A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler who has overthrown the rightful King.
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Title: The Court Jester (1955)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Danny Kaye | ... | Hubert Hawkins | |
| Glynis Johns | ... | Maid Jean | |
| Basil Rathbone | ... | Sir Ravenhurst | |
| Angela Lansbury | ... | Princess Gwendolyn | |
| Cecil Parker | ... | King Roderick I | |
| Mildred Natwick | ... | Griselda | |
| Robert Middleton | ... | Sir Griswold | |
| Michael Pate | ... | Sir Locksley | |
| Herbert Rudley | ... | Captain of the Guard | |
| Noel Drayton | ... | Fergus | |
| John Carradine | ... | Giacomo | |
| Edward Ashley | ... | Black Fox | |
| Alan Napier | ... | Sir Brockhurst | |
 |
Lewis Martin | ... | Sir Finsdale |
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Patrick Aherne | ... | Sir Pertwee |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
The throne of rightful King of England, the small baby with the purple pimpernel birthmark, has been usurped by the evil King Roderick I (Cecil Parker). Only the Black Fox (Edward Ashley) can restore the true King to the throne - and all he needs is the King's key to a secret tunnel. And while he's trying to steal it, someone has to change the King's diapers. The task falls to Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye), the gentlest member of the Fox's band. The Fox's Lieutenant, Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), guards Hawkins and the baby while they travel, but when they meet the King's new jester on the road, they decide to initiate a daring plan for Hawkins to replace him, become an intimate at the court, and steal the key. So, humble Hawkins becomes Giacomo: the King of jesters and jester to the King. But things begin to get zany when the King's daughter falls for Giacomo, the King falls for Jean, people randomly sing what are supposed to be recognition codes, and a witch with very effective spells (... Written by Kathy Li
Taglines:
The Musical Romantic Adventure Of This Or Any Year! See more »Parents Guide:
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Hawkins: Life could not better be / Better be, better be / It could not possibly / No sirrah, sir-rah, sirree! / Songs could not gayer be / Sound your do-re-o-mi, re-mi-fa-so-la-see, fa-la-la-la follow me! / Why be gloomy? / Cut thy nose off to spite thy face? / Listen to me / A nose is hard to replace! / Skies could not bluer be / Hearts in love truer be / I say for you or me / Life couldn't possibly, not even probably / Life couldn't possibly better be! Life could not better be / On a ...
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Did You Know?
Trivia
During the "Maladjusted Jester" sequence, King Roderick I (Cecil Parker) kicks Hawkins (Danny Kaye) every time he makes a mistake. It took eleven takes, and afterward, Danny said he had bruises all over his hip. See more »Goofs
During Hawkins and Ravenhurst's fight, the safety buttons on the tips of their swords are visible in some shots. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Hawkins: Life could not better be / Better be, better be / It could not possibly / No sirrah, sir-rah, sirree! / Songs could not gayer be / Sound your do-re-o-mi, re-mi-fa-so-la-see, fa-la-la-la follow me! / Why be gloomy? / Cut thy nose off to spite thy face? / Listen to me / A nose is hard to replace! / Skies could not bluer be / Hearts in love truer be / I say for you or me / Life couldn't possibly, not even probably / Life couldn't possibly better be! Life could not better be / On a ...
See more »
Crazy Credits
The opening credits are a musical number where Hawkins dances around the credits as they appear. This is also the manner of a medieval theatre where an actor serves as a prologue to introduce the story. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
27 January 1956 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Court Jester See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$4,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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Danny Kaye is excellent in this old fashioned family comedy mixed some musical numbers, slapstick humour with wonderful wit and wordplay. The story moves along regardless of the fact that some events occur just to set up some of the jokes, and also some of the editing effects in one scene are really dated! But you're laughing so much that it doesn't matter.
This is a wonderfully old fashioned family comedy that despite it's age still feels freshly funny and acts to show us how crude and ham-fisted comedies such as American Pie etc really are.
Go and find this and watch it today! ..Get it? Got it! Good!