{"id":53557,"date":"2019-03-24T20:52:26","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T00:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=53557"},"modified":"2019-03-24T20:54:03","modified_gmt":"2019-03-25T00:54:03","slug":"a-song-is-born-fabulous-music-but-a-waste-of-danny-kaye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=53557","title":{"rendered":"A Song Is Born: Fabulous Music But a Waste of Danny Kaye"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- JSON-LD markup generated by Google Structured Data Markup Helper. --> <script type=\"application\/ld+json\"> { \"@context\" : \"http:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\" : \"Article\", \"name\" : \"A Song Is Born: Fabulous Music But a Waste of Danny Kaye\", \"author\" : { \"@type\" : \"Person\", \"name\" : \"Rick29\" }, \"datePublished\" : \"2019-03-24\", \"image\" : \"http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A_Song_Is_Born.jpg\", \"articleBody\" : [ \"A musical remake of <EM><A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/ball-of-fire\/883929405138\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/ball-of-fire\/883929405138&#39;, &#39;Ball of Fire&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ball of Fire<\/A><\/EM> must have been one of the easiest pitches of all time. After all, the original 1941 comedy\u2013penned by <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=billy+wilder&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=billy+wilder&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Billy Wilder&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Billy Wilder<\/A> and <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=charles+brackett&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=charles+brackett&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Charles Brackett&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Charles Brackett<\/A>\u2013was about a bunch of academics writing an encyclopedia about music. <EM>Ball of Fire<\/EM> starred <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=gary+cooper&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=gary+cooper&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Gary Cooper&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Gary Cooper<\/A> as a na\u00efve musicologist and <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=barbara+stanwyck&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=barbara+stanwyck&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Barbara Stanwyck&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Barbara Stanwyck<\/A> as a brash nightclub singer who shakes up his world. The remake, <EM><A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/danny-kaye-the-goldwyn-years\/883316885932\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/danny-kaye-the-goldwyn-years\/883316885932&#39;, &#39;A Song Is Born&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">A Song Is Born<\/A><\/EM> substitutes <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=danny+kaye&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=danny+kaye&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Danny Kaye&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Danny Kaye<\/A> and <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=virginia+mayo&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=virginia+mayo&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Virginia Mayo&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Virginia Mayo<\/A>. It retains the plot, adds songs, and features many of the finest musicians working in the U.S. in 1948. How could it go wrong?<\/P>\\n<P>It gets off to a promising start with Professor Hobart Frisbee (Kaye) realizing that music has changed in the seven years that he and his colleagues have sequestered themselves to write their encyclopedia. To gain an appreciation for this \u201cnew\u201d music, Frisbee embarks on a tour of New York City nightclubs. This serves as a great excuse for a musical montage featuring Tommy Dorsey, the Golden Gate Quartette, Lionel Hampton, <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?mod=AP&amp;cr=Louis+Armstrong|824934\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?mod=AP&amp;cr=Louis+Armstrong|824934&#39;, &#39;Louis Armstrong,&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Louis Armstrong,<\/A> Charlie Barnet, and others.<\/P>\\n<P>Frisbee also encounters Honey Swanson (Mayo), a pretty singer who needs to find a place to lay low when the police close in on her gangster boyfriend. Honey decides that Frisbee\u2019s Totten Music Foundation would be the ideal temporary hideout\u2013never mind that she\u2019d be living with seven intellectual bachelors.<\/P>\\n<P>Given the source material, music, and Danny Kaye, I expected <EM>A Song Is Born<\/EM> to be much better than a middling musical that smolders without catching fire. Except for the opening jungle chant number, Kaye neither sings nor dances. In his Kaye biography, <EM>Nobody\u2019s Fool<\/EM>, author Martin Gottfried notes that the comedian had temporarily split from his wife <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=sylvia+fine&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=sylvia+fine&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Sylvia Fine&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sylvia Fine<\/A> following his affair with <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=eve+arden&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=eve+arden&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Eve Arden&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Eve Arden<\/A>. Fine wrote many of her husband\u2019s songs and she refused to be involved with <EM>A Song Is Born<\/EM>. As a result, Danny Kaye \u201cdid not\u2013he would not\u2013find anyone else to write material for him.\u201d<\/P>\\n<P><IMG src=\\\"http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Song-Is-Born.png\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"381\\\" height=\\\"423\\\" class=\\\"alignleft size-full wp-image-53558\\\" srcset=\\\"http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Song-Is-Born.png 381w, http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Song-Is-Born-270x300.png 270w\\\" sizes=\\\"(max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px\\\"\/>Without the fabulous music and a fully functional Kaye, the second half of <EM>A Song Is Born<\/EM> lumbers along toward its obvious climax. To her credit, Virginia Mayo tries her best to keep the film afloat and occasionally succeeds (as in the \u201cyum-yum\u201d scene).