“Danny Kaye Relents, Appears on TV Sunday”
The Press Courier – Oct. 28, 1960
By: Vernon Scott
HOLLYWOOD (UPI) – Famous last words department, Danny Kaye division:
“I’ll never do a commercial television show.” (In other interviews, Danny had stated that he never said “never” just “not now.” i.e. October 25, 1960 J. N., webmistress)
The whirlwind comedian will eat his words Sunday night when he stars in his own hour-
From the looks of things television viewers will be happy that Danny changed his mind. He is too.
“It seems right to appear on television now,” he explained. “It didn’t seem right before. The medium is going to be around for quite a while, and so am I. So here I am doing a TV show.
“At first I was apprehensive about television. I couldn’t make the adjustment of talking directly into a camera. Then I concentrated on the fact that I would be talking to millions of people in their homes, and things became easier.”
Humor
Danny’s CBS show will be something along the lines of “A Night With Fred Astaire” – with humor instead of dancing.
Louis Armstrong will be his only guest as they combine on a rendition of “When the Saints go Marchin’ In” which they performed in the movie “The Five Pennies.”
He will do a takeoff on TV westerns, along with parodies of mystery shows, commercials, psychiatry, Edward R. Murrow, Harry Belafonte and Flamenco dancing.
“You might say it is a pleasant commentary on television, a good-
“We taped the show exactly as we would have done it ‘live.’
Goofs
“We started at the top of the program and went right through to the end. All the flaws and goofs will be in there.
“I’d rather catch the spirit and spontaneity of humor than try to perfect every detail. It took us about four weeks to organize the entire show and only 61 minutes to tape the finished product.
“Some of the routines I’ve done before in theaters and night clubs, but much of the material is new – contributed by my wife Sylvia, who also produced the whole thing.”
The last time Danny was seen on TV (and incidentally his first) was four years ago for UNICEF, the organization that helps sick and needy children throughout the world.
Service
“That wasn’t an entertainment show,” he said. “It was a public service program in which I was tremendously interested.”
Now that Danny has his feet wet in commercial TV, will he do more shows?
“You bet,” he exclaimed. “I’ve signed up to do one show a year for the next three years – and I’m looking forward to it.”