Knock on Wood (1954)
10/10
Danny Kaye as a ventriloquist getting mixed up with Man Zetterling as doctor Nordström, a psychiatrist
22 January 2021
He also gets mixed up with two dummies, which he now and then gets into arguments with ending by his smashing them to pieces, so his doll fixer in Paris, Monsieur Papinek, gets very busy with Danny Kaye's doll destructions while at the same time he gets mixed up with some serious spying business, which eventually also involves the totally innocent Danny Kaye, since his dummies are used for smuggling state secrets. That's the beginning of the mess. Danny Kaye in almost all his films excels in getting immersed in unfathomably deep trouble, but somehow he always manages to extricate himself out of it as well, no matter how complicated the mess of circumstances gets. Here it starts in Paris, continues in Zürich and then ends up in London and even at a theatre with a tremendous ballet performance which almost brings the conductor to a nervous breakdown. There are many crooks here, and they are difficult to keep track of, while they gradually one by one are sorted out by constantly accumulating murders. I am afraid anyone could laugh himself to death by this film. It must be one of Danny Kaye's funniest if not the very funniest, and the virtuoso action will never keep you relaxed for a moment. Mai Zetterling though, with her wonderful blue eyes that Danny Kaye instantly falls in love with, seems to be the only one keeping rather cool, while ultimately even she is brought to some smiling by Danny Kaye's indefatigable desperation.
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