Monday, April 15, 2013

DANNY KAYE: A DAUGHTER'S POINT OF VIEW

Here is a great story that Danny Kaye's only child, Dena, wrote about her father...



Her Heart Belongs to Daddy: A Daughter Reminisces
By Dena Kaye

Imagine Robin Williams, Tommy Tune and Tony Bennett all on the same stage, at the same time, and you'll have an idea of what it was like to see Danny Kaye perform solo. Kaye, who died in 1987, had his heyday in the forties and fifties - on the stage (he got his big break in 'Lady in the Dark' in 1940) and in the movies ('The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', 'The Inspector General', 'The Court Jester', 'White Christmas', to name a few).

Danny Kaye could do anything: dance like a dream, sing liltingly and wittily (his specialties were the musical tongue twisters written by his wife and chief collaborator, Sylvia Fine) and act in both dramas and comedies. He was a man of protean talents, awesome energy and myriad interests, from conducting music to cooking.

For more that thirty years, while he traveled as UNICEF's first goodwill ambassador (he once visited 65 cities in five days), he was considered a father figure to the world's children. But in truth he had only one child: his daughter, Dena. She has rarely written about her famous father - and never so intimately as she has for this issue.

I was six years old the first time I saw my father perform live in a theater. I can still see myself sitting in the third row of the orchestra. From the stage, my father called out to me, "Are you having a good time, sweetheart?" I emitted a faint and hesitant "yes." A little while he asked me again, and then again. Each time my "yes" got more and more tremulous. After the show, I ran into his dressing room, threw myself into his arms and said, between sobs and gulps, "I don't want anybody laughing at my daddy."


How could I have known at such a tender age that laughter was the gift he gave to the world? It wasn't until years later that I would find myself doubled over, my ribs aching with glee, my spirit light as air. I loved what Walter Winchell once wrote about my father in a movie review; "Ushers might be knocked to the ground by people rolling in the aisles." Making people laugh, though, was only part of his repertoire. In his own profession, a word he used with great pride, he was an actor who danced (just think, he performed Fred Astaire's role in 'White Christmas'), a dancer who sang and a mimic who brought tears to your eyes. He had style and grace. He was elegant even when he was zany. His gymnastic face expressed every emotion. The great pianist, Artur Rubenstein noted, "As with Chaplin, I am not so much amused as I am moved."

Unlike anyone else I can think of, my father had a breathtaking assortment of talents. His roles ranged from a concentration-camp survivor in 'Skokie' to the title character in 'Hans Christian Anderson'. He enunciated to perfection the furiously fast and complex lyrics written by my mother, Sylvia Fine, and invented a gibberish of onomatopoeia - interspersed with the odd real word - whose meaning was somehow absolutely clear. "Danny accepted no boundaries," Harry Belafonte, a fellow UNICEF ambassador, once said. "That's the highest form of creative energy." His gifts were showcased in equally diverse venues: on Broadway, in nightclubs, in movies, on television and in his one-man show in theaters. He was a charter member of the pantheon of consummate communicators who made a beeline for your soul. While you were in Danny Kaye's presence, he held you in the palm of his hand. And to me, his hands were his signature, a ballet unto themselves, an eloquent accessory to whatever he did. Mikhail Baryshnikov called them "regal and magnetic".


"I had to become an entertainer," my father once said, "because, maybe, that was the fundamental way I could express myself." Fundamental, yes, but I marvel at the other outlets for his creativity. Baseball-team owner (part-owner of the Seattle Mariners), conductor (more than fifty orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw), commercial-rated jet pilot and chef extraordinaire, he was Walter Mitty. I never heard him say, "I wish I had done…" A high-school dropout propelled by his own curiosity and restlessness, he was hands-on and knee deep in anything he did. It's one of his qualities I admired most. This intensity, combined with his commitment to excellence, made him an expert in whatever he set out to do. To learn how to cook Chinese food, he chopped and chowed with a master chef in San Franscisco, read Chinese cookbooks as though they were novels and built a Chinese kitchen in the alley behind our house. I'll never forget the time when three of France's most famous chefs came for a Chinese meal. "Why should I be nervous?" my father asked, anticipating the obvious question. "What do they know about Chinese food?"

