The Court Jester is a 1956 comedy starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, and a very young Angela Lansbury.

Set in medieval England, the plot nominally concerns the struggle to restore the rightful heir, a child, to the throne. Kaye plays Hubert Hawkins, minstrel to the Black Fox, a Robin Hood-type character played by Edward Ashley . Much hilarity ensues as Kaye infiltrates the evil king's castle by impersonating the king's new jester, Giacomo. Kaye's boundless energy and wit make this movie a classic.

Famous scenes include Hubert's rapid promotion to knight in preparation for a joust against a champion; the joust itself, which involves the need for him to remember a tongue-twister in order not to drink the poisoned wine; and the final duel in which Hubert has been hypnotised into feeling brave, only to revert to his normal cowardly state every time anyone snaps their fingers.

Songs

• "I Live to Love" (w. Sammy Cahn m. Sylvia Fine)
• "Life Could Not Better Be" (w.m. Sammy Cahn & Sylvia Fine)
• "Maladjusted Jester" (w.m. Sylvia Fine)
• "My Heart Knows a Lovely Song" (w.m. Sammy Cahn & Sylvia Fine)
• "(You'll Never) Outfox the Fox" (w. Sammy Cahn m. Sylvia Fine)
• "Pass the Basket" (w. Sammy Cahn m. Sylvia Fine)
• "Where Walks My True Love?" (w. Sammy Cahn m. Sylvia Fine)

External links

• The Court Jester at the Internet Movie Database