MovieChat Forums > The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) Discussion > Did you ever notice?

Did you ever notice?

posted 19 years ago by Makeitcount_meetmeattheclock
23 replies | jump to latest

Is it just me or does anyone ever notice Danny Kaye's ring on his pinky finger?
Because,I always thought it was his wedding band.Am I right or am I wrong?
If you know,please tell me.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] Makeitcount_meetmeattheclock 19 years ago

What are you talking about?

"I am a librarian."

[–] Natalia86 19 years ago

I noticed the ring too during his hospital/surgery daydream. The ring did look like a wedding band but I didn't think it was one because as you said it was on his pinky. I also noticed that it was on his right hand. So, I don't think it was his wedding ring as the width of a pinky and ring finger is quite different so a wedding ring designed for your ring finger probabaly wouldn't fit very well on your pinky. I'm not really sure about this though.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] mmarino 18 years ago

I don't think his sexual preference had anything to do with which hand or finger he wore his rings on. I have seen it as well and it was a bit more common back then. My uncle wore rings on both pinkies. And to reply a head of time. If my uncle harbored any homosexual feelings he kept them to himself. As for Mr. Kaye. The Rumors should stay that way since the man is not alive to defend himself. I could care less if he slept with ever man, woman and lama in Hollywood. He was a fantastic performer and a great humanitarian.

[–] mjbayles 18 years ago

There is no solid evidence that he was gay -- it's based on charges from Laurence Olivier's wife which have been discounted by serious historians. I think it's more that people tend to think that men who sing, dance and clown around must be sissies. Or men who play henpecked husbands, even to great comic (and financial) effect. It's just silly. I don't know why he's wearing a ring on his pinky -- people wear rings in various fingers for all kinds of reasons -- but I don't think it's code for anything about his sexuality.

[–] swinginoldielover 18 years ago

Is "Laurence Olivier's wife" Vivien Leigh?
Or are you refering to one of the other two?

Let me jump to my own conclusions --Honey Bear

[–] johnd70978 17 years ago

The "wife" in question was the late Joan Plowright. She suggested that she lost Laurence Olivier's affection to Danny Kaye. But enough of this. I want to hear more about Danny Kaye sleeping with a llama as mentioned in a previous posting. I just back from Peru and they're very protective of their llamas. Where did Danny get the llama he slept with? Was it a male or female llama? Are you sure it wasn't a guanaco?

[–] Lydia-11 17 years ago

Last time I checked Joan Plowright is still alive! ;)

[–] della_robbia 13 years ago

And if you notice he's still wearing it in his last appearance on the Cosby Show in 1986!

It's his wedding ring you ninnies!

[–] pt100 10 years ago

Yes, it probably is his wedding ring. He may have gained weight and moved it to the finger it fit best instead of getting it resized.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] timhoward1111 10 years ago

Why bring this up at all. Who cares if he was gay or not. I like Danny Kaye as an actor and I bet he was a pretty cool dude off screen as well. This is not and never should be an issue. He could sleep next to Lassie and I could care less.

This was a great movie and I could not care about his sexuality.
RIP Danny Kaye!

[–] gribfritz2 10 years ago

Who cares if he was gay or not.

The several people who are discussing it, apparently.

[–] Moni723 10 years ago

I heard recently in a radio show that it was his mother's wedding ring, who died when he was thirteen. Someone was nice enough to upload it on to youtube. It's called "the secret life of Danny Kaye documentary".

[–] greenbudgie 9 years ago

I noticed the ring on his little finger. Good to find out about it's history.

[–] psdhart 9 years ago

I did not notice it, you watched it too on bbc, ganglehog!

[–] greenbudgie 9 years ago

I was up bright and early to catch this one on BBC2, Saturday morning. I did notice the ring in one scene. It's on the little finger of Danny Kaye's left hand. I thought it unusual to see one there. I don't know if it has any special significance to wear a ring on that finger.

[–] psdhart 9 years ago

Too early for me lol (recorded it)
did you watch "Hans Christian Andersen" too?
I did notice the ring in that

[–] greenbudgie 9 years ago

I didn't get to see Hans Christian Anderson this time. I like the 'Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen' song and scene from that film. Danny Kaye must have worn that ring permanently. Out of respect for his mother it seems, from what was posted earlier in the thread.

[–] Midgegirl 8 years ago

Is it unusual for a man to wear a signet ring on his left pinky in America? Because that's the accepted "old school" place to wear it in Britain. I know several ex-boarding school, conservative types who do precisely that- bearing the family crest. And whilst I have no homophobic feelings at all, some of them are less liberal and would probably be taken aback at the idea that it was code for being gay.

They told me that a woman, if she has one, generally wears it on her left pinky too (it's often an 18th birthday gift), but if she later wears a wedding ring she'll move the signet ring to her right hand. The men I know in this case generally don't wear wedding rings.

[–] greenbudgie 8 years ago

Since noticing Danny Kaye wearing a ring on his little finger, I have noticed other male actors doing the same in other movies. So now, I don't find it so unusual as when I wrote earlier in the thread. And now I am pretty sure that there are no gay connotations in wearing rings that way. I admit that I was wondering.

I would think that wearing rings on both the marriage finger and the little finger, on the same hand, might be a bit too uncomfortable. They would get in each other's way. I think it's interesting to read a bit about ring-wearing habits.