Danny Kaye | Merry Andrew Reviews

“Merry Andrew”
The Miami News – Mar. 27, 1958
By: Herb Kelly

Verdict: Danny Kaye’s Antics. What Else?

           When you go to see Danny Kaye in a movie and you have watched him before, you know that his comedy isn’t the sleek, drawing room type. It is the visual that makes you laugh and that is the case in his latest, “Merry Andrew” which is at the Paramount and Coral in CinemaScope and color.
            From the dullness of a British schoolroom, Kaye leaps into a circus. Here he is at his best, fighting lions, slipping and swaying on a tightwire, being tossed from trapeze to trapeze by an aerial troupe, tumbling and balancing.
            Even when he is surrounded by a group of staid Englishmen he yocks it up, spilling 50-year-old wine on their evening clothes.
            All of this is sight comedy and up Kaye’s alley. He’s no sad faced clown and the dialogue with which he has to work isn’t sharp.
            Kaye has plenty of chances to dance and sing and there are a couple of catchy vocals, “The Square of the Hypotenuse” and “You Can’t Always Have What You Want.” In the first song he teaches a half dozen boys a lesson in geometry.
            Danny takes off from his school job to find a rare statue of Pam. Accidentally he joins up with a circus and meets Pier Angeli, member of a family aerial troupe. They fall in love. He flees from the show, returns home and learns that his father has arranged for him to marry coldish Patricia Cutts. That’s the story.
            Miss Angeli is charming, the rest of the cast plays it solemn-faced for laughs, but “Merry Andrew” is Kaye’s picture and he’s a hilarious fellow.

Comments on Danny are in yellow.

“Merry Andrew”
Ellensburg Daily Record – May 29, 1958

           Danny Kaye should have an even firmer grip on his legion of admirers with his latest role in “Merry Andrew.”
            A merry comedy with songs, “Merry Andrew” has one of the most colorful and dazzling circus backgrounds ever created for a film, with more than a third, of the action taking place under a 110 by 160 foot Big Top, in which aerialists, animal acts, tight-rope performers, clowns and all the other attractions of a circus perform as part of the story.
            Danny, as a teacher in a boys’ school in rural England, becomes involved with the circus (and with Pier Angeli, niece of the owner) and finds himself in the role of a clown. From the moment he falls through an excavation into a lion’s ring to the story frenzied finale, in which he finds himself flying through the air as a terrified member of a thrill act, “Merry Andrew” supplies an unhalting series of laughs.

Merry Andrew Review – Untitled
Dodge County Independent – Jul. 24, 1958

“Merry Andrew” coming to the State Theatre Sunday is indeed a happy and joyous entertainment, one that should give all types of audiences a right good time. In color, and set against a circus background, it is a thoroughly delightful and amusing comedy, centering around Danny Kaye as a timid but cheerful schoolmaster who is dominated by a stern father. However, finds that life can be gay and satisfying when he inadvertently becomes involved in a traveling circus and loses his heart to Pier Angeli, a winsome trapeze artist. The story is filled with laughs. It gives Kaye ample opportunity to romp through his art in his inimitable comic style. Sequences are hilarious such as when Kaye finds himself trapped in a cage full of lions; when he substituted for the ring master; and when he is grabbed by a group of acrobats and tossed about on a flying trapeze.
“Merry Andrew” is a comedy which every member of the family will enjoy.

“Merry Andrew”
Circus Girl Magazine – July 1, 2011
By Luz-Mireille Theron

This review may contain brief spoilers.

            Lately there’s been a surge of interest in circus life, we’ve all noticed the new books and movies, even reality shows. It’s become pretty clear that the world of the circus is no longer limited to the three ring stage, but has spread like wildfire through television and the internet; completely revamping an art form that might have been lost to history. Thanks to all the attention the media gives the circus, it is easier to do research and dig up some of the older circus gems that have gone unnoticed, unrecognized, and under appreciated throughout time.
            There are literally droves of circus themed movies that have passed under the radar for decades, one such movie is MGM’s Merry Andrew. A 1958 feel-good movie starring Danny Kaye and Pier Angeli. The film was based on the story “The Romance of Henry Menafee” by Paul Gallico.
            It was adapted into a screenplay by Isobel Lennart and I.A.L. Diamond. Directed by Michael Kidd, the film revolves around the life of a cheerful school teacher named Andrew Larabee (Kaye), whose life is changed when an archeological expedition leads him to meet a troupe of circus performers. He falls in love with a young acrobat (Angeli) and integrates himself into the world of the circus. Comically enough “Merry Andrew” refers to the British slang term for a clown, a role which Kaye’s character adopts in the film.
            The film is characterized by it’s bright, vibrant colors and upbeat, catchy music. A common feature in many films from this time period was large, intricate musical numbers, and Merry Andrew delivers. Songs such as “Salud” and “Everything is Tickety Boo” create a bright and cheerful atmosphere within the film. The music was written and composed by Saul Chaplin and Nelson Riddle the latter of whom received a Golden Laurel nomination for his work on the sound track. Unfortunately this was the only nomination the film received, and it’s popularity steadily decreased after it’s release on April 4, 1958. [Internet Movie Database says that it was released on April 5, 1958. – J.N. webmistress]
            However, there is no reason why Merry Andrew shouldn’t make a comeback. Specially now that the media has adopted an affinity for circus life. I would highly recommend this movie for summer watching, however it is pretty difficult to get a hold of, as it’s not available in Blockbuster, Redbox, or even on Netflix. Still, if you can get a hold of the movie you should definitely take the time to watch this 103 minute film about life and love in the circus.

Merry Andrew Reviews

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