Signage in The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Court Jester is a 1955 film comedy starring Danny Kaye, blending Kaye's trademark singing and verbal dexterity with a straightforward swashbuckling medieval plot. The complex misunderstandings have bumbling bumpkin Kaye mistaken at varous times for a talented court jester, a skilled assassin, and a Robin Hood-style hero.
The most famous scene has Kaye struggling to remember tongue twisting instructions: "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle, the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true." Shortly thereafter the chalice breaks, so now the poison's "in the flagon with the dragon."
References[]
- Two of the film's songs performed by Kaye were transcribed for use on Sam and Friends, "Outfox the Fox" (transcribed in 1956, no broadcast specifics known)[1] and "The Maladjusted Jester" (transcribed in 1957[2] and used in three confirmed broadcasts).
- A wine and spirits shop in Victorian London, as seen in the background of The Muppet Christmas Carol, is called The Dragon Flagon, referencing the tongue twister scene.
Connections[]
- Elmer Bernstein transcribed the song music and composed dance underscore (uncredited)
- Sammy Cahn composed the music for the songs
- Sylvia Fine wrote the song lyrics and co-wrote the music
Sources[]
- ↑ Shemin, Craig. Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show. p. 269
- ↑ ibid. p. 279