Paramount Presents: The Court Jester [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama Melvin Frank

Overview

This hilarious musical is set in medieval times and stars Danny Kaye as the leader of a peasant insurrection aimed at overthrowing a tyrant king. In an attempt to infiltrate the wicked king's court, Kaye masquerades as a court jester and gets entangled in a variety of sticky situations.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/26/2021
UPC:	0032429352200
Original Release:	1956
Source:	Paramount
Language:	English

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Danny Kaye	Hubert Hawkins
Glynis Johns	Maid Jean
Basil Rathbone	Sir Ravenhurst
Angela Lansbury	Princess Gwendolyn
Cecil Parker	King Roderick
Mildred Natwick	Griselda
Robert Middleton	Sir Griswold
Michael Pate	Sir Locksley
Herbert Rudley	Captain of the Guard
Noel Drayton	Fergus
Edward Ashley	Black Fox
John Carradine	Giacomo
Alan Napier	Sir Brockhurst
Lewis Martin	Sir Finsdale
Pat Aherne	Sir Pertwee,Sir Pertwee
Richard Kean	Archbishop
Larry Pennell	Novice Knight
Tudor Owen	Friar
Charles Irwin	Griswold Aide
Leo Britt	Sir Bertram
Russell Gaige	Chamberlain
Ray Kellogg	Court Official
Eric Alden	King's Man
William Pullen	Actor
Joel Smith	Forestry Officer,Actor
Robin Hughes	Black Fox's Messenger
Nels Nelson	One of Hermine's Midgets,Knight,Actor
Edward Peter Gibbons	One of Hermine's Midgets
Thomas J. Cotton	One of Hermine's Midgets
Billy Curtis	One of Hermine's Midgets
A.J. Buster Resmondo	One of Hermine's Midgets
Irving Fulton	One of Hermine's Midgets
Frank Delfino	One of Hermine's Midgets
Little Billy Rhodes	One of Hermine's Midgets
Henry Lewis Stone	One of Hermine's Midgets
George Louis Spotts	One of Hermine's Midgets
Irving Douglas	One of Hermine's Midgets
Harry Monty	One of Hermine's Midgets
James B. Jordan	One of Hermine's Midgets
Floyd Dixon	One of Hermine's Midgets
Robert Hart	Performer
Burnell Dietch	Performer
Chad Dee Block	Performer
Leo Wheeler	Performer
Leslie Denison	Guard
Paul 'Tiny' Newlan	Soldier/Guard,Actor
Trevor Ward	Actor
Michael Mahoney	Soldier
Phyllis Coghlan	Hairdresser
Bill Cartledge	Pageboy
Len Hendry	Guard
Claud Wuhrman	Knight
John O'Malley	Courier/Announcer
Phyllis Coughlan	Actor
Vic Schoen	Conductor,Composer

Technical Credits

Melvin Frank

Norman Panama

Melvin Frank	Producer,Director,Screenwriter
Norman Panama	Producer,Director,Screenwriter
John Fulton	Special Effects
Irmin Roberts	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

The Court Jester deconstructs the swashbuckler genre, poking fun at the films of Errol Flynn in particular. Featuring one of Danny Kaye's best-known performances, it is a catalogue of satirical delights, highlighted by Kaye's "The Pellet with the Poison" bit. Written, directed, and produced by the team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, the film avoids self-parody thanks to the well-chosen supporting players, including Basil Rathbone and Angela Lansbury. Its major weakness is its romantic subplot, which slows the momentum at several points. Kaye's energetic humor, however, is enough to get the film back on track whenever it threatens to become maudlin.