1950 saw Danny going to Canada and becoming the first solo performer to star at the Canadian National Exhibition, where he sold out the 24,000-seat stadium for each of his 14 performances. No matter where he went people wanted to see him in droves. Described as one of the most charismatic comedians of the time, Danny Kaye did it all, and did it with charm. He was an engaging novelty singer, a believable comic actor and performed slapstick and face-making with enough puckish whimsy to even amuse sophisticates. Unlike his contemporaries, Bob Hope and Red Skelton, Danny was not afraid to show his underlying sensitivity and intelligence, two traits that made him a favorite among critics who rarely praised comedians.
A lot of his manerisms and charm came from his characteristic personality in movies which was "manic-embalmed." As a professor, a milkman, or a lazy dreamer, he was meek, pleasant and vulnerably somber over his ineptness or failures. Then, in crisis, he'd become bright, bold and vibrant, saving the day with slick comic grace and heroism. Since Danny was already one of the most popular entertainers, Hollywood spared no expense in creating movies that would best showcase his talents. . . . well, for the most part. . .
Alas, in 1948, a reluctant Danny stars in "A Song is Born" featuring Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Lionel Hampton. This film was not considered a success at the box office and it should be noted that this was the first film that Kaye did not perform Sylvia's material (thus his reluctancy).
The next year, Danny stared in his first Warner Brothers film, "The Inspector General". Fine's contributions to the film include "The Gypsy Drinking Song" and "Soliloquy for Three Heads". This movie was not very successful either and the Kayes ended their contract with Warner Brothers and signed with 20th Century Fox.
In the following years, Danny starred in two movies that are some of the most-replayed movies on television, namely 1952's "Hans Christian Anderson" and 1954's "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby. Embarking on the somewhat controversial "Hans Christian Andersen", this movie had undergone 16 different screenplays over a period of 15 years, and protests in the Danish press about the choice of Danny to play their national hero. The film, with a final screenplay by Moss Hart, became a huge money-maker and an international success, later to be repeated on television annually alongside the second-most re-televised movie of all time, "The Wizard of Oz." Frank Loesser's score produced several appealing songs, including "No Two People", "Anywhere I Wander", "Inchworm", "Thumbelina", "The Ugly Duckling" and "Wonderful Copenhagen", the latter reaching the UK Top 5 most popular song of the year.

Politically, Danny didn't actually play it safe. Inclined towards the social responsibility left, he protested the House Un-American Activities Committee harassment of progressive Hollywood artists. But when the Hearst press went after Danny¼s group, The Committee for the First Amendment, which included Gene Kelley, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall, as a "pinko commie front," Danny retreated, but only at the urgency of his wife and close friends. In time, the Joseph McCarthy-driven group was shown for what they were and the threat was gone.
Still a strong advocate for social responsibility, in 1954 Danny began his long-standing association with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), and that same year won a special Academy Award for his humanitarian work. Danny was named Ambassador-at-Large for UNICEF and his visits to underprivileged children in other countries.

In his efforts to raise funds, Danny would host dinner parties for his friends at home, personally cooking them wonderful gourmet meals in one of his two state-of-the-art restaurant-sized kitchens.
Danny had been long known for his expertise as a chinese chef, picking up recipies and gourmet knowledge in his 20s when travelling the Orient. One story indicates that the Greek shipping magnate, Stavros Niarchos, after sampling Danny's cooking, offered him a job as his personal chef. Unfortunately (or forrtunately) Danny had just been offered a starring role in the musical "Two by Two", said no. Danny's specialty was Chinese and Italian cuisine, but he gained most recognition for his rendering of many classic Chinese dishes like Roast Duck with Orange Sauce, Lion's Head, Chinese Stir-Fry Oysters with Shrimp, Chinese Poached Chicken, and Chinese Chicken Salad (to see some of the recipies, CLICK HERE). The poached chicken was a favorite of PBS chef and author, Jacques Pepin, who still uses the recipe, and is still impressed by how moist the chicken is. Pepin believed that Danny's skill in the kitchen was on par with any professional chef. French chefs Paul Bocuse and Roger Verger have claimed that the best restaurant in California was Danny Kaye's house. They, along with folks like Henry Kissinger, Pavarotti, and Beverly Sills.
His love of cooking didn't stop at home. He had a similar kitchen installed on the CBS lot at Television City when he was taping The Danny Kaye Show, just so he could continue to indulge his passion for cooking and entertaining. He would serve his Chinese food at a large round table for nine. Guests frequently included Hollywood royalty like Cary Grant and Shirley Maclaine, as well as real royals like Prince Philip, and the Queen of Holland. Apparently, 'royal' status did not make you immune to his chauvinism. Rumour had it that at one dinner, because his beliefs included that women at the dinner table should serve the men, he pressed the Queen of Holland into serving several courses alongside Sylvia.
Apart from the chauvinism, his general behavior toward guests could be a little strange. For example, for Kaye, the kitchen was like a theatre. He would seat his guests in front of the stove so they could watch him cook for them. However, conversation was not encouraged, especially with him. If you tried to engage him in conversation he was quite likely to turn on you saying, "Did you come here to eat or to talk?" Being prompt was important. If you arrived late you might find, as one invited guest did, a note pinned to Danny's locked front door reading, "F_ _ _ you! You're late!"
The food he prepared, no doubt, made it all worth it. After all, this was someone who would spend his leisure time cooking alongside his chef friends in their hot, noisey, restaurant kitchens in London, St. Moritz, Paris, the South of France, and San Francisco. He was constantly developing his skills as a chef, and the proof, as food critic Ruth Reichl once found out, was in the eating. As recounted in her book, Comfort Me with Apples, Reichl remembers dining at his home once and enjoying an extraordinary meal prepared using hand-made cleavers and giant woks. The supper included a clear soup flavoured with lemon grass, slices of fresh liver with onions, ("like little pillows of velvet between satin slivers of onion, and so sweet it was as if it had been dusted with sugar.") home-made noodles in a lemon cream sauce, followed by a "high, light, rich and eggy" lemon souffle. The period, or exclamation point to the meal was a rich espresso.

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