Victor Borge Movies
Well-loved for his comedic renderings of classical mainstays, "The Clown Prince of Denmark" Victor Borge (born Borge Rosenbaum) launched his remarkable career with a debut in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music at the spry age of eight. Quickly gaining momentum as a gifted musician, though one who possessed a remarkable sense of humor, it didn't take Borge long to adopt the persona that would define his career.Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Borge emigrated to the United States in 1940 to escape the nazi invasion. Having already established his gift for teasing audiences with his unique wit and goofy humor, the only barrier between Borge and success in the U.S. was language, a barrier soon and successfully overcome as he translated his performances and began to appear on many popular radio shows of the day. Employing tactics that would normally be scoffed at among connoisseurs of the classical variety, Borge broke the barriers of comedy and music through his trademark slapstick, taking a no-holds-barred approach at injecting the kind of pompous-puncturing, giggle-inducing humor that reminded audiences that music, as well as life, must be laughed at every once in a while to be appreciated. Breaking the Broadway record for one-man shows with an exhausting 849 performances at Gotham's Golden Theater in the 1950s, Borge was a tireless performer who continued to entertain well into his own golden years. Staying in the collective consciousness of audiences through touring and the promotion of Funniest Moments videos containing his most beloved routines, Borge entertained generations of audiences worldwide, finding new fans in those who had not been around to witness his early routines and experience his remarkable comic and musical abilities. Though it was uncommon for Borge to appear in films, he did make an appearance as himself in Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy (1983). Aside from his well-known classical stylings, Borge also found success as an orchestra conductor. With his energy and enthusiasm for entertaining never having faded, Borge died in his sleep as the result of heart failure after a brief trip to the city of his birth. He was 91.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
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The comic concerts of the late Victor Borge, an accomplished classical pianist and droll comedian, were full of hilarity and brightness. The mischievous Dane cracked jokes, made faces, delivered parodies and spoofs, read sheet music upside-down, and fell off the piano bench -- maintaining a wacky dignity while meticulously performing works by eminent composers. Borge's lighthearted presentations made classical music accessible to a wide range of listeners, and his non-musical word-play sketches such as "Phonetic Punctuation" and "Inflationary Language" have made people laugh for decades. This video presents highlights from Borge's memorable performances. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
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The funnyman of music is back, and now fans of all ages can enjoy Victor Borge's unique brand of musical slapstick with this collection of rarely-seen clips taken directly from the Borge's enormously popular television specials. No one could keep an audience in stitches quite like Victor Borge, and as the ivory-tickling comic takes viewers on a hilarious tour of his family history while performing some of the most beautiful music ever composed, fans who remember viewing the original broadcasts can share Borge's comic legacy with a whole new generation of fans. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
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Few entertainers could combine beautiful music and hilarious comedy quite like Victor Borge, and in this collection of lost clips from Borge's hilarious television specials, the piano-playing funnyman keeps audiences in stitches while simultaneously taking them on a unique musical journey all his own. It's all here, from the shampoo music complete with bubble blower, to the comic orchestral compositions and the classic car commercials, all performed in Borge's inimitable style and guaranteed to entertain comedy fans of all ages. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Victor Borge Tells Hans Christian Andersen Stories, Volume One is the first volume of a three-tape series featuring celebrated comedian and musician Victor Borge telling classic Hans Christian Andersen stories. Beautiful illustrations accompany Borge's storytelling. In this episode, Borge shares the tale of The Ugly Duckling, in which a sad, unappreciated duckling transforms into a glorious swan. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1992
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Victor Borge Tells Hans Christian Andersen Stories, Volume Three is the third volume of a three-tape series featuring celebrated comedian and musician Victor Borge telling classic Hans Christian Andersen stories. Beautiful illustrations accompany Borge's storytelling. In this episode, Borge shares the tale The Princess and the Pea, in which an extremely delicate princess senses the presence of a minuscule pea beneath her mattress. He also tells Father's Always Right and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
