I’ll just put it out there, I love Danny Kaye. Anyone who knows me knows I love Danny Kaye. I hope to have all his movies on DVD some day, right now I have about 4 and one of my favorites is A Song is Born.

The cast is incredible, Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, just to name a few amazing talents [go to: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040820/ to see the full cast]. The story is about Professor Hobart Frisbee and 6 other professors of  music who work for the Totten Institute of Music. They are working on the complete history of music and they have not left the “house” in nine years, so the world of music has passed them by. One day two window washers “Buck & Bubbles” happen to come in to ask some questions and that leads the group on a new exploration, with Frisbee heading out, “don’t wait up gentlemen, I may be late, I may be home after nine pm”. Professor Frisbee is played by Danny Kaye, so quite young, the other six professors are what Honey Swanson, played by Virginia Mayo, call the long hairs, if you get my meaning.

On the outside, Professor Hobart goes to the bars and music joints to invite amazing musicians like Mel Powell, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Barnett, just to name a few, back to the institute to work on the history of music. Honey Swanson joins the group, pretending to be interested in helping, while hiding out from the law, her boyfriend, Tony Crow, the gangster is a wanted man… She is entrenched in their lives and they all grow very fond of her, and she of them, all the while, waiting for her chance to get out and as she tells her “daddy” one of the kiddies has broken out in a rash, a case of “spring fever” if you get my drift. Remember, this movie is based on the 1940’s music and lingo.

There is music, hi jinx, laughter, adventure and love as we learn about jump, jive, swing and yum-yum. Well, I think yum-yum is my favorite, seeing as I’ve always had a wee bit of a crush on Danny Kaye. Not to worry folks, there is a happy ending and boy finds girl, boy falls for girl, girl is engaged to another [gangster], boy knocks out gangster and happily ever after ensues.

This is classic Dannye Kaye, showing his acting ability, mastery of physical comedy, and talent as a leading man. Am I biased? you bet your bippy crab-apple annie! Enjoy!