Talk:The Court Jester

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 7 January 2020 and 15 April 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Jeonzie.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 11:01, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:The Court Jester Poster.jpg
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BetacommandBot (talk) 06:32, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Purple Pimpernel
How can you leave out the reference to the Purple Pimpernel birth mark on the baby's butt cheek? A search of the phrase turns up this article, but the term isn't actually in it. The Purple Pimpernel is an allusion to the Scarlet Pimpernel. Ileanadu (talk) 01:15, 28 March 2011 (UTC)

Get it? Got it. Good.
The lines above, used in The Court Jester's dialog (see the moment here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM1VXhZT37E) have been used and reused by dozens, scores and possibly hundreds of television programs, commercials and other comedy films since this movie's debut. Though it would be difficult to track all of the uses of it, it seems imperative that it be noted that this famed exchange began with this film and to cite as many of its ensuing uses as possible. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Penpusher (talk • contribs) 04:34, 13 June 2012 (UTC)

Music Score
The information in the article about the background score (note: not the songs!) is WRONG. The score as originally written was replaced by one composed by Hollywood veteran Walter Scharf at the request of the producers, who found Schoen's score completely inappropriate, a judgement that Scharf concurred with. He wrote a new score from scratch, replacing the entire score. Because of the lack of time, Scharf insisted he didn't want a credit for his work. The background story is related by Scharf himself in his autobiography "Composed and Conducted by Walter Scharf", Totowa, NJ: Valentine & Mitchell 1988, ISBN 0-85303-221-1, pages 137f. A clear indication that Scharf's account is correct is that the score, as it is in the finished movie, doesn't "break any rules". Also, Scharf worked with Danny Kaye before. Thomas Muething —Preceding undated comment added 13:21, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

The keyboard instrument in the "piano concerto" for the Kaye/Rathbone duel is a harpsichord. WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 17:26, 16 May 2016 (UTC)

Plot summary
I have cleaned up and shortened the plot summary. It's still too long, but the plot of this movie is VERY complicated, with lots of sub-plots. Goblinshark17 (talk) 07:01, 29 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Its complexity, and the way the parts fit together so cleverly, is what makes so amusing. WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 16:32, 10 October 2016 (UTC)

Opening credits
"The film's opening song, "Life Could Not Better Be" breaks the fourth wall by having Kaye make direct references to the cast and crew, at one point also joking about which of the credited songwriters actually wrote the songs."

I saw the film 60 years ago at the age of nine, and watch it two or three times a year. (Where, oh where, is the Blu-ray, Paramount?) I watched it two (k)nights ago, and there are neither "direct references to the cast and crew" from Kaye (other than saying that the research took so long, everyone had grown a beard by the time it was completed), nor is there joking about who actually wrote the songs. The writer might be confusing the credit for "The Maladjusted Jester" (for which Sylvia Fine wrote both words and music) with the other songs, for which she wrote only the lyrics.

While we're at it... Anyone familiar with Gilbert & Sullivan will recognize that "The Maladjusted Jester" is inspired by "A Private Buffoon" from The Yeomen of the Guard. It wouldn't be surprising if Sylvia Fine tried to put her own lyrics to it (which she did for the nightmare song from Iolanthe). WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 16:46, 10 October 2016 (UTC)

Missing Information
This article is incomplete and is missing important information on the film's production, release, and reception which needs to be added to the article in order to meet Wikipiedia's guidelines and standards of a well developed article.--Paleface Jack (talk) 04:42, 7 November 2016 (UTC)

box office flop?
It says the budget was 4 million but the take was only 2.2 million? I thought this movie was more popular than that or maybe it's gained its audience in the 63 years since it was made? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.138.89.122 (talk) 04:30, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Moved some things around from the Lead
I noticed that the Lead has a lot of substantial information that could be moved to the main body of the article. I've drafted a revision of the Lead that has a better synoptic overview of the article, including a brief description of the plot, reception, awards sections. Since the movie is a musical, a section about the musical score is good information (even though this section doesn't have any sources), but I don't think the Audio Version section is necessary. I'll add my revisions soon. Hopefully they are satisfactory. --Jeonzie (talk) 19:56, 21 March 2020 (UTC)

