Danny Kaye left school at the age of 13 to work in the "Borscht Belt" of the Catskill Mountains. It was there he learned the basics of showbiz. From there he went through a series of jobs in and out of the business. In 1939 he made his Broadway debut in the "Straw Hat Revue", but it was the stage production of the musical "Lady in the Dark" in 1940 that brought him acclaim and notice from agents. ...
show all Danny Kaye left school at the age of 13 to work in the "Borscht Belt" of the Catskill Mountains. It was there he learned the basics of showbiz. From there he went through a series of jobs in and out of the business. In 1939 he made his Broadway debut in the "Straw Hat Revue", but it was the stage production of the musical "Lady in the Dark" in 1940 that brought him acclaim and notice from agents. Also in 1940, he married Sylvia Fine, who went on to manage his career. She helped create the routines and gags, and wrote most of the songs that he performed. Danny could sing and dance like many others, but his specialty was reciting those tongue-twisting songs and monologues. Samuel Goldwyn had been trying to sign Kaye to a movie contract for two years before Kaye eventually agreed. Goldwyn put him in a series of Technicolor musicals, starting with "The Up in Arms (1944)". His debut was successful and he continued to make hit movies such as "Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)" and "The Inspector General (1949)". In 1954 he appeared with Bing Crosby in "The White Christmas (1954)", which was based on the Irving Berlin song of the same name. In 1955 he made what many consider his best comedy, "Court Jester (1955)", with the brilliant "pellet with the poison" routine. Like all things, however, the lifespan of a comedian is limited and his movie career waned. In 1960 he began doing specials on television and this led to his own TV series, "Danny Kaye Show, The" (1963)", which ran from 1963 to 1967. He also worked tirelessly for UNICEF.
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