The Kid from Brooklyn (1946)
Grade: 34
"The Kid from Brooklyn" is a comedy, and a vehicle for talented comedian Danny Kaye. However, Kaye's charm cannot overcome the many severe problems that the movie has.
Kaye is a humble milkman who meets Virginia Mayo when his cart-horse gives birth. Mayo never seems to get upset when Kaye drops by unexpectedly at early morning hours, before she has dressed. While defending a ladies' honor from two drunken clods, one of the clods is knocked unconscious. This man turns out to be the middleweight champion.
Publicity from this leads to Kaye becoming a boxer, winning a series of fixed fights. Meanwhile, Mayo and Kaye's sister both become successful nightclub singers. Will Kaye survive a real boxing match against the champ, and will he win the love of Virginia Mayo? (What do you think?)
"The Kid from Brooklyn" has a major weakness: the script. It just isn't funny. The jokes fall flat. Reliance on Kaye's physical humor (he often shows off his pathetic boxing skills) doesn't work either. Another problem is the many musical numbers: they are just above the quality of a Lawrence Welk production, and better only because of the costumes.
In this film, boxing is presented as a fixed sport much as professional wrestling. I can't accept this premise, and Kaye, who shows no boxing talent except an ability to duck, could never convince anyone as a boxer. Also not credible is both Mayo and Kaye's sister as stars of musical productions, a plot device to fill the movie with the tiresome songs. Finally, Kaye's character is not consistent. First, he is a humble milkman, and later he is Danny Kaye, doing his complicated standup shtick.
I have not seen a Danny Kaye vehicle that was very good. Perhaps there are some out there, most likely when he plays a straight character. Tailoring a movie to Kaye's talents doesn't appear to work. Perhaps he needed zany character actors to support him, as for example is provided for in successful Marx Brothers comedies.
http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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