When "Knock on Wood" begins, Jerry (Danny Kaye) is performing his ventriloquism act. However, when he mentions to the audience that he's engaged, something strange comes over him...he begins making bitter and disparaging remarks about his intended...through his dummy. It's as if the dummy is his alter-ego and something about Jerry hates this woman or the idea of marrying. It's apparently a recurring problem and Jerry's agent has had enough and insists that Jerry get therapy. So he takes him to Switzerland to see a top psychoanalyst. But what Jerry and his agent don't realize is that when Jerry's dummies were repaired, a spy stuck plans for a top secret airplane into each of them!
Jerry is expected back in London and the analyst does something odd--he assigns a lady therapist to work with him and she accompanies him to London. Once there, and before all the spy nonsense begins, he begins therapy and is 100% inappropriate with the therapist--spending his time analyzing her and acting very creepy towards her. And, as a therapist would do only in a movie, she eventually falls for this and begins talking out her issues regarding her dead fiance. Then, they begins to behave romantically towards each other! As a trained therapist, this REALLY bothered me...as everything about this 'therapy' was inappropriate and wrong. It also seemed to have little to do with the rest of the film.
Then, inexplicably, the story completely changes direction. Several spies sneak into Jerry's room to retrieve the secret plans and two of them are murdered! Soon, Jerry arrives and finds the bodies and screams for the police. When the police arrive, he acts very suspiciously and the police assume he is the killer. Soon everyone is trying to catch him...the police AND two rival groups of spies.
This is a very high energy film and at times it's pretty entertaining. But it also portrays a completely inappropriate relationship with Jerry and his lady therapist that is pretty grotesque AND at times a little of Kaye's shtick goes a long way. Subtle, he is not! Devoted fans of Kaye will probably love it...I just found it a bit tiresome after a while and wish the film had slowed down and spent more time on making the script less frenetic and more logical. There is a basic idea here that's interesting...but the film has too many flat moments and distractions to leave most viewers satisfied.
Jerry is expected back in London and the analyst does something odd--he assigns a lady therapist to work with him and she accompanies him to London. Once there, and before all the spy nonsense begins, he begins therapy and is 100% inappropriate with the therapist--spending his time analyzing her and acting very creepy towards her. And, as a therapist would do only in a movie, she eventually falls for this and begins talking out her issues regarding her dead fiance. Then, they begins to behave romantically towards each other! As a trained therapist, this REALLY bothered me...as everything about this 'therapy' was inappropriate and wrong. It also seemed to have little to do with the rest of the film.
Then, inexplicably, the story completely changes direction. Several spies sneak into Jerry's room to retrieve the secret plans and two of them are murdered! Soon, Jerry arrives and finds the bodies and screams for the police. When the police arrive, he acts very suspiciously and the police assume he is the killer. Soon everyone is trying to catch him...the police AND two rival groups of spies.
This is a very high energy film and at times it's pretty entertaining. But it also portrays a completely inappropriate relationship with Jerry and his lady therapist that is pretty grotesque AND at times a little of Kaye's shtick goes a long way. Subtle, he is not! Devoted fans of Kaye will probably love it...I just found it a bit tiresome after a while and wish the film had slowed down and spent more time on making the script less frenetic and more logical. There is a basic idea here that's interesting...but the film has too many flat moments and distractions to leave most viewers satisfied.