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.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Danny Kaye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When all the citizens retire to take their clothes off and perspire
It's one of those rules the greatest fools obey
Because the Sun is far too sultry and one must avoid its ultry-violet
rays
The natives grieve when the White Men leave their huts
Because they're obviously, definitely, nuts!
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve till one
But Englishmen detest a siesta
In the Philippines they have lovely screens to protect you from the
glare
In the Malay States there are hats like plates which the Britishers
won't wear
At twelve noon the natives swoon and no further work is done
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see
That though the English are effete, they're quite impervious to heat
When the White Man rides, every native hides in glee
Because the simple creatures hope he will impale his solar topi on a
tree
It seems such a shame when the English claim the Earth
That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Ho=ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho
He-he-he-he-he-he-he
Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it
In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun
They put their Scotch or Rye down and lie down
In a jungle town where the Sun beats down to the rage of man and beast
The English garb of the English Sahib merely gets a bit more creased
In Bangkok at twelve o'clock they foam at the mouth and run
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this foolish habit
In Hong Kong they strike a gong and fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand each inmate, who's in late
In the mangrove swamps where the python romps there is peace from
twelve till two
Even caribous lie around and snooze for there's nothing else to do
In Bengal to move at all is seldom if ever done
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday sun
The song "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" by Danny Kaye satirizes the British colonial attitude toward the tropical climate, which played a crucial role in the expansion of the British Empire, as it allowed them to explore new lands and exploit them for economic gain. Kaye describes a time of day when the "natives" sleep, but the "mad dogs and Englishmen" venture out into the sun, completely disregarding the danger of sunstroke and skin cancer. "It's one of those rules the greatest fools obey," he sings, emphasizing the sheer absurdity of the British logic. Kaye also points out the cultural diversity of tropical regions, highlighting how other cultures avoid the sun, such as the Chinese, Japanese, Hindus, and Argentines. In contrast, he portrays the English as impervious to the heat, despite their reputation for being "effete."
The lyrics are full of irony and sarcasm, and Kaye's mischievous delivery adds to the humorous tone of the song. He makes fun of the British colonial superiority while highlighting the cultural and physical differences between the natives and the British.
Overall, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" is a witty and entertaining criticism of British colonialism, exposing the hypocrisy and arrogance of the colonial mindset.
Line by Line Meaning
In Tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire to take their clothes off and perspire
It's one of those rules the greatest fools obey
Because the Sun is far too sultry and one must avoid its ultry-violet
rays
In hot places, there are times of day when people take off their clothes and sweat. This is something only fools won't do since the Sun is really hot with dangerous ultraviolet rays.
The natives grieve when the White Men leave their huts
Because they're obviously, definitely, nuts!
The natives feel bad when they see white people leaving their homes during the hottest time of day thinking that the white people are crazy
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve till one
But Englishmen detest a siesta
Only Englishmen and mad dogs venture out of doors during the hottest times of day. The Japanese do not pay attention to such behavior, while the Chinese fear doing it. Hindus and Argentines normally get rest during that time. However, Englishmen hate relaxing during the day
In the Philippines they have lovely screens to protect you from the glare
In the Malay States there are hats like plates which the Britishers
won't wear
At twelve noon the natives swoon and no further work is done
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
In the Philippines, there are beautiful screens to cover the Sun so it doesn’t harm the people's eyes. In the Malay a States, there are hats that people wear to protect them from the Sun, but British people refuse to wear them. At noon people usually take a break as it is too hot to do anything. However, mad dogs and Englishmen don’t rest and choose to stay in the midday sun
It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see
That though the English are effete, they're quite impervious to heat
When the White Man rides, every native hides in glee
Because the simple creatures hope he will impale his solar topi on a
tree
For Eastern people, it is surprising how English people, who are thought to be weak, can resist heat so well. When they see White Men, the locals usually hide because they know that they are foolish enough to be in the sun too long and might fall and hurt themselves.
It seems such a shame when the English claim the Earth
That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Ho=ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho
He-he-he-he-he-he-he
Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm
It's a shame that English people try to conquer everything but only end up amusing everybody. This line is followed by laughing sounds.
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it
In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun
They put their Scotch or Rye down and lie down
Only mad dogs and Englishmen would go out in the Sun during noon. Even the toughest Burmese bandit never dared to do such a thing. Natives in Rangoon are always careful not to expose themselves to the Sun's heat.
In a jungle town where the Sun beats down to the rage of man and beast
The English garb of the English Sahib merely gets a bit more creased
In Bangkok at twelve o'clock they foam at the mouth and run
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
In a jungle town where people and animals suffer the rage of the sun, Englishmen seem to tolerate the heat better. However, their clothes get very wrinkled. In Bangkok, people become very thirsty and restless at noon. But Mad Dogs and Englishmen continue to stay in the Sun.
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this foolish habit
In Hong Kong they strike a gong and fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand each inmate, who's in late
Only mad dogs and Englishmen dare to spend time under the Sun during midday. Even the smallest rabbit in Malay would never do so. In Hong Kong, people shoot a cannon at noon to shame anyone who comes late to work.
In the mangrove swamps where the python romps there is peace from
twelve till two
Even caribous lie around and snooze for there's nothing else to do
In Bengal to move at all is seldom if ever done
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
In mangrove swamps, the python rests during noon. Caribou take their naps then too. People in Bengal dislike being active and do not move around much during that time. Nevertheless, mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the scorching midday heat.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NOEL COWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind