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The Court Jester

  • 1955
  • Approved
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
13K
YOUR RATING
Danny Kaye, Angela Lansbury, and Glynis Johns in The Court Jester (1955)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer2:26
2 Videos
42 Photos
AdventureComedyFamily

A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler who has overthrown the rightful King.A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler who has overthrown the rightful King.A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler who has overthrown the rightful King.

  • Directors
    • Melvin Frank
    • Norman Panama
  • Writers
    • Norman Panama
    • Melvin Frank
  • Stars
    • Danny Kaye
    • Glynis Johns
    • Basil Rathbone
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    13K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Melvin Frank
      • Norman Panama
    • Writers
      • Norman Panama
      • Melvin Frank
    • Stars
      • Danny Kaye
      • Glynis Johns
      • Basil Rathbone
    • 137User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:26
    Watch Trailer
    The Court Jester
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch The Court Jester

    Photos42

    Danny Kaye in "Court Jester," Paramount 1955.
    Angela Lansbury at an event for The Court Jester (1955)
    Danny Kaye, Angela Lansbury, and Glynis Johns in The Court Jester (1955)
    Danny Kaye and Angela Lansbury in The Court Jester (1955)
    Danny Kaye in The Court Jester (1955)
    Danny Kaye in The Court Jester (1955)
    Basil Rathbone, Alan Napier, Cecil Parker, and Michael Pate in The Court Jester (1955)
    Danny Kaye and Glynis Johns in The Court Jester (1955)
    Danny Kaye and Glynis Johns in The Court Jester (1955)
    Danny Kaye and Basil Rathbone in The Court Jester (1955)
    Basil Rathbone and Michael Pate in The Court Jester (1955)
    The Court Jester (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Danny Kaye
    Danny Kaye
    • Hubert Hawkins
    Glynis Johns
    Glynis Johns
    • Maid Jean
    Basil Rathbone
    Basil Rathbone
    • Sir Ravenhurst
    Angela Lansbury
    Angela Lansbury
    • Princess Gwendolyn
    Cecil Parker
    Cecil Parker
    • King Roderick I
    Mildred Natwick
    Mildred Natwick
    • Griselda
    Robert Middleton
    Robert Middleton
    • Sir Griswold
    Michael Pate
    Michael Pate
    • Sir Locksley
    Herbert Rudley
    Herbert Rudley
    • Captain of the Guard
    Noel Drayton
    Noel Drayton
    • Fergus
    John Carradine
    John Carradine
    • Giacomo
    Edward Ashley
    Edward Ashley
    • Black Fox
    Alan Napier
    Alan Napier
    • Sir Brockhurst
    Lewis Martin
    • Sir Finsdale
    Patrick Aherne
    • Sir Pertwee
    Richard Kean
    • Archbishop
    Hermine's Midgets
    • Ensemble
    The Jackson Michigan Zouave Drill Team
    • Marching Knights - Knighthood Ceremony
    • (as The American Legion Zouaves Of Richard F. Smith Post No. 29 Jackson Michigan)
    • Directors
      • Melvin Frank
      • Norman Panama
    • Writers
      • Norman Panama
      • Melvin Frank
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Features Basil Rathbone's final sword fight on film.
    • Goofs
      When Hubert and Maid Jean are nearing King Roderick's castle, Sir Ravenhurst and Sir Locksley watch their arrival through telescopes, an invention of the 17th century.
    • Quotes

      Hawkins: I've got it! I've got it! The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true! Right?

      Griselda: Right. But there's been a change: they broke the chalice from the palace!

      Hawkins: They *broke* the chalice from the palace?

      Griselda: And replaced it with a flagon.

      Hawkins: A flagon...?

      Griselda: With the figure of a dragon.

      Hawkins: Flagon with a dragon.

      Griselda: Right.

      Hawkins: But did you put the pellet with the poison in the vessel with the pestle?

      Griselda: No! The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon! The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true!

      Hawkins: The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon; the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.

      Griselda: Just remember that.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits are a musical number where Hawkins dances around the credits as they appear. This is also the manner of a medieval theatre where an actor serves as a prologue to introduce the story.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Dick Cavett Show: Danny Kaye (1971)
    • Soundtracks
      The Maladjusted Jester
      Written by Sylvia Fine

      Performed by Danny Kaye

    User reviews137

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Charming medieval comedy of errors
    Not much goes wrong with this movie, a delightful spoof of action-costumer movies. Danny Kaye is an absolute delight as the young rebel impersonating a jester in the court of an evil king (although in this film, his evil is blunted) but mistaken for a hit man. There have been few performers who could light up an entire scene by their mere presence, and Kaye is one of them. Who in this day could do what he did? He could sing, he could dance, and he could make you laugh so hard you could only take liquids the next day. And in this movie he gets a chance to do all three, plus do some swashbuckling! Also along for the ride are the elegant Glynis Johns, who plays his superior in the slight rebel force trying to return the throne to its rightful owner, and Basil Rathbone, who could play the clever, suave cad as good as anyone in movies. Film buffs may remember Rathbone's turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1939's "The Adventures of Robin Hood," which starred the eminent Errol Flynn. In that movie, Rathbone has a memorable sword-fighting scene with Flynn; here, that scene is copied, with Kaye a hilarious stand-in for Errol. This movie is a true delight, a must-see for all ages.
    helpful•32
    2
    • dfranzen70
    • Mar 1, 2000

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 27, 1956 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dvorska luda
    • Filming locations
      • Palos Verdes, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Dena Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Danny Kaye, Angela Lansbury, and Glynis Johns in The Court Jester (1955)
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