Nobody's Fool: The Lives of Danny Kaye

by Martin Gottfried

Overview

Beginning with his rise from the streets of Brooklyn to becoming the first ambassador-at-large for UNICEF, Martin Gottfried shares a detailed portrait of one of America’s most talented and controversial entertainers of the mid-nineties in this biography of Danny Kaye.

Nobody’s Fool is the fascinating story of an energetic, athletic, and curious kid from Brooklyn that became a star with multiple talents, growing into one of the most popular and adored entertainers in American history.

Joining forces with his songwriting wife and mentor, Sylvia Fine, the couple created a unique personality that would go on to enchant the nation as they combined the joy and ingenuousness of a child with the knowing wink of a sophisticated entertainer.

But as Danny Kaye was developing into one of the greatest stars of the mid-nineties and an international humanitarian, there was always speculation that he was concealing a very different life. Martin Gottfried uncovers the veil of secrecy and takes readers beyond the elegant image of Kaye in this biography of a brilliantly nurtured and protected star.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780743244763
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	06/07/2002
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	235,859
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Martin Gottfried was a well-known critic, columnist, and artist from Brooklyn, New York. He studied at Columbia College and spent time working with U.S. Army Military Intelligence. Gottfried is recognized for writing many biographies, including titles on Bob Fosse, Danny Kaye, and George Burns.

Editorial Reviews

Brooklyn-born in 1913 as David Daniel Kaminski, this kinetic comedian with the crooked smile got his start in summer vaudeville. Beginning at age 16, he learned the hard way and learned well. He could mesmerize a nightclub audience, reduce it to tears of laughter and then get everyone to dance the conga. His rags-to-riches career took him to Hollywood, Broadway, the London Palladium (where he performed a triple act with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh and drank champagne with Princess Margaret). Through all this he was coached by his wife, Sylvia Fine, who wrote the songs and devised the comic business that launched his career. The couple stayed together for 47 years (Kaye died in 1987). However, Gottfried (All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse) isn't telling a fairy tale here. Despite worldwide acclaim, good works with UNICEF and a mega-movie hit with Hans Christian Andersen, there was a cold and dark side to Kaye. No one quoted in this detailed biography felt close to him; even Sylvia played more the role of mother and manager than wife or lover. Convincingly discredited as well are recent assertions that Kay and Olivier were once lovers. ``Perhaps he could not be intimate with any individual,'' Gottfried writes, ``but he certainly could be with an audience.'' Audiences everywhere loved him and felt loved by him. Perhaps that is the way to remember him: the redheaded singing elf who spread happiness. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gottfried's capably researched and recounted biography offers a none too flattering glimpse into Kaye's well-guarded personal life, including his egotism, cruelty, his strained marriage and his flirtations and affairs. His career is treated in detail, from his obvious early talent to the creation of his acting personae and his sad professional and personal decline before his death in 1987. Lacks a bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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