The Court Jester (1955)

Director: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank

Cast: Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury

Have I Seen It Before: Never. After years now of helping to host the White Christmas (1954) sing-a-longs at Circle Cinema, the warm embrace of Danny Kaye* has always been off there in the distance. This year, as I ease myself back into the occasionally bewildering world of the Columbia Inn, I’m using this film to ease myself back into the swing of things.

Did I Like It: Last year, I picked Holiday Inn (1942) to ease me back into things. It seemed like the logical choice, as White Christmas is ultimately a loose remake of that earlier film, but it also turned out to be a horrifying relic of its time.

Seriously, do not watch Holiday Inn, if you know what’s good for you. I did, so you don’t have to.

The Court Jester fares quite a bit better. It’s a light sword and castle fantasy, it doesn’t ask too much of us as an audience. The cast is pretty great, with Basil Rathbone plays the role in his repertoire other than Sherlock Holmes with aplomb, and it’s hard not to be delighted by the presence of either Glynis Johns (you’re thinking of her as the slightly dotty grandmother in While You Were Sleeping (1995), while I’m thinking of her more as Shelley Long’s mother on Cheers) or Angela Lansbury. What’s more, the amount of funny mugging versus sweeping musical numbers favors the prior. Big musical fans might be disappointed, but without Gene Kelly involved (see the previous footnote) that’s probably the ratio I prefer.

I was so delighted by The Court Jester that I think I might be ready to make a bold proclamation.

Do you promise to not blow up my spot if I say this?

Okay.

Bing holds Danny back.

All right. Now I’m ready for Christmas again.

*I always wished the second banana had been played by Donald O’Connor, but that may owe itself largely to how much I prefer Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Shh. Don’t tell anyone. I’ve got a reputation to keep up.

White Christmas (1954)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Cast: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen

Have I Seen it Before: Yes. I’m sure I have. It is one of my mother’s favorite movies, if not the absolute favorite. I have the strongest memory of a VHS copy sitting on a shelf as a kid, along with all of the other grown up movies. I’m sure I had to watch it at some point.

Did I Like It: As much as I love Singin’ in the Rain (1952), the “Broadway Melody” feels as awkwardly forced into the movie as it would have in The Dancing Cavalier.

It’s a reality of the genre, also on display here* that things eventually have to devolve into a musical number. Fortunately, here, as all concerned are also just putting on a show, the numbers feel less tacked on**.

But this should really be less about Singin’ in the Rain and more about the film in question.

I’ve often said that each year I have—at best—48 hours of Christmas cheer per year. Never mind that the larger world would be more than content to exhaust it sometime in early November. There’s a possibility I may have to strictly budget that cheer over the coming weeks, because this movie might be demanding just a bit more out of me before everything is said and done.

Or maybe I’ll have to find some deeper levels of cheer. The movies just might be worth it.

*That genre being the “1950s film where two rapscallion show folk fellas get into some shenanigans and at least the leading man (read: less funny of the two) meets and wins over the girl of his dreams.” See Singin’ and Some Like It Hot (1959) for examples.

**Maybe if we watched the sequence play out in the middle of an exhibition The Dancing Cavalier and not the pitching of those added scenes.