Danny Kaye, Conductor

[amateur51]

I'm with FF - Danny Kaye made me cringe as a child and now, while Victor Borge made me laugh then and to this day.

It's all in the wiring, they do say

[french frank]

but all that clowning as a conductor seemed to me to hold good music up for ridicule

I thought that was precisely what it didn't do. Whereas the BBC's Maestro series, equally enjoyed, no doubt, simply cheapened the music: it was soooooo serious it made those who know nothing about it think celebrities with little or no knowledge of musical theory, unable to read a score, can actually be trained to conduct a symphony orchestra in a few weeks.

On the Kaye video I thought that the audience enjoyed

a) the music played straight at the beginning and
b) the ability of the musicians, as well as DK, to show their technical ability in a different way and cooperate with the comedy (in spite of their posh dress).

It never occurred to me for a moment that either music or musicians were being ridiculed.

I can understand people not thinking DK was funny - or no longer thinking he's funny (ditto V Borge, who we adored in our non-musical family, along with the comedy performances of Harry Secombe): people's sense of humour differs and changes.

[amateur51]

I thought that was precisely what it didn't do. Whereas the BBC's Maestro series, equally enjoyed, no doubt, simply cheapened the music: it was soooooo serious it made those who know nothing about it think celebrities with little or no knowledge of musical theory, unable to read a score, can actually be trained to conduct a symphony orchestra in a few weeks.

On the Kaye video I thought that the audience enjoyed

a) the music played straight at the beginning and
b) the ability of the musicians, as well as DK, to show their technical ability in a different way and cooperate with the comedy (in spite of their posh dress).

It never occurred to me for a moment that either music or musicians were being ridiculed.

I can understand people not thinking DK was funny - or no longer thinking he's funny (ditto V Borge, who we adored in our non-musical family, along with the comedy performances of Harry Secombe): people's sense of humour differs and changes.

Ms Frank holds a Chair in The Public Understanding of Comedy at The University of Oxford

[jean]

...celebrities with little or no knowledge of musical theory, unable to read a score...

But to be fair, the one that won did have some knowledge of musical theory.

Here we are, discussing it at the time:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio3/ht...thread=5874855

It's nice for the BBC to keep the old board archived, but why such a squashed-up format?

(Why has no-one mentioned Eric Morecambe yet?)

[salymap]

I believe, or read somewhere that DK had a lot of musician friends [apart from Artur] and often attended concerts. He was a very versatile and clever man and is to be commended for his charity work in later life.
It's just the films that I probably saw too many times, although I still love 'The Court Jester' with a wonderful cast and the unforgettable 'The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon, the chalice from the palace holds the brew that is true'. We drove our boss dotty at the music hire library with whispering that to each other. He thought we were talking about him and we were silly teenagers at the time.

[Caliban]

Ms Frank holds a Chair in The Public Understanding of Comedy at The University of Oxford

I could never stand those films of his either

But I love that orchestra clip!

[PJPJ]

I can understand people not thinking DK was funny - or no longer thinking he's funny (ditto V Borge, who we adored in our non-musical family, along with the comedy performances of Harry Secombe): people's sense of humour differs and changes.

As a child I loved them both - adoration and love. And Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy...... I still enjoy listening to and watching them all though not as much by any means, and Danny Kaye the least despite his enormous talent. I did catch an hour on Danny Kaye narrated by Elliot Gould about a month ago on R2 - interviews with many who knew him - and it made fascinating radio.

[french frank]

But to be fair, the one that won did have some knowledge of musical theory.

Indeed. Though the 'judges' were clearly angling for another to win, with their 10/10 scores and fulsome praise. I don't think it would have done the music much of a favour, though I don't object to Goldie getting a commission for the children's Prom out of it. That was doing his musical 'thing', whereas conducting/emoting to a piece of classical music wasn't. And he didn't make people laugh, either - whereas S. Perkins was quite humorous, in addition to having an inkling as to what conducting was all about .

[amateur51]

Indeed. Though the 'judges' were clearly angling for another to win, with their 10/10 scores and fulsome praise. I don't think it would have done the music much of a favour, though I don't object to Goldie getting a commission for the children's Prom out of it. That was doing his musical 'thing', whereas conducting/emoting to a piece of classical music wasn't. And he didn't make people laugh, either - whereas S. Perkins was quite humorous, in addition to having an inkling as to what conducting was all about .

I wonder if the 'angling' was to do with the personalities/skills/abilities of Sue Perkins and Goldie or rather what/who they represent, particularly in the world of conducting classical music

[Franzl01]

I could not get tickets for a concert Danny Kaye did with the LSO at the Albert Hall. Apparently he conducted Cimarosa's Il Maestro di Capella with Geraint Evans singing and had an amazingly funny sword/baton fight. He was a special envoy (Ambassador at Large) for UNICEF and the proceeds of his concerts went to them. That was in the days when the USA witheld payments from UNICEF and UNESCO because they did not approve.

It was the LPO, and I sat behind the orchestra - fascinating, and it was all down in the players' parts! There was a lovely moment at the end when someone called from the audience; 'What about Ballin' the Jack?', and DK started the sing it, with the orchestra gradually busking it with him.