\", \"It was Mayo\u2019s fourth film with Danny Kaye, having teamed with him previously in <EM><A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/wonderman-1945\/8809154131385\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/wonderman-1945\/8809154131385&#39;, &#39;Wonder Man&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Wonder Man<\/A>,<\/EM> <EM>The Kid From Brooklyn<\/EM>, and <EM><A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/the-secret-life-of-walter-mitty\/883929326389\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/the-secret-life-of-walter-mitty\/883929326389&#39;, &#39;The Secret Life of Walter Mitty&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Secret Life of Walter Mitty<\/A><\/EM>. She even had a bit part in Kaye\u2019s <EM>Up in Arms<\/EM>. By the way, <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=steve+cochran&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=steve+cochran&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Steve Cochran&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Steve Cochran<\/A>, who played the villain in <EM>A Song Is Born<\/EM>, appeared with Mayo six times (including <EM><A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/the-best-years-of-our-lives\/883929280049\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/the-best-years-of-our-lives\/883929280049&#39;, &#39;The Best Years of Our Lives&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Best Years of Our Lives<\/A><\/EM> and <EM><A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/white-heat\/883929280308\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/white-heat\/883929280308&#39;, &#39;White Heat&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">White Heat<\/A><\/EM>).<\/P>\\n<P>In addition to its plot, <EM>A Song Is Born<\/EM> shares other connections with <EM>Ball of Fire<\/EM>. <A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=howard+hawks&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=howard+hawks&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Howard Hawks&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Howard Hawks<\/A> directed both films and Gregg Tolan served as his cinematographer. Mary Field also plays Miss Totten, the benefactor of the music foundation, in both films. Hawks expressed little enthusiasm for A Song Is Born, claiming that he made it only because Sam Goldwyn \u201cpestered\u201d and \u201cannoyed\u201d him into it.<\/P>\\n<P>Fortunately for Danny Kaye, his best films \u2014<EM><A href=\\\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/white-christmas\/032429200945\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/white-christmas\/032429200945&#39;, &#39; White Christmas&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"> White Christmas<\/A><\/EM> and The Court Jester \u2014 were still to come. And if A Song Is Born is nothing but a footnote in his long career, it\u2019s an still an interesting one that documents some of the great jazz and popular music instrumentalists of its era.<\/P>\\n<P><EM>Rick29 is a film reference book author and a regular contributor at the <A href=\\\"http:\/\/classic-film-tv.blogspot.com\/\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/classic-film-tv.blogspot.com\/&#39;, &#39;Classic Film &amp; TV Caf\u00e9 &#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow noopener\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><STRONG>Classic Film &amp; TV Caf\u00e9 <\/STRONG><\/A><\/EM><EM>, on <STRONG>Facebook<\/STRONG><\/EM><EM> and Twitter. <\/EM><EM>He\u2019s a big fan of MovieFanFare, too, of course\" ], \"url\" : \"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=53557\", \"publisher\" : [ { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"MovieFanFare\" }, { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"Movies Unlimited\" } ] } <\/script><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-53559\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A_Song_Is_Born.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A_Song_Is_Born.jpg 800w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A_Song_Is_Born-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A_Song_Is_Born-768x1167.jpg 768w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A_Song_Is_Born-674x1024.jpg 674w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A musical remake of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/ball-of-fire\/883929405138\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ball of Fire<\/a><\/em> must have been one of the easiest pitches of all time. After all, the original 1941 comedy&#8211;penned by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=billy+wilder&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Billy Wilder<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=charles+brackett&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Charles Brackett<\/a>&#8211;was about a bunch of academics writing an encyclopedia about music. <em>Ball of Fire<\/em> starred <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=gary+cooper&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Gary Cooper<\/a> as a na\u00efve musicologist and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=barbara+stanwyck&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Barbara Stanwyck<\/a> as a brash nightclub singer who shakes up his world. The remake, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/danny-kaye-the-goldwyn-years\/883316885932\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">A Song Is Born<\/a><\/em> substitutes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=danny+kaye&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Danny Kaye<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=virginia+mayo&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Virginia Mayo<\/a>. It retains the plot, adds songs, and features many of the finest musicians working in the U.S. in 1948. How could it go wrong?