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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Yarnspinnerr
Week 2 of our road trip. Expect delays.
Please be considerate of the over 70 weekly participants and keep your stories to 100 words. Thank you.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100
YING’S THING
David Kaminsky pressed his nose against the soot-covered window of the Brooklyn tenement. Then, bowing his head, he studied his bar mitzvah reading. “This Saturday, I’ll be a man.”
“You’ll always be my baby. Someday, you’ll sing. You’ll dance. Now drink your milk.”
______
“She was so proud of me that day,” he told his wife as he stirred peapods and chicken in a mammoth wok. Light limned his red hair and his mother’s wedding band on his pinkie.
“She would be proud of you this day, too,” said Sylvia Kaye. “There’s no better chef in the universe than my Danny.”
*Ying’s Thing was the name Danny Kaye gave his Chinese kitchen. Who nu? 😉
This multi-talented performer was one of the mainstays of my childhood. I confess that I borrowed his given name for a character in my third novel AS ONE MUST, ONE CAN.
DANIEL KAMINSKY
Original Artwork © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
He was a good singer, and competent actor, but his comedic forays were just side-splitting. Thanx for another show-business history recollection. 🙂
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Dear Archon,
I adored him. So many ways to go with a story. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That was clever, Rochelle – the way you told us who he was
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Thank you, Neil. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Danny Kaye was part of my childhood too. For me, he and Hans Christian Andersen are interchangeable.
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Dear Jane,
He was part of my childhood, too. What a sweet face and such talent.? Thanks for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He did have a sweet face 🙂
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I remember listening to Danny Kaye singing ..’There once was an ugly duckling….’ many time over, being entertained and soothed.
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Dear Francine,
That was a sweet song. So many songs and expressions remind me of that dear man. Thank you for reading and commenting. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He was one of those performers who was truly multi-talented. His mind moved at a tremendous speed. I sometimes wondered how his mouth kept up with it but it did. Another good story based on history, Rochelle. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
I don’t know how he did what he did, but he did it so well. One of my all-time favorite personalities. Thank you for your kind words re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He was way after me time but I watched a few of his movies. Virginia Mayo was his Ginger Rogers.
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Way after your time? You missed out.
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I should have said before. All the good stuff was too early for me.
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He was one of the greats.
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Every year when I was a kid, the film “The Wizard of Oz would be broadcast, and Kaye would do the introduction.
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Dear James,
I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers him hosting The Wizard of Oz. I loved watching him dance down the Yellow Brick Road at the end.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That was sweet–both the story and the sentiment about the man. Loved “light limned” especially.
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Dear Karen,
Your comment makes me smile. Danny Kaye was what we call in Yiddish a “mensch.” A good person. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I love this. Who nu indeed that as well as singing, acting, comedy, this Jewish boy opened a Chinese Restaurant? Only you would find this out and share it!
Enjoy the rest of your road trip!
Lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
There were so many little known things about Danny Kaye to choose from. He was always one of my favorites. Thank you for your affirming comments as always.
Note: The road trip is going waaaaay tooooo fassst.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I had no idea about his cooking…
I can so well imagine. Vacations just fly, don’t they?
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I really didn’t know about the cooking either until I followed the research trail. 😉 It made me think of my dear old dad who loved cooking for crowds. Sigh…I miss them both.
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Amazing the stuff we find out when we take a little look.
I miss mine terribly, too. The 5-year anniversary is next month. Can’t believe the time…
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😘
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Love Danny Kaye. I get him confused sometimes with Dennis Day, who was famous for singing in Disney’s Johnny Appleseed cartoons. Also with Donald O’Connor, in Singin’ in the Rain.
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Dear Josh,
Shame on you. There was only one Danny Kaye. I sentence you to watch The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty and The Court Jester. Thanks for stopping by. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A wonderful singer. I hear a piece by him every now and then on WOBO FM 88.7, our local Public Radio station. Didn’t know much about him as a man. Loved your story. Now, off to create some mayhem of my own…. BTW, today is the Anniversary of when I wrote my first story for this group back in the near beginnings… I was at blogspot at the time, and you got me hooked over here to wordpress… ah, good mems indeed!
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Dear Jelli,
I, too, started out with Blogspot. Not nearly as user friendly as WordPress. 😉 As I write, today is the exact date I posted my first FF story. April 12, 2012.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I think I was a bit off on dates. I joined up right as you were starting up on wordpress. Fond memories, all! 🙂 ❤
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Shalom,
Honored. Glad this prompt provoked memories of a extremely talented man.
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Dear YS,
Never know where a prompt will take me. Thank you.