Plot edit by EEBuchanan might be a joke or more likely it was vandalism
your edit of the plot for The Court Jester absolutely amazes me. Have you even viewed the movie? Your "plot" is from a different movie. I am reverting it to the true and rightful plot. What you did was vandalism. WP:VANDAL

Osomite hablemos  21:40, 13 December 2020 (UTC)

RE:Osomite accusation and insults. I researched and then spent two hours typing and retyping that plot.
Sir/madam, with all due respect that accusation is both incorrect and unkind, and also uncalled for. I will have you know this is one of my all-time most watched favorite movies all my life long, since early childhood when I had the VHS and used to act out scenes from the film with my sister, and I watched it yet again before editing to make sure of things. (As I do when I edit articles, because I pride myself on double-checking and accuracy, even with THIS film which I can quite literally quote from beginning to end from memory. (Not joking.)). What's more the plot that you reverted it to is over 700 words and also has the events out of order in places and actually was missing some essential points (like the midgets appearance at the beginning of the film when Hawkins suggests they could take over his duties so he could fight, hence the black fox being able to send them to his rescue later). I have therefore reverted your revert. What I question is why you reverted it in the first place. You gave no excuse/reason of where the inaccuracies to the film plot were or what your problem with it was other than personal attacks towards me, nor did you correct anything other than to revert it to a previous version that is IN VIOLATION OF WIKIPEDIA STANDARDS for film plots. I would like a detailed breakdown please of the SPECIFIC places where you think the errors are in the storyline, so I can explain them or correct them if somehow I managed to make a mistake. I would like you to please respond with a breakdown of what is wrong and where, so we can discuss this like civilized people before you delete again and start flinging accusations and insults around. I might also suggest YOU rewatch the movie and think how else the plot's major points could be condensed into less than 700 words. EEBuchanan (talk) 22:17, 13 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Sir, I find you disingenuous. I have not made a "personal" attack on you. I have stated the truth and you take offense.


 * Seriously, you can not actually think what you edited as the "plot" is accurate. Please, watch the movie, take notes. I assure you that when I edited the plot some time ago I had watched the movie twice, took notes, and provided an honest plot. I also did not editorialize the plot as you did. Editorializing the plot is not acceptable. I am not overly impressed with the results of your "claim" of over two hours of scholarship and editorial effort.

About a plot length of 700 words. The plot I have edited is 710 words. Note that 700 words is guidance and not dictum. You probably didn't even know how many words it contained.


 * If you persist in this nonsense I will make a complaint about your behavior.


 * I will be reverting your last edit because it is not correct. Again, I point out that your edit is basically vandalism.


 * Osomite hablemos  22:37, 13 December 2020 (UTC)

If anyone wants my full plot research and notes, here you go.
My name is Emily Elizabeth Buchanan and I am a 30-year-old woman. There's also a little thing called wordcounter.net. ("You probably didn't even know how many words it was". Oh yes I did, precisely.) Before reverting this time, I went back and fixed some places where there could possibly be argument/confusion. The word "editorial" evokes the possibility of a personal opinion involved so here's my proof there's no personal opinion, just facts based off what is shown in the film. What I said about research and rewatch was not a claim, it was fact and I would swear to it that I DID rewatch the film for probably the fortieth time if not fiftieth and then typed and retyped that plot a good ten times before submitting it. Here is the new one, with substantiating addendums based off all the notes I DID take. Cannot believe I have to do this, but if you need proof I did research and take notes while starting and stopping and double-checking the film, here you go. To quote Sherlock Holmes, "It is a capital mistake to theorize without data". Or in this case, accuse. If this is not proof I spent extensive time making notes directly from rewatches of the film I do not know what else you want.