Known to his fans as the "Clown Prince of Denmark," or "Great Dane," the remarkably talented Copenhagen-native Victor Borge performs some of his funniest moments from a collection of his earliest television and film appearances on Victor Borge: Then and Now. The 90-minute production also features some of the highlights from several performances filmed at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI, and serves as an informal retrospective on Borge's long and multifaceted entertainment career. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Victor Borge Tells Hans Christian Andersen Stories, Volume Two is the second volume of a three-tape series featuring celebrated comedian and musician Victor Borge telling classic Hans Christian Andersen stories. Beautiful illustrations accompany Borge's storytelling. In this episode, Borge shares the story of The Emperor's New Clothes, in which a naive ruler becomes convinced that he's wearing luxurious robes, when in fact he's wearing not a stitch. In this volume, Borge also tells the tale of The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1990
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This program presents some of the best-known routines of famous pianist and comedian Victor Borge. Borge combines his self-deprecating humor with capable musicianship in such routines as "Introducing Mozart," "My Favorite Barber," "Introducing Marylyn Mulvey," "The Timid Page Turner," and others. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 1990
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This performance was filmed live at Wolf Trap and features Victor Borge presenting a number of musically comedic moments. ~ All Movie Guide
Martin Scorsese's satirical comedy/drama caustically explores the lengths to which a nobody will go to be as famous as his idol. Practicing his patter in his basement with cardboard cut-outs of his favorite celebrities, mediocre aspiring comedian Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) believes that one appearance on the evening talk show of the Johnny Carson-esque Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) will be his ticket to stardom. After he helps Jerry escape the advances of amorous fan Masha (Sandra Bernhard), Rupert takes Jerry's patronizing brush-off as a true promise for an audition and begins haunting Jerry's office. Provoked by Masha's needling and a rejection from Jerry's smooth production exec Cathy Long (Shelley Hack), Rupert makes a disastrous trip to Jerry's country house with embarrassed date Rita (Diahnne Abbott), then hatches an even more outlandish scheme to get ahead. With Masha's help, Rupert kidnaps Jerry and demands as ransom the TV appearance that he believes will turn his fantasy into reality. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, (more)
- 1972
Join everyone's favorite pianist jester in this filmed performance on the London stage from the early 1970s. Chopin and Beethoven are among the classical composers whose works are parodied in this laugh-fest. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Four stories from Hans Christian Andersen appear in The Daydreamer, a feature using the Animagic process that uses live action combined with stop-motion puppets. Included are "The Little Mermaid," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "Thumbelina," and "The Garden Of Paradise." Songs and dances compliment an international all-star cast of voices used for the characters. Ray Bolger, Margaret Hamilton, Burl Ives, Hayley Mills, Boris Karloff, Cyril Ritchard, Patty Duke, Terry-Thomas and Victor Borge join Ed Wynn in his second-to-last screen role. This was the last film in which fans would hear the voices of Sessue Hayakawa and Tallulah Bankhead. Director Jules Bass provided the lyrics, with Murray Law providing the music for this entertaining children's fantasy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cyril Ritchard, Paul O'Keefe, (more)
- 1956
This comedy performance offers the musical hilarity of this Danish comic. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1951
Featuring two of Victor Borge's live shows, this collection features the music and comedy of the famous performer, as well as some of the original commercials. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Higher and Higher was advertised by RKO Radio as "The Sinatra Show", and small wonder: In his first major film role, Frank Sinatra was easily the film's biggest box-office draw. Actually, Frankie was a last minute addition to the film, which began as a traditional adaptation of a popular Broadway musical. Repeating his original stage role, Jack Haley plays Mike, the head servant in the household of millionaire Mr. Drake (Leon Errol). When Drake faces bankruptcy, Mike rallies the servants together and cooks up a moneymaking scheme: they'll pass off pretty scullery maid Millie (Michele Morgan) as Drake's daughter, and marry her off to a wealthy bachelor. Complicating matters is Sir Bictor Fitzroy Victor (Victor Borge), an impoverished nobleman who is himself looking for a rich wife. Mike saves the day with a last-minute discovery in the wine cellar, but not before a series of hilarious and tuneful plot twists involving Millie, heiress Katherine (Barbara Hale), and hired help Mickey (Marcy McGuire) and Marty (Mel Torme). Hastily written into the proceedings as Drake's next door neighbor, Sinatra croons several standards-to-be, including "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night" and "This is a Lovely Way to Spend an Evening"; he also is arbitrarily permitted the film's closing shot, emerging from heavenly clouds like the Second Coming of Music. Thanks to the film's enormous box-office take, everybody was happy with Higher and Higher--except Jack Haley, understandably miffed that his onetime starring role was whittled down to a supporting part to allow more screen time for the estimable Mr. Sinatra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, (more)