Salaam,
Rochelle
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I grew up with Danny Kaye in my ears, seemed he was never off the radio. That’s such a good portrait too, Rochelle.
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Dear Sandra,
I did love Danny Kaye. Although the portrait is a character in my book. 😉 Admittedly, Danny Kaye was one of my models and Mel Brooks was the other. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We watched White Christmas over the festive season this year. They don’t make ’em like that anymore – the movie, or Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.
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Dear Iain,
They don’t make movies or movie stars like that anymore. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Danny Kaye was quite the comedic genius. Such a multi-talented man. Nice story.
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Dear Trent,
Danny Kaye was absolutely a genius, although his wife, Sylvia, should get credit for writing some of those crazy songs with a hundred words per minute. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Really? A Chinese restaurant? How typical of the funny, quirky Danny Kaye who had me on floor in hysterics on many occasions when I was a child.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Dear Susan,
From what I’ve read, Danny Kaye was a master Chinese chef, amongst other endeavors he excelled at. Loved him as a child.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is such a lovely, domestic scene in the kitchen – coupled with him as a child, his head filled with excitement for his bar mitzvah. I had no idea he was Jewish or that he was a great cook – such gems you share with us, Rochelle. Isn’t amazing how many famous Americans of past eras were from Eastern Europe and felt the need (or were persuaded) to change their names in order to make it. Kind of sad, too though, having to disguise your cultural heritage to make yourself more acceptable to the public. Things have changed, thankfully.
Thanks for the reminder of the talented Mr Kaye – Hans Christian Andersen, Walter Mitty, White Christmas, I remember him in them all.
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Dear Lynn,
Hollywood was so different back in the day, wasn’t it? So many names changed such as Eugene Orowitz, also known as Michael Landon and Bernie Schwartz who later became well known as Tony Curtis. Kirk Douglas started life as Issur Danielovitch. (Wonder if he would’ve achieved the same level of celebrity.)
I think I knew that Danny Kaye was Jewish. At any rate, he was one of my childhood heroes. 😀 Thank you as always for your lovely comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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And it’s happened more recently too – would Ramon Estevez have achieved the same fame back in the 1960s if he hadn’t changed his name to Martin Sheen? Thank goodness people can be themselves now. Always a pleasure 🙂
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Dear Rochelle
How very real you make it, when you have him treasure his mother’s pride. And you echo the sentiment by describing his mother’s wedding band on his pinkie finger. Lovely writing!
Shalom
Penny
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Dear Penny,
I’m glad you caught that. It was a squeeze to get his mother’s wedding ring in. According to accounts I read, he did wear it on his pinkie. Thank you very much.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I grew up with Danny Kaye too. Though, I confess I never knew he owned a Chinese restaurant. The man was hilarious. I loved his movies. I can still remember his messing up, “This pistle with pestle has the brew that is true…” I laughed so hard, I had difficulty breathing. 😀
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Dear Eric,
He was definitely a household name for us. I only just learned about the Chinese restaurant and had to share it. 😉 Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Clever story, Rochelle, working in the cooking angle. Danny Kaye was an original, I never knew he liked to cook and to that extent. Funny thing, in the 70’s, in Sacramento, I took cooking classes as a way to meet women, Chinese and Italian also, so that cracked me up. I took quite a few Chinese classes and for one was a young man by the name of Martin Yan. That was some class.
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Dear Ted,
The cooking aspect really interested me because my dad, also a NY Jew from Brooklyn, was also a professional cook. He introduced me to Chinese food at an early age and I’ve always loved it. One of my jobs as a young married was at a local Chinese restaurant. So? Do you do much cooking these days? And…thank you. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I didn’t know who Danny Kaye was, but you’ve definitely piqued my interest with your story!
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Dear Magarisa,
You can find his movies on You Tube and some of his TV show from the 1960’s. You’re in for a treat. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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One of my favourite entertainers from my childhood. He always made me smile
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Dear Pensivity,
There’s only been one Danny Kaye. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He was a gem. Sadly missed, even after all this time.
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I love Danny Kaye on the screen but I didn’t know any of these things about him. Wonderful story Rochelle, truly heart-warming.
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Dear Jen,
It was hard not to love the man, wasn’t it? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Katarzyna (the E.T.) W(T)F,
I would have never guessed he was into cooking Chinese food.
I suspect you’ll have quite a collection of Do-Not-Remove tags by the time you return from your road trip. Crossing state lines with them makes it a Federal offense. Just sayin’ . . .
Detective Lowry
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Dear Detective Lowry,
I put all those tags in my invisible box. But you didn’t get that from me. You’ll never find them.