Prior to the events of the film, King Roderick the Tyrant sends the Lord Ravenhurst to slaughter the Royal Family of England, and usurps the throne. (RODERICK: "Ravenhurst, could you have been so incompetent, bungled so horribly, as to allowed the child to live?" RAVENHURST: "Sire, there is no child. My men assure me that none of the royal family escaped alive". Ergo it was Ravenhurst's men that did the deed. Not editorial, openly stated fact.) The Black Fox and his band of rebels rescue the true king, an infant with the royal purple pimpernel birthmark on his backside. (We see this birthmark several times in the film) In the present, they harass Roderick and his men while guarding the baby. (Entire opening narration and opening arrow attack scene explain both points) Lords Brockhurst, Finsdale, and Pertwee convince the king to seek alliance with Sir Griswold of MacElwain, by offering him Roderick's daughter Gwendolyn in marriage. (RODERICK:"You think I could make alliance? Griswold is rich. What could I offer him?" BROCKHURST: That which he desires most in the world. Marriage, Sire, with your daughter the fair Gwendolyn.")  Gwendolyn objects, for the castle witch Griselda fortold a more gallant lover. (Gwendolyn: "When I marry, I marry for love. Someone dashing and romantic who will carry me off as a princess should be carried off. RODERICK: Who fills your head with this childish fiddlefaddle...? Ah, Griselda, she of the evil eye." Later in the film, Griselda admits to this: GRISELDA: I told you, it was written in the stars. Your true love will come, I promise you!")

Hubert Hawkins, the Black Fox's minstrel, brings a troupe of midgets from the carnival to replace him so he can fight, but the Black Fox refuses. (BLACK FOX: I don't mean to be disparaging to your little friends, but weapons are limited. HAWKINS: Oh sir, I didn't mean for them to fight, sir. I merely thought that they would take over my chores of entertaining the men, and then perhaps I'd be free to bear arms myself, sir." Later, Black Fox, after rejecting Hawkins' request: "I told you Hawkins, each serves as best he can".) The King's men find their hideout, so Hawkins and another rebel, Maid Jean, are ordered to disguise themselves as wine merchants and take the baby to safety. (SCOUT: Sir, our presence is known! The King's men are on their way!" Later, after Hawkins has disguised himself and Jean herself and they take the baby in the card, and they are stopped on the road and asked who they are: HAWKINS" I am Folsingdale, the wine merchant.") They meet the king's newly hired jester, Giacomo, on the way. (JEAN: But how will they know you? Are you sure no one in the castle has seen you? GIACOMO: Not yet!" Ergo, new hire, never been there before. Said so himself.) Jean knocks him out and tells Hawkins to steal his identity. (JEAN:Quickly, into his clothes...From now on, you are no longer Hubert Hawkins, the Carnival Entertainer. You are the incomparable Giacomo, King of Jesters and Jester of Kings.") Hawkins heads for the castle, and Jean travels on alone, but is captured by the king's men, who were ordered to bring the fairest wenches to court. (RODERICK: Scour the countryside, bring in the fairest wenches in the land. ANd mind you see they ARE the fairest!" Later, NARRATOR: ...For at the very moment was delayed on the road, the Maid Jean was to run afoul of the king's men, who were scouring the countryside for the fairest wenches in the land" Shortly before Jean and the hidden baby are captured)

