what can be accomplished by making an effort to use language well, and cleverly, rather than just spouting whatever.Note Basil Rathbone's first-rate parody of his own performances as a medieval villain in such Warner Brother costume epics as The Adventures of Robin Hood. Rathbone was a great and very versatile actor. He is as great in sending himself up as he was in the roles he parodies.