<\/p>\n<p>It gets off to a promising start with Professor Hobart Frisbee (Kaye) realizing that music has changed in the seven years that he and his colleagues have sequestered themselves to write their encyclopedia. To gain an appreciation for this &#8220;new&#8221; music, Frisbee embarks on a tour of New York City nightclubs. This serves as a great excuse for a musical montage featuring Tommy Dorsey, the Golden Gate Quartette, Lionel Hampton, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?mod=AP&amp;cr=Louis+Armstrong|824934\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Louis Armstrong,<\/a> Charlie Barnet, and others.<\/p>\n<p>Frisbee also encounters Honey Swanson (Mayo), a pretty singer who needs to find a place to lay low when the police close in on her gangster boyfriend. Honey decides that Frisbee&#8217;s Totten Music Foundation would be the ideal temporary hideout&#8211;never mind that she&#8217;d be living with seven intellectual bachelors.<\/p>\n<p>Given the source material, music, and Danny Kaye, I expected <em>A Song Is Born<\/em> to be much better than a middling musical that smolders without catching fire. Except for the opening jungle chant number, Kaye neither sings nor dances. In his Kaye biography, <em>Nobody&#8217;s Fool<\/em>, author Martin Gottfried notes that the comedian had temporarily split from his wife <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=sylvia+fine&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sylvia Fine<\/a> following his affair with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=eve+arden&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Eve Arden<\/a>. Fine wrote many of her husband&#8217;s songs and she refused to be involved with <em>A Song Is Born<\/em>. As a result, Danny Kaye &#8220;did not&#8211;he would not&#8211;find anyone else to write material for him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Song-Is-Born.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"381\" height=\"423\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-53558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Song-Is-Born.png 381w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Song-Is-Born-270x300.png 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px\" \/>Without the fabulous music and a fully functional Kaye, the second half of <em>A Song Is Born<\/em> lumbers along toward its obvious climax. To her credit, Virginia Mayo tries her best to keep the film afloat and occasionally succeeds (as in the &#8220;yum-yum&#8221; scene).<\/p>\n<p>It was Mayo&#8217;s fourth film with Danny Kaye, having teamed with him previously in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/wonderman-1945\/8809154131385\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Wonder Man<\/a>,<\/em> <em>The Kid From Brooklyn<\/em>, and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/the-secret-life-of-walter-mitty\/883929326389\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Secret Life of Walter Mitty<\/a><\/em>. She even had a bit part in Kaye&#8217;s <em>Up in Arms<\/em>. By the way, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=steve+cochran&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Steve Cochran<\/a>, who played the villain in <em>A Song Is Born<\/em>, appeared with Mayo six times (including <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/the-best-years-of-our-lives\/883929280049\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Best Years of Our Lives<\/a><\/em> and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/white-heat\/883929280308\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">White Heat<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>In addition to its plot, <em>A Song Is Born<\/em> shares other connections with <em>Ball of Fire<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=howard+hawks&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Howard Hawks<\/a> directed both films and Gregg Tolan served as his cinematographer. Mary Field also plays Miss Totten, the benefactor of the music foundation, in both films. Hawks expressed little enthusiasm for A Song Is Born, claiming that he made it only because Sam Goldwyn &#8220;pestered&#8221; and &#8220;annoyed&#8221; him into it.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately for Danny Kaye, his best films &#8212;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/white-christmas\/032429200945\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">\u00a0White Christmas<\/a><\/em> and The Court Jester &#8212; were still to come. And if A Song Is Born is nothing but a footnote in his long career, it&#8217;s an still an interesting one that documents some of the great jazz and popular music instrumentalists of its era.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rick29 is a film reference book author and a regular contributor at the <a href=\"http:\/\/classic-film-tv.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Classic Film &amp; TV Caf\u00e9 <\/strong><\/a><\/em><em>, on <strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/em><em> and Twitter. <\/em><em>He\u2019s a big fan of MovieFanFare, too, of course!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A musical remake of Ball of Fire must have been one of the easiest pitches of all time. After all, the original 1941 comedy&#8211;penned by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett&#8211;was about a bunch of academics writing an encyclopedia about music&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9691,"featured_media":53558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[9064,5431,8821,6378],"coauthors":[3819],"class_list":["post-53557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staff-notes","tag-a-song-is-born","tag-danny-kaye","tag-howard-hawks","tag-virginia-mayo"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Song Is Born: Fabulous Music But a Waste of Danny Kaye - MovieFanFare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rick29 shares his thoughts on the disappointing Danny Kaye effort &quot;A Song Is Born,&quot; a remake of &quot;Ball of Fire.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=53557\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Song Is Born: Fabulous Music But a Waste of Danny Kaye - 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