Born to Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn, red-haired Kaye became one of the world's best-known comedians. He learned his trade in his teen years as a tummler in the Catskills. In 1941 he appeared in the Broadway show, Lady in the Dark and performed the famous number "Tchaikovsky," by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, in which he sang the names of a whole string of Russian composers at breakneck speed, seemingly without taking a breath.
According to The New York Times, when he appeared at the London Palladium music hall In 1948, he "roused the Royal family to shrieks of laughter and was the first of many performers who have turned English variety into an American preserve." Life magazine described his reception as "worshipful hysteria" and noted that the royal family, for the first time in history, left the royal box to see the show from the front row of the orchestra.
Kaye made his film debut in a 1935 comedy short subject, entitled Moon Over Manhattan. His feature film debut was Up in Arms (1944). He starred in several movies with actress Virginia Mayo in the 1940's, and is well known for his roles in films such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Inspector General (1949), White Christmas (1954), Knock on Wood (1954), The Court Jester (1956), and Merry Andrew (1958). Kaye starred in two pictures based on biographies, Hans Christian Andersen (1952) about the Danish story-teller, and The Five Pennies (1959) about jazz pioneer Red Nichols. His wife, Sylvia Fine, wrote many of the songs Danny Kaye became famous for. Some of Kaye's films included the theme of doubles, two people who look identical (both played by Danny Kaye) being mistaken for each other, to comic effect.
Kaye starred in a radio program of his own, The Danny Kaye Show, on CBS in 1945-1946. Despite its clever writing (radio legend Goodman Ace, Sylvia Fine, and respected playwright-director Abe Burrows were the writers for the show) and performing cast (including Eve Arden, Lionel Stander, and big bandleader Harry James), the show lasted only a year.
He hosted his own variety hour on CBS, The Danny Kaye Show, from 1963 to 1967. Kaye also did a stint as one of the What's My Line? Mystery Guests on the popular Sunday Night CBS-TV program. Later, Kaye also served as a guest panelist on that quiz show. Years later, Kaye also guest-starred in episodes of The Cosby Show and of the 1980's remake of The Twilight Zone (see The New Twilight Zone).
Kaye's influence was felt beyond the entertainment world in the world of professional sports as well. Kaye was the original owner of the Seattle Mariners along with his partner Lester Smith, from 1977-81.
During the 1950s, Kaye also acted in a pantomime production of Cinderella, in Sydney, Australia, where he played the role of "Buttons", Cinderella's stepfather's servant, and also Cinderella's friend.
In many of his movies, as well as on stage, Kaye proved to be an able actor, singer, dancer and comedian, often having his comedic talents showcased by special material written by his wife, Sylvia Fine. He showed quite a different and serious side as Ambassador for UNICEF, and in one of his few dramatic roles in the memorable TV-movie Skokie, in which he played a Holocaust survivor. Before he died in 1987, Kaye also demonstrated his ability to conduct an orchestra during a comical, but technically sound, series of concerts organised for UNICEF fundraising. Kaye received two Academy Awards, an honorary award in 1955 and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1982. In his later years he took to entertaining at home as chef—he had a special stove installed in his patio—and host. He specialized in Chinese cooking.
Kaye died in 1987 from a heart attack, following a bout of hepatitis. He left a widow Sylvia Fine and a daughter Dena. He is interred in the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. His grave is adorned with a bench that contains friezes of a baseball and bat, an aircraft, a piano, a flower pot, musical notes, and a glove.
C'est si bon
Danny Kaye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lovers say that in France
When they thrill to romance
It means that it's so good
C'est si bon
So I say to you
Like the French people do
Because it's oh so good
Leads to only one thought
And the thought is this, dear!
C'est si bon
Nothing else can replace
Just your slightest embrace
And if you only would be my own for the rest my days
I will whisper this phrase
My darling, my darling
C'est si bon!
The lyrics to Danny Kaye's song C'est Si Bon are a declaration of love and affection that are expressed in the form of French culture. The term "C'est Si Bon" loosely translates to "It's so good," and it is used in France to describe romantic experiences that are truly enjoyable. The song's lyrics imply that nothing can replace the ecstasy of embracing someone you love, as this type of experience is the ultimate expression of happiness that the French culture values.
Through the use of "every word, every sigh, every kiss," the singer acknowledges that the path to such blissful heights in a relationship is often marked by romantic milestones that lead up to complete devotion to one another. The final verse of the song conveys a sense of longing that the singer has for their beloved, and they vow to continually whisper the romantic phrase, "C'est Si Bon," to their darling in a manner that echoes the way French people express their affections.
Overall, the song C'est Si Bon is essentially a love letter to a beloved and a tribute to the French culture's passionate approach to love and affection. It suggests that the enjoyment of romantic experiences is the ultimate expression of happiness that the French culture values greatly.
Line by Line Meaning
C'est si bon
It's so good
Lovers say that in France
The French use this phrase when expressing their love
When they thrill to romance
When they experience the excitement of love
It means that it's so good
It's an expression of how good it feels to be in love
C'est si bon
It's so good
So I say to you
I say to you
Like the French people do
In the same way French people do
Because it's oh so good
Because it feels so good
Every word, every sigh, every kiss, dear,
Every expression of love
Leads to only one thought
Brings one idea to mind
And the thought is this, dear!
That this is how good it feels to be in love
C'est si bon
It's so good
Nothing else can replace
There's nothing else that can compare with
Just your slightest embrace
Even just a small hug from you
And if you only would be my own for the rest my days
If you would be my partner for the rest of my life
I will whisper this phrase
I will say this quietly
My darling, my darling
My beloved
C'est si bon!
It's so good!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, BEUSCHER ARPEGE, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Henri Betti, Andre Hornez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind