Before we get started I was always captivated by a spinner of yarns, a great storyteller who has you hanging on every word as your mind is fixated in their world. I remember going to sleep listening to the radio with the help of Jean Shepard and his stories growing up in America's mid west during the early part of the twentieth century. Bill Cosby with his take on urban life in Philadelphia with his unique cast of characters. Or the deep country humor from Jerry Clower doing his southern fried narratives will transport you to the needle in the hayloft before the end of the story. Most of these individuals have checkered pasts and their character can be questioned. I 'm only basing them on their storytelling. Hans Christian Anderson Denmark's storybook king of children's fables is no different as his character was in questioned through out his lonely life. The Producers at Samuel Goldwyn and Screenwriter Moss Hart took this master of the fairy tales and spun this movie into a fictitious story telling cobbler who allures the young impressionable Danish children away from the school master. Time and time again Hans the cobbler (Danny Kaye) would keep the children engaged in his stories about naked emperors while the Schoolmaster would threatened to leave the town if the cobbler doesn't stop his antics in disrupting precious school time. Some viewers would analyze this as a form of pedophilia or even a gay sub-text. Regardless I found these scenes regarding the children very tasteful throughout the picture. Peter, Han's assistant played by Joseph Walsh convinces Hans to trek out to Copenhagen and take some time off when in reality the townspeople are infuriated with his disruptions with their children. Hans takes Peter's impromptu advice and walks alone along the countryside. Peter joins Hans with his entire cobbler wagon in tow figuring they have to support themselves while visiting the "City of Towers". Hans and Peter take the boat ride over as the crew sings "Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen". Upon their arrival Hans performs his formal introduction to the merchants but Hans makes a fatal mistake buy standing on a sacred statue and is arrested. Peter escapes the law and runs for cover in a theater storage room where he overhears two ballet personnel argue about ballet shoes as their prima ballerina is complaining about comfort. Peter comes forward and offers Han as an expert cobbler. The Ballet manager releases Hans from Jail as Hans is employed by the royal ballet company as the ballerina's personal cobbler. Hans gets more than he bargains for as he is smitten with the ballerina's loveliness. The Ballerina is played by the very French Jeanmaire. There's one problem Doro our ballerina is married to the hostile and volatile director of the ballet played perfectly by Farley Granger. The extreme range of the couple will throw you as one minute there at each others throats and the next they are billing and cooing to each other like nothing ever happened. Jeanmaire carries herself as the lovely Dora who plays with Han's emotions. Hans is outraged which leads him to write the story of The Little Mermaid and our story continues. There is also a little bit of Walter Mitty in this film as Hans dreams of his wedding day to the lovely Dora in a well put together sketch. The appeal of this movie is the life lessons Hans shares with the children as each story is accompanied by song. One huge flaw is the long Ballet scene at the end of the movie which to this day doesn't hold my attention. I had nothing but plaudits for song writer and musical director Frank Loesser. The lyrics have a lesson or moral within the narrative verbally orchestrated by the shear genius of the master Danny Kaye. The thing I find most interesting about Danny Kaye movies is the tongue twisting lyrics and songs that flow so naturally out of his mouth. Thumbalina , The Ugly Duckling songs are poignant and should be shared with current generations. The homely skinny Daniel Kaminsky, the kid from Brooklyn becomes a very fine swan indeed!
Review of Hans Christian Andersen
