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.
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
Danny Kaye Lyrics
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And each one has meant heaven to you
You have vowed your affection to each one in turn,
And have sworn to them all you'd be true;
You have kissed 'neath the moon,
While the world seemed in tune
Then you've left her to hunt a new game.
Does it ever occur to you later boy,
I wonder who's kissing her now,
Wonder who's teaching her how?
Wonder who's looking in to her eyes?
Breathing sighs!
Telling lies!
I wonder if she's got a boy?
The girl who once filled me with joy,
Wonder if she ever tells him of me?
I wonder who's kissing her now?
If you want to feel wretched and lonely and blue,
Just imagine the girl you love best
In the arms of some fellow who's stealing a kiss
From the lips that you once fondly pressed;
But the world moves a pace and the loves of today
Flit away with a smile and a tear.
So you never can tell who is kissing her how.
Or just whom you'll be kissing next year.
I wonder who's kissing her now,
Wonder who's teaching her how?
Wonder who's looking in to her eyes?
Breathing sighs!
Telling lies!
I wonder who's buying the wine?
For lips that I used to call mine,
Wonder if she ever tells him of me?
I wonder who's kissing her now?
The song 'I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now' by Danny Kaye is a testament to the fleeting nature of love and how one's romantic past continues to haunt them. The lyrics describe the singer's past encounters with various women, each of whom he has promised true affection. However, he ultimately abandons them to look for a new conquest. The chorus of the song conveys the singer's feelings of jealousy and hurt, wondering who the woman he once loved is kissing now, who is teaching her how to love, who is looking into her eyes, and buying her wine. He wonders if he is still a part of the woman's memory and if she ever speaks of him to her new partner.
The lyrics of the song relate to the universal theme of love, heartbreak, and the passing of time. The song highlights how love, although intense and all-consuming in the moment, can suddenly become a thing of the past, replaced by new love and desires. The lyrics capture the feelings of hurt and remorse that come with being left behind and seeing the person you once loved with someone else. It’s a reminder of how a moment shared with someone can become a distant memory in a blink of an eye.
Line by Line Meaning
You have loved lots of girls in the sweet long ago,
You have had many past relationships with girls.
And each one has meant heaven to you
Every girl was special to you, and you cared deeply about them.
You have vowed your affection to each one in turn,
You promised your love to each of the girls you dated.
And have sworn to them all you'd be true;
You told them you would always be faithful.
You have kissed 'neath the moon,
You have shared intimate moments with these girls under the night sky.
While the world seemed in tune
At the time, the world felt perfect and right for both of you.
Then you've left her to hunt a new game.
Eventually, you moved on to someone new.
Does it ever occur to you later boy,
Do you ever wonder, much later, about what happened to the girl you left?
That's she's probably doing the same?
She may have moved on to someone new, just like you did.
I wonder who's kissing her now,
I wonder who she is with at the moment.
Wonder who's teaching her how?
I wonder who is sharing intimate moments with her now.
Wonder who's looking in to her eyes?
I wonder who she is gazing into deeply, with love and affection.
Breathing sighs!
I wonder who is sharing intimate moments with her now.
Telling lies!
I wonder if she is being truthful with her current partner.
I wonder if she's got a boy?
I wonder if she is in a new relationship.
The girl who once filled me with joy,
The girl who I used to care about so much.
Wonder if she ever tells him of me?
I wonder if she thinks about me and shares stories about us with her current partner.
I wonder who's buying the wine?
I wonder who is sharing romantic moments with her, such as sharing a bottle of wine.
For lips that I used to call mine,
With whom I used to share intimate moments and loved deeply.
Wonder if she ever tells him of me?
I still wonder if she thinks or talks about me often.
I wonder who's kissing her now?
I still wonder who is sharing intimate moments with her as of today.
But the world moves a pace and the loves of today
Life moves fast and things change quickly these days.
Flit away with a smile and a tear.
Love affairs end with both happy and sad memories.
So you never can tell who is kissing her now.
It's hard to keep up with the fast pace of life and love, you'll never know who she is with now.
Or just whom you'll be kissing next year.
Just like you don't know who she's with now or who she will be with in the future, you don't know who you will be with either.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joseph Edgar Howard, Harold Orlob, Will Hough, Frank R. Adams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind