![]() If it were opened, the Black Fox's forces could launch a surprise attack on the usurping King, but there is a problem: it only opens with a key that the king has in his possession. After safely eluding the king's forces, Hawkins and Jean are forced to stay in a hut during a thunderstorm, where Jean tells him of the existence of a secret underground tunnel leading from the forest to the castle. To achieve this, he disguises himself as an asthmatic old man, the grandfather of the peasant maiden played by Jean. Hawkins is given a serious task to perform: when the location of their camp becomes known to the king, he must escort the rightful heir to the throne, a baby that bears the royal birthmark on his posterior - a purple pimpernel - and Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), the Black Fox's right-hand woman and the object of Hawkins' affections, to safety. The dwarves leave, remembering the Black Fox to summon them if the need arises. Hawkins tells the Black Fox of the usefulness of his dwarf friends for the cause, but the Black Fox kindly dismisses them, not taking them seriously. Kaye responds that he is only trying to improve the morale of the troops. It is only after the end of this production that the real Black Fox appears, and suggests that Hawkins should stay out of his wardrobe, having been previously warned. ![]() ![]() In the introductory scene - a musical song and dance - the audience is led to believe that Kaye is playing the part of the Black Fox, with his assistants, a band of dwarfs (Hawkins' pals from the carnival), all in identical costumes. Upon then, hearing of a survivor amongst the true king's family, King Roderick demands the death of the Black Fox. ![]() When the king orders Griselda's execution, Gwendoline threatens suicide. Princess Gwendoline however, refuses to marry the "Grim and Grisly, Gruesome Griswold", telling the king her nanny, the witch Griselda ( Mildred Natwick), has told her stories of romantic love and promised such a future for her. All they would need in exchange is giving him Princess Gwendoline's (Angela Lansbury) hand in marriage. All, except Ravenhurst, suggest an alliance with the northern "barbarian" Sir Griswold of Mackalwane ( Robert Middleton), who has enough troops in his employ to deal with the situation. When the Black Fox sends a warning to the tyrannical King Roderick ( Cecil Parker), the usurper who was responsible for the of the true king and his family, he grows seriously fearful of his unsteady position, demanding answers from his chief advisers, Lords Brockhurst ( Alan Napier), Finsdale ( Lewis Martin), Pertwee ( Patrick Aherne), and the evil Lord Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone), who is the "real" power behind the throne. Kaye plays Hubert Hawkins, an ex- carnival entertainer ("a jester, unemployed, is nobody's fool"), who becomes minstrel to the Black Fox, a Robin Hood-type character ( Edward Ashley, who actually makes only a few minor appearances in the film). Ostensibly set in medieval England, the plot nominally concerns the struggle to restore the rightful heir, a child, to the throne, the King and all his family having been murdered or otherwise disposed of. In 2004, "The Court Jester" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film contains the famous exchange: "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!" (mainly between Kaye and Mildred Natwick as Griselda). On-air comments for "The Court Jester" airing March 15, 2008.] Since then, it has become a television favorite. ![]() ] The motion picture bombed at the box-office on its release, bringing in only $2.2 million in receipts the following winter and spring of 1956. Made for a cost of $4 million in the fall of 1955, it was the most expensive comedy film produced at the time. The film was released by Paramount Pictures in Technicolor and in the VistaVision widescreen format.ĭanny Kaye received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Actor - Comedy/Musical. #THE COURT JESTER BLACK FOX MOVIE#The movie is co-written, co-directed, and co-produced by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama. "The Court Jester" is a 1956 comedy film starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, and Angela Lansbury. ![]()
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