The Kid from Brooklyn (1946)

Shy milkman Burleigh Sullivan accidentally knocks out drunken Speed McFarlane, a champion boxer who was flirting with Burleigh's sister. The newspapers get hold of the story and ... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Don Hartman (adapted by), Melville Shavelson (adapted by),

Stars:

Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny Kaye	...	Burleigh Sullivan
Virginia Mayo	...	Polly Pringle
Vera-Ellen	...	Susie Sullivan
Steve Cochran	...	Speed McFarlane
Eve Arden	...	Ann Westley
Walter Abel	...	Gabby Sloan
Lionel Stander	...	Spider Schultz
Fay Bainter	...	Mrs. E. Winthrop LeMoyne
Clarence Kolb	...	Mr. Austin
Victor Cutler	...	Photographer
Charles Cane	...	Willard
Jerome Cowan	...	Fight Announcer
Don Wilson	...	Radio Announcer
Knox Manning	...	Radio Announcer
Kay Thompson	...	Matron

Storyline

Shy milkman Burleigh Sullivan accidentally knocks out drunken Speed McFarlane, a champion boxer who was flirting with Burleigh's sister. The newspapers get hold of the story and photographers even catch Burleigh knock out Speed again. Speed's crooked manager decides to turn Burleigh into a fighter. Burleigh doesn't realize that all of his opponents have been asked to take a dive. Thinking he really is a great fighter, Burleigh develops a swelled head which puts a crimp in his relationship with pretty nightclub singer Polly Pringle. He may finally get his comeuppance when he challenges Speed for the title.

---

Plot Keywords:

boxer | brooklyn new york city | irish american | remake | boxing | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Held des Tages

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The, Trinity Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though Kay Thompson is credited, her scenes were cut from the final release print.

---

Goofs

Virginia Mayo's character name is listed as "Polly Pringle" in the onscreen credits, but she is called "Polly Martin" in the movie.

---

Connections

Remade as The Calcium Kid (2004)

---

Soundtracks

"You're The Cause of It All"
(1946)
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Sung by Virginia Mayo (uncredited) (dubbed by Betty Russell (uncredited))

User Reviews

One of Danny Kaye's best films...sparkling cast...

Everyone in THE KID FROM BROOKLYN is at their best--thanks to a zestful comedy based on "The Milky Way" with Harold Lloyd, only this time the timid milkman is DANNY KAYE, who goes from lovable, funny Kaye to totally extroverted Kaye who thinks he really won all those fights that he was signed up for by crooked manager WALTER ABEL.

VIRGINIA MAYO, looking her most luscious in Technicolor, is Kaye's partner again and the great supporting cast includes VERA-ELLEN (as Kaye's dancing sister), EVE ARDEN, LIONEL STANDER and STEVE COCHRAN, who steps away from his usual serious role (as a heavy) to show that he had a flair for slapstick comedy.

The story is nonsense, of course, and even the usually repressed FAY BAINTER gets into the spirit of things as a woman Kaye teaches some boxing pointers to. It's all very lightweight, easy to take and pleasant to watch, especially if you enjoy Kaye's special brand of comedy. Included are some specialty numbers for Vera-Ellen, surrounded by chorus boys and The Goldwyn Girls and a nice song number for Virginia Mayo, all emphasizing some dazzling Technicolor hues.

Kaye does only one of his tongue-twisting routines, but it's a gem--a Russian number called "Pavlova" written for him by Sylvia Fine, his wife.

Summing up: Light-hearted entertainment impossible to dislike and all of it is photographed in gorgeous Technicolor.