The Lord Ravenhurst tells a friend Giacomo is actually an assassin he hired to kill Brockhurst, Finsdale, and Pertwee, to prevent the alliance. (Ravenhurst objected to the alliance and even dueled Lord Brockhurst on the point at the beginning of the film. Later, SIR LOCKSLEY: THey have won. RAVENHURST: For the moment, yes. The King is guided by the last voice he hears and the last voice shall be mine. Giacomo will see to that....one special talent for which my agent has bargained dearly. In addition to his brilliance as an entertainer, the Jester Giacomo also happens to be...master of the art of assassination." Later, he directly tells Hawkins the three Lord's Names and says "The method I leave to you, but die they must.") Gwendolyn decides to kill Griselda for lying to her, until Griselda promises Giacomo as her prophesied lover. ''(GWENDOLYN: You will die for your deceit! Filling my head with fairy stories about a romantic lover who will carry me away from this Ghastly castle!" While approaching Griselda with a knife, when Griselda looks out the window and sees Giacomo and says GRISELDA: "And so you shall. He comes even now.") Hawkins, unaware of both these things (No editorial here! He wasn't there so he couldn't possibly know. Pure fact), enters the castle and tries to make contact with a rebel confederate (He does the Black Fox's group's whistle signal all through "My heart knows a lovely song" number. Earlier, Jean told him, JEAN: ...One man inside the castle who is our confederate. You will contact him by whistling our secret call. Whistle it, Hum it, Sing it...)". However, Ravenhurst unwittingly appears at his whistle signal, and Hawkins decides Ravenhurst is the confederate (Hawkins and Ravenhurst make eye contact just as Fergus returns the signal, and Hawkins nods to Ravenhurst questioningly, who nods back. Hawkins later says the famous "Get in, get on with it" line to him later, referring to his mission though of course Ravenhurst has a different mission in mind as he explained earlier to Locksley. Later, FERGUS: (Trying to convince hawkins) "IT is I, not Ravenhurst, who is your friend!" No reason imaginable to say that unless Hawkins thought Ravenhurst was the ally.)  Prior to his arrival, Fergus the Hostler (Literally, Fergus introdcues himself as "Fergus the Hostler" and Ravenhurst says "Hostler, about your business"), the true confederate, met up with Jean and hid the baby in a basket. Jean sneaks into the palace and steals a key to a secret passage from King Roderick's chambers. (Both actions directly portrayed onscreen, Fergus taking the baby from the wine cart in the basket and leaving, and Jean sneaking into the king's chambers)''

Hawkins is put under a spell by Griselda, (directly portrayed onscreen. Also FERGUS to Jean, "But he's under the spell" and GRISELDA" When I release you from the spell...") and in that state woos the princess, receives his orders to kill the three lords from Ravenhurst, and gets the key from Jean, but loses it back to the king. (GWENDOLYN: (Takes Key from Giacomo) I will keep it next to my heart, a sweet symbol of our love. Later, RODERICK: (after finding it) The key to the secret passage! Run away, would you?....This key will never leave my person.) Hawkins forgets all this once the spell is gone. (GRISELDA:..You will fall into a deep sleep and remember nothing." Later, Hawkins: "I fell asleep, I can't seem to remember...") Fergus gives him the basket with the baby, but before he can get it to safety, Hawkins is called before the king. He manages to distract the king and crowd from the basket with a well-received performance, (HAWKINS: (referring to the basket) Oh, it's nothing sir. Just a Jester's bag of tricks, sir." Before beginning "The Maladjusted Jester" number. After number, Audience laughs applauds without stopping for a very long time. An ill-recieved performance would not have that result. Again, fact not editorial.) and Jean rescues the basket. Griselda, meanwhile, poisons the three lords' cups to prevent the alliance. (both Jean sneaking off with the basket and Griselda dropping the poison in the cups are shown onscreen) Ravenhurst believes Hawkins killed them. (As they die, Ravenhurst congratulates Hawkins. "Brilliant...Fantastic. As you said, flowers for the widows.")

Griswold arrives, but Gwendolyn declares her love for "Giacomo", (GWENDOLYN: Save your breath, Griswold. There will be no alliance and no marriage...I cannot marry Griswold, Father. I love another...My beloved Giacomo!) and Hawkins is arrested and jailed. Ravenhurst learns that Giacomo never arrived (SIR BERTRAM: This man is not Giacomo. I know not this pretender but I assure you he is not the Giacomo I met and negotiated with in Europe.) and concludes that Hawkins, having 'sabotaged' the alliance, must be the Black Fox (RAVENHURST:Who is he and what does he want? Why would he do our every bidding? SIR LOCKSLEY: WHy would he work to destroy the alliance? RAVENHURST: Why would he murder with the cunning of a fox? A fox, but of course. A fox, a BLACK fox.). He convinces Roderick to rush Hawkins through the trials to become a knight so he can duel Griswold, ostensibly so Griswold can kill the jester but really so the Black Fox can eliminate Griswold. (RAVENHURST: Knight the jester. Later, RODERICK: They meet at tournament, Sir Griswold's lance runs the Jester through, and the marriage and alliance can proceed....Ravenhurst, take that nincompoop and knight that nincompoop by noon tomorrow." Earlier, Ravenhurst in private with his friends, RAVENHURST: "He'll rid us forever of the barbaric Griswold... Who is the only man alive who can best Griswold in mortal combat?")

