Knock on Wood (1954)

64% of users liked it
(258 ratings)

With the exception of the brilliant The Court Jester, Knock on Wood must rank as the best of Danny Kaye's movie vehicles. Capitalizing on the star's recent successful engagement in London, the film casts Kaye as a neurotic American ventriloquist performing in England and Europe. In a parody of the… More With the exception of the brilliant The Court Jester, Knock on Wood must rank as the best of Danny Kaye's movie vehicles. Capitalizing on the star's recent successful engagement in London, the film casts Kaye as a neurotic American ventriloquist performing in England and Europe. In a parody of the 1946 thriller Dead of Night, Kaye is unable to control the words coming out of his dummy, resulting in a near-nervous breakdown. On the advice of his manager (David Burns), Kaye seeks out the help of a psychiatrist, who turns out to be beautiful Mai Zetterling. But first, he heads to a local repair shop to pick up one of his dummies. What Kaye doesn't know is that a set of stolen blueprints for a top-secret weapon have been secreted into his dummy's head. Before he knows what's happening, our hero is up to his ears in spies, counterspies, and corpses. Falsely accused of murder, Kaye spends the rest of the film adopting one disguise after another to elude both the authorities and the various enemy agents roaming about. Filled to overflowing with musical and comedy highlights, Knock on Wood includes the famous "under the table" bit wherein Kaye finds himself literally between two warring spy factions, and a climactic ballet sequence reminiscent of (and superior to) the comic-opera finale of Kaye's Wonder Man (1945). And of course, the audience is treated to the tongue-twisting patter songs written for Kaye by his wife Sylvia Fine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
Written By: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Genres: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 2, 1954 Wide
On DVD: Sep 28, 2010

Critic Reviews

Bill Weber, Slant Magazine
With a star just past his prime, this Danny Kaye vehicle doesn't even deliver on its "ventriloquist gets mixed up with spies" premise.

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Cast

            Danny Kaye as Jerry Morgan / Papa Morgan

            Mai Zetterling as Ilse Nordstrom

            Torin Thatcher as Langston

            David Burns as Marty Brown

            Leon Askin as Gromeck

            Abner Biberman as Papinek

            Gavin Gordon as Car Salesman

            Otto Waldis as Brodnik

            Steven Geray as Dr. Kreuger

            Diana Adams as Princess

            Patricia Denise as Mama Morgan

            Virginia Huston as Audrey

            Paul England as Chief Inspector Wilton

            Johnstone White as Langston's Secretary

            Henry Brandon as 2nd Trenchcoat Man

            Lewis  Martin as Inspector Cranford

            John Alderson as Bobby

            Genevieve Aumont as Airline Stewardess

            Helen Chapman as Zelda

            Noel Drayton as Little Man

            Rex Evans as Customer

            Winifred Harris as English Woman

            Kenneth Hunter as Old Man

            Donald Lawton as French Stage Manager

            Alphonse Martell as Policeman

            Carl Milletaire as 1st Trenchcoat Man

            Christopher Olsen as Danny Jr

            Phil Tully as Irishman

            Philip Van Zandt as Brutchik

            Eric Wilton as Doorman

            Helen Dickson as Woman in Shower
See full cast

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