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Knock on Wood

Play trailer Poster for Knock on Wood Released Apr 14, 1954 1h 43m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
When his fiancée leaves him, ventriloquist Jerry Morgan (Danny Kaye) alarms his manager, Marty (David Burns), with a violent outburst directed at his two dummies. After promising Marty to see a psychiatrist over his behavior, Jerry takes his broken dummies to a shop -- where, unknown to him, the repairman is a spy who plants vital secret blueprints in the wooden dolls. Jerry then becomes the target of several determined spies, as well as a stunning psychiatrist (Mai Zetterling).
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Knock on Wood

Critics Reviews

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Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Danny Kaye returns to his top form as a bewildered ventriloquist who tangles hilariously with spies, Scotland Yard, Irish tenors, a Russian ballet troupe and a shapely psychiatrist in various European capitals. Highly recommended. Oct 24, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member gr8 story but why not edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Kaye plays a ventriloquist who runs away from marriage through his alter ego dummy due to a deep-seated childhood trauma based on his parents' difficult marriage. Paralleling this is a spy plot where important documents are hidden--The story of the ventriloquist'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!! Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a movie that I had at home since I was little, and had to see for personal reasons. I've already seen some of the scenes before, and I particularly thought that the bit with the ballet was very funny, but I didn't know anything about the plot. Overall it's a pretty standard comedy with musical bits in it. It's very well done and the singing and dancing is very well performed (and with standards that are completely different from today, when these kind of performances had to be done very well to be even considered worth a movie). I find Danny Kaye a little silly sometimes, specially when he feigns the "guy in love" and acts all silly and distracted, and some of the things are too slapstick for me, like the scene were he tries to turn on the car, but still very funny for the most part of it. The plot is ridiculously absurd and a little stupid, but is more than enough for a comedy, and it even adds a little to it. The ballet scene is, as I correctly remembered it, hilarious and very well timed and performed, and it's the high point of the film. A very good and light comedy, worth seeing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member In "Knock on Wood" Kaye yet again carries the film. His wonderful singing, dancing, and quick-wit make a fairly ridiculous plot plausible and a generic movie enjoyable. It does not hit the heights of the wonderful "Court Jester" but remains one of Kaye's better performances, finding a spot more near "The Inspector General." Some scenes will leave you in hysterical laughter, others with a smile, but a laugh and good time (as usual) are guaranteed by Danny Kaye. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Nate Bell, thanks for reminding me about this movie. I thought I hadn't seen it, but once some of Danny Kaye's more memorable (and diverse!) performances came along, I remembered it all. The setup takes a bit too long, but Kaye's ventriloquism, Irish folk singing, and Russian folk dancing are worth the wait. :) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member My favorite movie, which I now own! Classics aren't like movies of today, but they are still amazing pieces of cinema. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Knock on Wood

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Movie Info

Synopsis When his fiancée leaves him, ventriloquist Jerry Morgan (Danny Kaye) alarms his manager, Marty (David Burns), with a violent outburst directed at his two dummies. After promising Marty to see a psychiatrist over his behavior, Jerry takes his broken dummies to a shop -- where, unknown to him, the repairman is a spy who plants vital secret blueprints in the wooden dolls. Jerry then becomes the target of several determined spies, as well as a stunning psychiatrist (Mai Zetterling).
Director
Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Producer
Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Screenwriter
Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Dena Productions
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 14, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 6, 2014
Runtime
1h 43m
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