Jean steals back the key, (The entire long scene where the king tries to woo her and she steals the key from his belt while claiming she carries a deadly disease to get him to leave her alone) and Fergus sends it by pigeon to the real Black Fox (JEAN: Let the Jester take it, they plan to kill him. FERGUS:He'll never get there in time. The bird's our only chance), but is caught and tortured to death by Ravenhurst's men ''(His release of the pigeon and his own capture is shown onscreen. Jean, earlier, tells Hawkins that if a spy is caught "They'll put you on the rack, crack your every bone, scald you with hot oil and remove the nails from your fingers with flaming hot pincers". Then, the captain of the guard later tells Ravenhurst CAPTAIN: Fergus is dead. RAVENHURST: Did he talk?" This may be the most controversial of my edits but I think it is safe to say he was tortured. If we want to be precise we can seay "Executed"). At the tournament, Griselda poisons one of the drinks and tells Hawkins which it is. (GRISELDA: The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle, the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true.) One of Griswold's men overhears and warns Griswold, (GRISWOLD'S SOLDIER: One of the drinks, one of them's poisoned. I overheard the witch.") and he and Hawkins both struggle to remember which of the glasses is poisoned (the famous "Vessel with the Pestle" routine) and end up not drinking the toast. Through sheer luck, (Lightning magnetizes his armor. Could be called even Providence instead of luck considering scientific odds the fantastic scientific odds any one person or thing will be hit by lightning.) Hawkins defeats Griswold in the duel, (Shown onscreen, the whole fight) but spares his life and sends him away. (GRISWOLD:Go on, sir knight. Slay me. You won in fair combat. Strike! ....HAWKINS: No! No, I cannot slay a man whose only crime was that he loved not too wisely, but too well. I grant your life. Take your men and go!)''.

Ravenhurst finds the baby (The guard tells him the child is in the castle and the basket is brought to him, shown onscreen, at the trial, Ravenhurst: "Bring forth the basket" and they do.) and exposes Hawkins as a traitor. (literally the term used. RAVENHURST: Seize this traitor!...I shall prove to you that this man who stands before us is neither Giacomo nor jester, but your deadly enemy, the leader of the rabble who have sworn to have your head, the black fox himself!" Later, " I tell you, the headsman's axe is too good for these traitors. They should be put on a spit and roasted like young boar!") However, the real Black Fox sends the midgets through the secret passage, and they rescue Hawkins, Jean, and the baby. (Both things shown onscreen. They cut the bonds and take Jean and the baby out of harms's way in the final fight.") Jean clubs the door guard and lets the Black Fox's army into the castle. (JEAN: (Seeing the approaching army) Our men! I must raise the gate!....(to guard) Lower the gate! GUARD: The gate is lowered! JEAN: No it isn't, look! (And when he looks hits him with a club and raises the gate) Threatened by Gwendolyn, (GWENDOLYN: If he dies, you die!) Griselda hypnotizes Hawkins to become a sword master (GRISELDA: Tails of lizards, ears of swine, chicken gizzards soaked in brine, on your feet be not afraid, you're the GREATEST with a blade!) and he duels Ravenhurst, though the spell is accidentally switched on and off several times. ''(Earlier, Griselda establishes that "A snap of the fingers can bring you out of the spell" and turn it back on again. This happens many times during the duel) Finally, Hawkins and Jean launch Ravenhurst from a catapult into the sea. (Again, shown directly onscreen. No room for debate)''.

Griswold returns with his army, ready to kill the rebels, (GRISWOLD: Surrender! Unhand the king! BLACK FOX: Never! GRISWOLD: Then die, a traitor to the crown!") but Hawkins shows him the purple pimpernel birthmark on the baby. Griswold kneels to the baby, as does everyone else, including Roderick. (the final scene of the film is literally hawkins showing the baby's backside to everyone and everyone seeing the purple flower mark and bowing down).

EEBuchanan (talk) 00:15, 14 December 2020 (UTC)