On the planet Juniper we love us some Danny Kaye. We phone his movies home. Thanks for flying by.
Nanu Nanu,
Katarzyna (the E.T.) W(T)F
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I enjoyed this tribute to Danny Kaye, even more so because he had slipped out of my memory.
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Dear Mike,
Happy to refresh your memory. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So telling were the those times when stars last names changes.Nothing to ethnic.. i.e. Dean Martin.. Simple era but much wasn’t talked about. Maybe we have too much information now…I seem to remember him along side Bing:)
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Dear Raymond,
White Christmas starred Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. So many names changed. But I have to wonder if Issur Danielovitch would’ve achieved the same celebrity as Kirk Douglas….today perhaps. 😉 Or would we remember Emanuel Goldenberg? (Edward G, Robinson.)
Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow now those are some name! Edward G. Robinson.. what an icon. Can’t help but think of the Bugs Bunny cartoon depiction. “Gonna rub you out see” https://youtu.be/Ed1ofgp0Y9I
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he must have a good heart as well. anybody who loves to cook almost always does.
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Dear Plaridel,
My dad made his living cooking. A good heart indeed. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Danny Kaye! I grew up watching his antics. But these pictures and your story have reminded me how handsome he was, and funny, and smart. I never knew he’d changed his name. Lovely.
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Dear Lish,
He was handsome, wasn’t he? I think it was something we didn’t particularly notice since he so willingly and skillfully played the clown. A minor character in my third novel is named Daniel Kaminsky (not an uncommon name). The character is a shopkeeper who loves to tell stories and loves children. Hm. 😉 And maybe my portrait of the fictitious character resembles the real man. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It does resemble him. 😉
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Another great historical nugget from you Rochelle. I must confess I’ve never seen or heard anything by Danny Kaye, though I’ve fleetingly heard of him.
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Dear Anurag,
Different ages, different countries. 😉 I’m happy to share one of my favorite people with you. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You are so clever, Rochelle…how he made me laugh !!!…
“The pellet with the poison’s in the flagon with the dragon! The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true! “.. the chalice at the palace…and so on …truly a court jester…
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Dearest Valerie,
He was a delightful court jester, wasn’t he? I don’t know that he did anything that wasn’t wonderful. I adored him.
Thank you for such a lovely comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such an immensely, phenomenally, talented man, such an inspiration for talented men and women who dare to dream, despite their life situations. Such a wonderful tribute! Thank you, Rochelle for sharing Kaye’s story, and for sharing the link so I could learn more. I admire how you bring past to life with your writing.
Love and a happy 2nd week of the road trip ,
Moon
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Dear Moon,
Your comments make me grin. Thank you so much. 😀
I can’t believe there’s only one more week of our trip. So far it’s been mostly wonderful.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He was a chef too? To me he’ll always be the Court Jester 🙂
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Dear Ali,
Apparently he was the true man for all seasons. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi Rochelle,
Great reminder of a great man. He made me laugh too throughout my childhood and beyond and some of his lines, such as the one Valerie quoted, still stay with me today. And some of his characters like Walter Mitty were just wonderful. I didn’t know that he cooked however – you always have some wonderful little known morsels about the people you highlight.
Have a wonderful road trip. Cheers Irene
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Dear Irene,
I love it when the research trail leads to some lesser known nuggets about famous people. Great fun and even more fun to share. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The small little deft touches that are the hallmark of your historical fiction writings are simply out of this world, pun intended. It’s always a learning and a pleasure to read you, Rochelle.
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Dear Neel,
By the same token, your comments are always a pleasure. Thank you so much.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great name for a Chinese kitchen – and I could almost smell that stri-fry!
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I’ll pass the chopsticks, Liz. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Nice trip down memory lane. Really enjoyed listening to the tribute. Duets like that are so tender and memorable – and it’s a shame that it’s such a dead venue. I think of “Baby, It’s cold outside” – one of my favorites.Thanks for the links. Nice reading and remembering Kaye’s history. He gives off such a warm and caring aura. Loving man.
Randy
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Dear Randy,
I hadn’t really thought about duets, but I do remember a few on my parents’ 45’s. Doris Day and Donald O’Connor come to mind. Loved “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” I miss Danny Kaye. Thank you for joining me on Memory Lane.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Nice one Rochelle. Danny Kaye was chef too? Learn something new each time I read these stories of yours Rochelle. And I’ll pay you back with a Danny Kaye recipe https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/12/archives/danny-kaye-master-of-wit-is-also-master-of-chinese-cooking.html
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Dear Subroto,
Yes, I caught that link when I was writing the story. Thank you. Glad you liked it. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You are welcome. Could I nudge you to take some time to read my a to z challenge where I am doing poetry for this month? http://subrotopant.blogspot.com/2018/04/a2z-challenge.html
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Your stories are always fascinating. I didn’t know Danny Kay had a Chinese kitchen!
