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ActionComedy

Knock on Wood

- The No. 1 Song-and-Dance Clown at his best!

Ventriloquist Jerry Morgan has failed with another love affair. The reason: when the relationship reaches the point when it is time to discuss marriage, his two dolls become mean and jealous. Morgan's dollmaker Papinek is a member of a spy ring who has stolen the secret plans for the top-secret Lafayette airplane. Since Morgan is leaving for Zurich the same night, he decides to hide the secret plan in the heads of the dolls.

Release Date : 1954-04-06

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Dena ProductionsParamount Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Danny Kaye

Character Name : Jerry Morgan

Original Name : Danny Kaye

Gender : Male

Mai Zetterling

Character Name : Ilse Nordstrom

Original Name : Mai Zetterling

Gender : Female

Torin Thatcher

Character Name : Godfrey Langston

Original Name : Torin Thatcher

Gender : Male

David Burns

Character Name : Marty Brown

Original Name : David Burns

Gender : Male

Leon Askin

Character Name : Laslo Gromeck

Original Name : Leon Askin

Gender : Male

Abner Biberman

Character Name : Maurice Papinek

Original Name : Abner Biberman

Gender : Male

Gavin Gordon

Character Name : Car Salesman

Original Name : Gavin Gordon

Gender : Male

Otto Waldis

Character Name : Brodnik

Original Name : Otto Waldis

Gender : Male

Steven Geray

Character Name : Doctor Kreuger

Original Name : Steven Geray

Gender : Male

Diana Adams

Character Name : Princess Maya

Original Name : Diana Adams

Gender : Female

Patricia Denise

Character Name : Mama Morgan

Original Name : Patricia Denise

Gender : Male

Virginia Huston

Character Name : Audrey Greene

Original Name : Virginia Huston

Gender : Female

Paul England

Character Name : Chief Inspector Wilton

Original Name : Paul England

Gender : Male

Johnstone White

Character Name : Langston's Secretary

Original Name : Johnstone White

Gender : Male

Henry Brandon

Character Name : Second Trenchcoat Man

Original Name : Henry Brandon

Gender : Male

Lewis Martin

Character Name : Inspector Cranford

Original Name : Lewis Martin

Gender : Male

Patrick Aherne

Character Name : Reporter

Original Name : Patrick Aherne

Gender : Male

Leon Alton

Character Name : Bellhop

Original Name : Leon Alton

Gender : Male

John Alderson

Character Name : English Bobby

Original Name : John Alderson

Gender : Male

Patrick Whyte

Character Name : English Butler

Original Name : Patrick Whyte

Gender : Male

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-08-01

With Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly dominating this genre, it's easy to forget that Danny Kaye was actually quite an accomplished dancer and singer - and he demonstrates that quite charismatically in this rather daft spy caper. Here he also reminds us of just how popular ventriloquists were as his "Jerry" character finds himself embroiled in an international espionage ring that involves some top secret blueprints, his dummy's brand new head and the dastardly British industrialist "Langston" (Torin Thatcher). It's this latter man who turns out to want to acquire and sell on the plans - but there is no absence of competitors who are trying to entrap our hapless entertainer. Meantime, he begins to fall for the sceptical "Dr. Ilse" (Mai Zetterling) and she - slightly uncertain as to whether he's a bit screwy or not - soon finds herself equally involved in the increasingly farcical goings on in a fine Zurich hotel. It's all fairly predicable, borderline slapstick, fayre but there's a fair degree of agreeable chemistry between Kaye and Zetterling with both being quite adept on the dance floor and him delivering a couple of cheery, if not entirely memorable, numbers from Sylvia Fine. The production quality lets it down a bit if you happen to know anything about actually living in London, but there's still some humour in the writing that Kaye delivers quite engagingly as we build to a denouement straight out of "Sherlock Holmes" that takes a few pings at the international jet-set en route.