The Man from the Diners' Club

This may be (I only did a little research) Danny Kaye's final lead role in the movies, yet comes only a few years after our favorite Danny Kaye movie, Me And The Colonel. I enjoyed The Man From the Diner's Club when I first watched it, which must have been whenever it arrived on television after its release in 1962-63 (when I was nine years old).

Seen today, the movie generally moves too slowly, especially in the beginning, as if most of the movie is a set up for the final climax and resolution. Yet the movie never quite catches fire, perhaps held back by the reliance on the familiar Danny Kaye "schtick", which by this point in his career must have been very familiar to theater goers.

We watched it during the Christmas holiday, 2015, as I wanted to share my decades old fondness for the film with my best friend, who gradually warmed to the movie as it developed.

But for me, a dyed in the wool Danny Kaye fan, the film stayed slow until the end.

I have not seen many movies with Danny Kaye, I prefer Jerry Lewis but this one, directed by Lewis' fetish film maker Frank Tashlin, is still funny, not too long, not boring, and announcing the future - for this period - computers system issues. From now, in 2025, of course it sounds old fashioned but the humor is still here. And it's amusing to see Telly Savalas and George Kennedy co starring Danny Kaye as mobsters. In France, such a film, in 1963, could easily have been starred by Bourvil or Fernandel. I did not know this movie at all before the viewing. I don't know if computers machines looked like this in 1963 though. Now, they can be as big as a simple electronic bug.

Danny Kaye made this movie at age 50, just as he was transitioning into his long-running, successful TV show. It's a shame that the film wasn't better tailored to his talents. He gets to do a few funny facial expressions, but no singing or dancing, and almost no verbal humor (his specialties). Probably the best bit is when he pretends to be a Swedish masseur and does dialect humor while he gets revenge on his oppressive office-mate. Most of the blame can be placed on the weak, dated script by "Bill Blatty" (Mr. Exorcist), which is full of tired office humor from the early 60s. (It makes HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS look slick and sophisticated.) Kaye is paired up romantically with a girl clearly out of his league; why would such a hot number put up with a nerd who keeps putting off the wedding? Telly Savalas and Cara Williams make a nice team as the bumbling villain and his moll; Harry Dean Stanton makes an uncredited appearance as a poetry-spouting beatnik. (Yes, what early 60s film would be complete without a beatnik?) Music by Stu Phillips (Cosby Show) tends toward the Carl Stallings cartoon approach. The cinematography is dull and lifeless. If you want REAL Danny Kaye, turn back the clock a decade or more before this lemon, or hope that someday his great TV show is packaged for DVD.

It's a bit of a silly, over-played comedy, with danny kaye. When ernie approves a diners club charge card for ron pulardos (telly savalas) all hell breaks loose. It turns out that pulardos is a well known mobster, busted for taxes, and wants to disappear in an arranged fire. Of his own gym. So ernie tries to get the card back before pulardos can use it! Ann guilbert (millie, on dick van dyke!) is ella, in the computer room. George kennedy is george, working for pulardos. A funny scene where ernie gets to beat up his boss at work, when he pretends to be the massage therapist. And probably the last film to feature a dumb-waiter as part of the plot! Directed by frank tashlin. Made a ton of films with jerry lewis, but died at 59 of thrombosis. Did you notice the opening song was sung by steve lawrence? Showing on free tubi channel. It's pretty good... a whole lot of slapstick and the usual misunderstandings.

This is Danny Kaye's last starring comedy, and like the last films of many comedians, it is quite sad. Frank Tashlin's film is much better suited to someone like Jerry Lewis. Kaye is completely out of place in the film. The true scene stealer of this film is Telly Savalas. In this film, Kojak has hair and plays the villain. And what a fine villain he is! But where are the musical specialties for Kaye? There is not one. Kaye was a comedian who depended on facial expressions, funny sounds, and musical patter. Here, he is expected to be a slapstick comedian. "On the Double", Kaye's previous film is a masterpiece next to this.