Though he was
really born in 1911 (see below), Danny Kaye's
centennial is being celebrated this year.
Fox has just released
On the Riviera on Blu-ray, and Kaye's daughter Dena phoned
Blu-ray.com staff reviewer Jeffrey Kauffman to discuss the film and her
father's life.
Hello, Mr. Kauffman, this is Dena Kaye.
Hi, Dena, what an incredible pleasure to be able to talk to you today.
First of all, you have to call me Jeff.
Okay, Jeff—where are you?
I'm in a suburb of Portland, Oregon called Lake Oswego.
Oh, really? My father and his partner used to own some radio stations in
Portland!
Really? Which ones? My wife was a news anchor for several years on
one of the biggest stations in this market.
Oh—let's see. You know, I just can't remember, you know how that goes.
Yes, I deal with a failing memory virtually daily. In fact, that brings up
something I was trying to remember last night as I prepared for this
interview. I looked for this last night but couldn't find it, and dealing
entirely from memory now—somewhere in papers I inherited I have a note
your Dad wrote to my late Uncle which says something like 'thank you for
all your efforts', which I think was probably dated 1971 when your Dad was
doing Two by Two on Broadway. My Uncle was a big real estate
impresario in Manhattan and I'm wondering if maybe he helped find your
Dad a place to stay during the run of that show.
Oh, no, absolutely not, Daddy had a suite at a hotel. I was always "Eloise"
with him when we were in New York.
Well, I guess those "efforts" will have to remain a mystery. Also, I was
a friend of the late actress Susan Gordon, who played you in a manner of
speaking, appearing as your father's daughter in The Five Pennies.
Did you know Susan?
No, I really didn't. I
may have met her at some point, but I don't
think so. But I have to say she was so lovely in that movie, and that scene
of my Dad and Susan singing
The Five Pennies is so touching to me,
it's one of my favorite scenes in any of my father's films.
Well, Susan told me and my wife on several occasions what a
sweet man your Dad was on the set, helping to put her at ease, both
during takes and especially between them.
Well,
that I can believe, quite easily.
I never trust Wikipedia for accurate information, but according to the
article on your father, it's intimated that your parents separated shortly
after your birth, so I'm wondering what your childhood with your father was
like.
Well, that's absolutely
not the truth—they were together my entire
childhood, in fact my whole life. They were often working in different places
of course, but they were
always together.
Which is exactly why I never count on Wikipedia for accurate
information. So did you have a lot of contact with your Dad—did you go on
set with him, for example?
No, not really, though speaking of
The Five Pennies, I did have a bit
in that film in the hospital scene. But that's really about it. I had a really
boring, normal childhood. We always lived in the same house in Beverly
Hills. But I'll tell you some of my early memories. My Dad was an avid
golfer and he used to take me to Palm Springs where he'd golf, and he
used to let me drive the golf cart around the course, which of course
delighted me. And he used to take me to an old place called Beverly Pony
Land where I got to ride the horses. And believe it or not, he used to
regularly help me with my homework. And he was part of my adult life as
well. We were
very close friends. As you probably know, I've made
my living as a journalist and when I did a piece on a cooking school in
Bologna, he said "Why don't I go with you?", for he was a wonderful cook.
He also took me to Israel. He was always an incredible friend to my friends.
Most of all, he was an incredible
listener.
That's wonderful.
And I'll tell you some unusual things. You know, growing up you don't
really have a concept of how others treat your parents. But when I was
nine I came straight from camp to meet my Dad in Toronto, where he was
performing. And there was a police escort with traffic being stopped—now
that's unusual. And something else about that trip—he was a huge
ping pong fan, and they were having a tournament there, and believe it or
not, he had a suite in a hotel and he had a ping pong table brought into
the living room so that he could play!
I have a kind of bifurcated career where I split my time between
journalism and working as a professional musician, and for me, your
mother's (note: Sylvia Fine, who wrote much of the specialty music
material Kaye performed during his career) contributions to your Dad were
immeasurable. Did she ever feel her talents were underappreciated, that
maybe she was just basking in the reflected glow from your Dad?
Well, I think in New York she felt
very much appreciated. You know,
New York was
authentic. She wrote for Broadway, she wrote my
father's material, and she of course accompanied him at their very
successful run at the Martinique, and she was valued for who she was. Los
Angeles was a different story. People there had a tendency to simply refer
to her as Danny Kaye's wife, but, you know, it's two completely different
cultures.
To get back to the not very reliable Wikipedia, the article on your Dad
also states that you "confessed" to Ben Mankiewicz that your Dad was
actually born in 1911, not 1913, so tell us why we're celebrating The Danny
Kaye Centennial this year.
He actually
was born in 1911, but when we started planning the
Centennial, we decided to use the year that
he chose. [Laughs]
Why do you think he changed his birthyear? Typically only female stars
tended to do that.
Isn't it strange—and especially only shaving off two years! It's just a
mystery to me. I have absolutely no idea why he did that, but you'd be
surprised to see how many official documents have 1913 listed as his
birthyear.
Do you have a favorite Danny Kaye film?
That's kind of like asking, do you have a favorite city? [Laughs] Each film
he did has a special place in my heart for completely different reasons. But
I'll tell you one I really love is
Me and the Colonel, because that
showed a dramatic side to my father's talents.
Did you ever see The Grand Tour?
The Grand Tour? What's that?
It's a musical based on the same source material as Me and the
Colonel. Jerry Herman musicalized it and it starred Joel Grey on
Broadway. It was a huge flop, but it has an incredibly charming score. I
highly recommend it.
You're kidding. I
never knew that, thanks so much for telling me
about it. I'm going to have to check it out.
Tell us what this Centennial Celebration has meant to you personally.
Well, let me put it this way. There are a lot of people who have a little
Danny Kaye in them, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has
all of Danny Kaye in them. There was his talent and
humanitarianism and work with UNICEF—he was the first celebrity to do
anything like that. And all of his different hobbies, I mean he was a jet pilot
and owner of a baseball team, the list just goes on and on. What's
important to me is that he's being remembered and of course that we're
getting new releases of some of his films.
Including On the Riviera!
Yes! I'll tell you what I love about that film—it shows Daddy to be a musical
comedy star, and a wonderful dancer. You know when I was little, I asked
my mother, "Why should I take ballet lessons? Daddy never took lessons,
and look at him!" [Laughs] And the film is just classic Danny Kaye,
including him playing two characters. You know he so often played the
unsuspecting but ultimately triumphant romantic lead. And
On the
Riviera has one of my all time favorite songs my Dad did, "Ballin' the
Jack".
I know! Isn't that a fantastic arrangement? I actually called it
"unplugged" in my review of the film. Did your mother do
the arrangement?
You know, I'm not sure about that. But he did it again on television with
Gene Kelly, which is just amazing.
And there are a number of other wonderful films starring your Dad
which are also available on Blu-ray, including On the Double
and Knock on Wood.
Yes, and don't forget
White Christmas and
Hans Christian Andersen!
Absolutely—and here's to more offerings in the future. I personally
would love to see The Court Jester on Blu-ray. Dena, thanks so
much for your time!
Thank you!