Die Lachbombe (1954)
40KDie Lachbombe: Directed by Melvin Frank, Norman Panama. With Danny Kaye, Mai Zetterling, Torin Thatcher, David Burns. Discovering that a ventriloquist is travelling to Zurich, a spy ring hides secret plans in his dummies’ heads. When a second spy ring learns of the plans, they descend upon the ventriloquist, causing city-wide pandemonium.
“The story of the ventriloquistu0026#39;s dummy who develops a personality all its own has been used any number of times. Two times when it was used seriously the ventriloquists were Cliff Robertson on the Twilight Zone and Michael Redgrave in Dead Of Night. But Danny Kaye managed to use it for laughs in Knock On Wood.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEvery time Kaye gets close to a girl to start talking seriously of marriage, his second persona through the dummy takes over and cooks the deal for good. Kayeu0026#39;s agent David Burns suggests some consultation with a psychiatrist Steven Geray. And then Geray consults a consultant and the consultant psychiatrist turns out to be Mai Zetterling.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThatu0026#39;s how romances start with comics, especially movie comics. But even Zetterling is ready to commit him when all kind of strange things happen. Two parts of the design of a secret weapon get hidden both of Kayeu0026#39;s dummies Clarence and Terrence. And two different sets of spies get a hold of the parts. One is held by Leon Askin and the second held by international man of mystery Torin Thatcher.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThings start happening around Kaye that he and no one else can explain so itu0026#39;s not unnatural for mental health professionals to think heu0026#39;s off his rocker. But so does law enforcement in several countries.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKnock On Wood is not as good as so many of Kayeu0026#39;s films, still his fans should like it. Best is the ballet sequences where in trying to elude the police who want him for a homicide and the spies who just want him dead, Danny fouls up a ballet that his former girlfriend is starring in. What a way to put a coda on a breakup. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOf course Danny was to reach the height of his career with his next two films White Christmas and The Court Jester. Knock On Wood is good, but just an interlude in Dannyu0026#39;s career.”
