Danny Kaye (1913 – 1987) was an American actor, singer and comedian with an amazing creative range, encompassing dance, popular song, classical music, complicated verse, impersonation and improvisation. Appearing in many movies, as well as on stage and television, Kaye was an amazing entertainer, often performing songs and material written by his wife, Sylvia Fine.
After dropping out of high school Danny worked for a radio station and later as a comedian in the Catskills, in the area known as the “Borscht Belt.”
Kaye’s first big break came in 1941, appearing in the hit Broadway comedy “Lady in the Dark.” His show-stopping song was “Tchaikovsky,” by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, in which he sang the names of a whole string of Russian composers at breakneck speed, seemingly without taking a breath.
Danny Kaye is well known for his roles in films such as “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1947), “The Inspector General” (1949) and “White Christmas” (1954). He also starred in two pictures based on biographies, “Hans Christian Andersen” (1952) and “The Five Pennies” (1959) which was about jazz pioneer Red Nichols.
Kaye also starred in a radio program of his own, The Danny Kaye Show (1945-1946), and hosted his own variety hour on television from 1963 to 1967. He also appeared as a guest star on numerous television shows throughout his career. Here is Danny performing on The Muppet Show:
According to some sources Danny Kaye had a long-term affair with Eve Arden in the 1940s. Kaye and Laurence Olivier reportedly had a 10-year gay affair in the 1950s, when Olivier was still married to Vivien Leigh.
In 1951, Danny Kaye recorded “Santa Claus Looks Like My Daddy” with Vic Schoen’s Orchestra and Chorus, a year before Jimmy Boyd’s hit song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”
LISTEN TO SONG:
DOWNLOAD MP3:
Danny_Kaye_-_Santa_Claus_Looks_Like_My_Daddy.mp3
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