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Dear Clare,
I’m always happy to share lesser known facts when I find them. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I loved Danny Kaye. Versatile, multi-talented, funny, amazing dancer—AND now I learn he was a chef, too. Amazing man.
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Dear Linda,
He was, indeed, amazing. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He was wonderful. Thanks for reminding about him. They broke the mould when they made Danny Kaye.
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Dear Jilly,
He was one of a kind. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A great story. Loved Danny Kaye in The Kid from Brooklyn. I must watch more of his stuff at some stage.
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Dear Lisa,
He was wonderful. So much of his work is on You Tube. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I loved Danny Kaye when I was a kid. And “The Court Jester” was brilliant.
“Get it”
“Got it!”
“Good!”
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Fandango. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very cleverly done Rochelle.
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Thank you, Louise. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Informative and well done as always.
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Thank you, Connie.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely flash, Rochelle. I also have fond memories of Danny Kaye. He came across as such a nice person.
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Dear Luccia,
From what I read, he was as he came across–kind and caring. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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There is so much love in this, from mum, then wife, and being shared around with Danny – a really heart-warming tale.
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Thank you so much, Sarah Ann, 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow, I learn so much from your lovely posts. A beautiful story of family. Watching White Christmas is a tradition for our family every year. He was a superb entertainer, and certainly could dance and sing! =)
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Dear Brenda,
He was most definitely part of my childhood. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a sweet-and surprising-story, Rochelle. To learn that Danny Kaye had a chinese restaurant… Some of his movies were on our TV when I was a kid, I alsways loved them. He was a very funny guy.
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Dear Gabi,
It makes me happy that Mr. Kaye’s talents were shared around the world. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The most interesting things we learn about celebrities are often the things that make them more ‘normal.’ This serves as a good reminder that there is a lot more to the real person than meets the eye. This was lovely 🙂
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Dear Mumpoet,
I think celebrities are more normal than many care to admit. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Who nu? Ahaha…perfect!
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😀 Thank you, Dawn.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
Thank you for another of your fascinating stories. I was so interested to learn more about Danny Kaye and the video was delightful. It brought back many memories and a tear to my eye!
Best wishes
Edith
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Dear Edith,
Your comment makes me smile. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A great read! First time here but would like to stay for Friday Fictioneer. Thanks for hosting it every Friday 🙂 My first contribution is https://trailbrooklane.blogspot.com/
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Dear Evergreen,
Thank you for reading and commenting on my story. 😀 Welcome to Friday Fictioneers.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely story, such warm emotions in this one.
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Thank you so much, Laurie. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’ve learned something new as I always do. I must say I read Chinese kitchen as Chinese kitten at first and had a whole moment of wondering whether it should be Siamese kitten. Fortunately, I re-read before I got myself too mixed up.
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Dear Michael,
I can see where Chinese kitten would be confusing. 😉 I’m glad you re-read. But I’m sure your comment would’ve been a classic. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Danny Kaye was one of my favorites growing up too. You are truly a wealth of knowledge.
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Dear Susan,
I’m not sure it’s a wealth of knowledge so much as a knack for digging up trivia. 😉 I adored Danny Kaye. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He is handsome! A comedian and a cook too hmmm what else could one ask for? 😉 Thanks Rochelle for this lovely little snippet 🙂 hope you are having fun!
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Dear Dahlia,
Talk about late replying to a comment. I’m glad you enjoyed my little Danny Kaye piece. I adored him as a child. He was so funny, I don’t remember realizing what a handsome man he was until later in life. (Had a great vacation in April, too. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I read the name and started pounding my brain at the familiarity. Danny Kaye. That smile of his was contagious. I will always remember the scene in White Christmas where he has to keep the General away from the TV. Thank you, Rochelle.
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Dear Sascha,
Please forgive the late reply. You’re comment came while we were on the road. Didn’t want to think you were ignored. Danny Kaye was amazing, wasn’t he? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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No problems, Rochelle. I’m afraid I’m answering a lot of comments late right now. Life just intervenes sometimes. 🙂
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Thanks for the grace, Sascha. I mean 2 months is pretty tardy. 😉
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I think this is why the phrase “better late than never” exists. 😀
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Danny kaye was my top idol growing up.
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Dear Britlight,
A very belated (2 months) thank you for you comment. Danny Kaye was certainly one of my top idols, too. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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