Stanislavsky (From "The Court Jester") - Danny Kaye

Who is the world’s greatest actor?

And how did I get that way?

Who made me a genius, the greatest projector

Who ever wore a toupee?

Who made me most miserable Hamlet

The deadest Romeo who died for his bride?

Who made me most awful Dr. Jekyll?

And then made me Hyde?

Stanislavsky!

Stanislavsky of the Moskia Theater

Stanislavsky, a director from the heart!

I will never forget the day I first meet the great master

He took me by the hand

And beat my head against the wall!

And in one word

In one word he told me the secret

Of the great Stanislavsky Method:

Suffer!

That’s all

Suffer!

You must live before you give!

Suffer!

You must ache before you make!

Suffer!

You must think before you stink!

Suffer!

Suffer!

Suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer!

Suffer, and the audience suffers with you

Stanislavsky!

Stanis…

I will never forget the day

They give me first part to play

I’m supposed to play part of sailor

But first I must suffer!

What I’m going to do?

I join navy, become sailor

First day out, big storm!

At first I was afraid I was going to die!

Then I was afraid I wasn’t going to die!

But I suffered!

I came back to Moskva

And in this part I was wow!

Here is what the great critic, Georginya Sasha Vladimir Nathan say:

«Just like in America, three and a half stars»

So if you want career on stage

You mustn’t dream of merely acting

Use the Stanislavsky Method

Of Mental Chiropractic

Be a tree, be a sled

Be a fearful spool of thread

Be a storm, a piece of lace

A subway train, an empty space

Take it fast, take it slow

Hello Moe, hello Joe

I just got back from a wonderful show!

Stanislavsky!

Stanis…

I will never forget the day

Louella Harper said I stink

I was playing part of stable boy

It was in great Russian tragedy

It was beautiful

Everybody died

I also play part in great Chekhov comedy

Everybody died

But they died happy!

This makes it funny

But I will never forget the day of my greatest triumph

I was playing part of antique mahogany bureau

So convincing in the third act

My drawers fell out

And who is the man who loosened my screws?

Who pulled me all apart?

Stanislavsky!

Stanislavsky of the Moskia!