Remember The Court Jester, the hilarious spoof where Danny Kaye pretends to be a medieval assassin but is really a bumbling fool? Remember when he made Double Crossbones, where he pretends to be a pirate but is really a bumbling fool? Wait, a minute, Donald O'Connor was in Double Crossbones. I always got the feeling Donald O'Connor wanted Danny Kaye's fame, especially since he had infinitely more talent, but I hope he wasn't too disappointed by his career. He made it, after all, and making it as a dancer at the same time when Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were around is quite an accomplishment!
Double Crossbones is so similar to The Court Jester, and when you watch it afterwards, it'll pale in comparison. Donald tries to keep up with his pirate-y companions to become worthy of his lady love, but he's not really pirate material. Instead, for most of the movie, he sings and dances, making Danny-Kaye-faces and perfecting his bumbling, stumbling routine. Remember in The Court Jester when Danny drops his sword in a duel and runs around waving his hands in the air screaming? Can't you just imagine him fighting in a duel, forced to keep one end of a handkerchief in his mouth, while his pirate opponent holds the opposite end in his mouth? Well, you can watch Donald do that instead. At one point, Donald says "Hey, I'm dancing!" to get people's attention, then does his classic backflip-off-the-wall dance move. Was he trying to get people to realize he was more talented than Danny Kaye, or was that just my imagination?
Those of you who like pirate spoofs can check this one out, but it's really not very good. The best part about it is Frank Skinner's rousing score, but you don't have to watch the entire movie to hear it. Everyone loves trying to imitate Robert Newton; there's even International Talk Like a Pirate Day! So, if you want to see Donald O'Connor trying to do it, rent Double Crossbones.
