One of the most popular entertainers in the world during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s was the rubber-faced, gibberish-spouting comedian Danny Kaye passed away in 1987.
At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he had been taken to hospital in critical condition, he passed away at the age of 74.
Dr. Charles Kivowitz, Kaye’s doctor, claimed that four years prior, during quadruple bypass surgery at Cedars-Sinai, Kaye had gotten “non-A non-B hepatitis” from a blood transfusion.
Danny Kaye, the witty Brooklyn-raised comedian who rose to fame on Broadway and in Hollywood through song, dance, mimicry, pantomime, and humor, passed away from heart failure yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
His wife Sylvia Fine Kaye and their daughter Dena were by his side when he passed away.
From the Catskill borscht circuit to popularity on the Broadway stage, in New York and London nightclubs, and then on to Hollywood, where he became known to countless millions around the world, Kaye’s foolish banter, humorous walks, and air of innocence and likeability drove him.
In his 50-year career in show business, Kaye played parts in movies like “White Christmas” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”
In 1954, he was given a special Academy Award for his contributions to the cinema industry.
In 1982, he was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Oscar.
In 1964, he was given an Emmy for his long-running television program, “The Danny Kaye Show.”
Over the course of approximately 20 years, Mr. Kaye performed at benefit concerts with epic zaniness and without charging a fee, raising more than $6 million for the pension funds of symphony players.
Danny Kaye – The greatest comedian of his time
He was hailed as the greatest comic of all time by many admirers.
President Reagan claimed that he had “delighted millions with his remarkable knack for making us laugh” and that he “could light up a room by just smiling.”
The world grew to know and admire Mr. Kaye’s gaunt, grinning figure with its manic eyes, red-blond hair, and rubbery arms and legs that were alternately floppy and jerky like a crazed Cossack dancer.
His charisma was remarkably resilient and adaptable.
At the beginning of his career, he worked in nightclubs, where his clowning contributed to easing some of the depression-era sadness.
After that, popularity on Broadway and in movies followed, starting in 1941 with his humorous singing performance in “Lady in the Dark.”
He gained notoriety in more recent decades for his humorous appearances before children on behalf of Unicef in many different nations and his burlesque directing of symphony orchestras in the US and Canada.
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