In the late 1930s Dan
ny appeared in several two-reel comedies--otherwise known as
"shorts"--from the production company, Educational Films. Educational Films (or Educational
Pictures) was a production company which eventually went out of business not long
after these shorts were released. Certainly they are not up to the caliber of more
famous shorts from say the Three Stooges or Laurel and Hardy, but you get a rare
glimpse at Danny's early comedic talent. You also get a glimpse at a young Danny
in his mid-twenties with the longer hair that Sylvia referred to in various articles.
These shorts, though, were pre-Sylvia, during a time in Danny's life when he was
struggling to find work and to make a name for himself.
In Dime a Dance, Danny does not appear as much as he does in the others. This short
is more focused on Imogene Coca's character. Danny plays a sailor named Eddie who
ends up impersonating a Russian. I found this short mediocre, not overly funny nor
even carrying an intriguing story. Of the three, this is the one that I more or less
have to force myself to watch. I find myself skipping through it just to find Danny's
scenes. He's amusing and you can see that his talent for mimicking accents started
early on in his life. Other than that, there's not much I liked about this particular
short, but that could just be my taste. Others might enjoy seeing Imogene Coca's
early works. Getting An Eyeful is definitely a step-up in the right direction, but
still not the best of the three I've seen. In this short we see the appearance of
Danny's character, Nickolai Nikolaevich, the character they also used for the other
two shorts (Cupid Takes A Holiday and Money On Your Life). Danny is paired with Charles
Kemper who plays a man trying to find work so he can marry his sweetheart. He ends
up trying to be an optician, but fails miserably and gives poor Danny quite a rough
time. The two of them together were fairly amusing in this, and Danny is quite adorable
with his Russian accent and desire to escape this man's abuse. The final short, Money
On Your Life, is the best of them all. It again pairs Danny with Charles Kemper.
This time Charles Kemper plays Charlie, an insurance man who ends up selling Danny's
character a life insurance policy. However, Charlie was recently told to only sell
policies to those that are healthy and safe, one more screw-up and he loses his job.
Danny's character happens to be trying to escape from 2 men who are out to kill him.
So the whole plot of this short is Charlie trying to keep Nickolai safe. It's a funny,
cute short and again Danny and Charles Kemper work good together. Once again Danny
uses his Russian accent. However, there are also moments in this short when I just
have to cringe as Danny tends to get a beating--probably quite unintentionally at
times. A large framed picture falls down on his head...staged, no doubt, but the
way it falls makes it look quite realistic and you just have to wonder how hard it
hit him. Another moment comes when a man is demonstrating his ability to use martial
arts; he ends up demonstrating on Danny, flipping him over. Danny lands behind a
wall so you can't see how he lands or what he lands on, but it looks quite realistic
and definitely makes me cringe. The fact that these shorts were filmed on a cheap
budget makes you wonder just how safe some of these stunts were. In any case, it's
the most amusing of the shorts and definitely worth watching...if only to see a young,
comedic Danny.
Dime a Dance - released: December 23, 1937 (according to Internet Movie Database)
Cast:
Imogene Coca ... Esmerelda
Danny Kaye ... Eddie
June Allyson ... Harriet
Hank Henry ... Homer
Barry Sullivan ... Sailor
Getting An Eyeful - released: January 21, 1938 (according to Internet Movie Database)
Cast:
Charles Kemper ... Henry Groper, Optician
Danny Kaye ... Nikolai Nikolaevich
Sally Star
Cupid Takes a Holiday - released: February 4, 1938 (according to Internet Movie Database)
Cast:
Danny Kaye ... Nikolai Nikolaevich
Douglas Leavitt ... owner
Estelle Jayne ... Prospective Bride
Ruth Lockwood ... Prospective Bride
Paulene Myers ... Dianna, the maid
George Watts ... Jeeves, the butler
Money On Your Life - released: May 13, 1938 (according to Internet Movie Database)
Cast:
Danny Kaye ... Nikolai Nikolaevich
Charles Kemper ... Charlie Kemp
Sally Star ... Alice
Harry Gribbon .... window cleaner