"You could ask anything of him," said one screenwriter. "The more difficult, the more fun he had." He took fencing lessons for one scene in the movie 'The Court Jester' and became so proficient that the instructor had to stand in for the other actor. A lifelong baseball (translation: Dodger) fan, he was already fluent in all aspects of the game, from the dugout to the corporate office, when he himself became a team co-owner in the late seventies. He participated fully. "I'm crazy about what I do," he'd say. "When I'm conducting, I think that's my favourite; when I fly an airplane, that's what I like best; and when I travel for UNICEF, that satisfies me the most." My father never did anything for show: he did whatever he did because he was profoundly interested in it.

That same truth motivated his giving nature - on the world scene and in his friendships. He was there for his friends. And for me. As I grew up, left the nest and became a journalist and world traveler, he always listened carefully, offered his opinion (he gave me advice on everything from interviewing techniques to affairs of the heart) and then let me find my own way. He never insinuated his own agenda into my life. Had I announced out of the blue that I was moving to the outback to raise sheep, he would have said, "Great, when can I come visit" He entertained troops and conducted major symphony orchestras the world over to raise millions for the Musician's Pension Fund, never taking, or expecting, a fee. He couldn't read a note of music and learnt his entire program by ear. He sang the music cues for the orchestra. Violinist Itzhak Perlman once said, "He gets a better sound out of the orchestra than most conductors." My father's best-known role outside his profession was UNICEF's ambassador to the world's children, a position he held from 1954 until the end of his life and which popularized the idea of using celebrities to drawn attention to worthwhile charities. In fact, he was asked to accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of UNICEF in 1965, and he received his two Oscars for his humanitarian work. Among his greatest gifts, I think, was his ability to enter completely into whatever world he was in. He related to children with a child's lack of inhibition. From Japan to India to Africa, there was no language barrier. He rolled on the floor, he rubbed noses, he danced, he sang kid's songs, he made funny noises. "Children," he said, "recognize instinctively what is true and what is not."


It pleased my father to share his interests and rediscover things he liked through someone else's eyes. Under his expansive wing, I learned about everything from the merits of delicatessen mustard to the wonders of the Old City of Jerusalem. He traveled in his comfortable (not necessarily stylish) uniform of jeans, Izon shirt, leather jacket, brimmed hat and custom-made shoes (he eschewed conventional ones because he rightly observed they had little to do with the real shape of the foot). He took me into a world where in the course of a morning we would go from a high-level briefing to a one-table restaurant on a dirt road. He was at ease in wildly different circumstances. I admired - and learned from - that.

To my mind, one of his unusual virtues was that he had high standards, but he wasn't a snob. He was born in East New York, a Brooklyn neighbourhood whose residents were of mixed backgrounds, cultures and religions. "Everyone born here liked a person for who he was," he said, "not for where he came from or who his parents were." If my father found someone interesting, he or she was on his list. The world of networking for any reason, professional or otherwise, was unknown to him. He didn't travel with an entourage. He liked good caviar and Kentucky Fried Chicken equally. Boxed into a corner about something he thought was unnecessary, unreasonable or just against his principles, however, he sorted it out "a la Danny Kaye."

We used to joke about his taking his 'charm pills' before he went to cocktail parties and receptions. He hated social small talk for the same reason he hated five-minute interviews: he felt nothing could be discussed meaningfully. In one case, he walked into a reception, relieved the waitress of a large tray of hors d'oeuvres, made his way around the room serving astonished guests until the tray was empty, and left. Even at home he would make a moment unmistakably his. One day he came back from playing golf, and before he had the chance to put down his car keys, my mother said, "Darling, it's so nice out. Why don't you take a jump in the pool?" Without missing a beat, he just kept right on walking and did - golf clothes, beautiful suede jacket, car keys and all.

He often held to his credos rigidly. His dedication to - you might say obsession with - promptness was well known. "I'd rather be an hour early," he'd say, "than five minutes late." Typically, he'd spend all day shopping and preparing for dinner. Those renowned Chinese meals required two days. If you were late, you might never be invited again. He respected other people's time and felt that other's lateness showed a lack for his time. "People said he was difficult," says Suzanne Hertfelder, his longtime personal assistant. "What is difficult about expecting 100 per cent if you give 100 per cent?"

I miss him 100 per cent. I miss his Key lime pie, the aroma of his Tweed cologne and his joy at whatever he did. Honestly? I miss just about everything...


SOURCE

36 comments:

  1. Wonderful. Thanks for the share.

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  2. Danny Kaye was magic. He could make you feel anything is possible. He was a true artist, he was poetry in motion. I also miss him 100 per cent, although I never met him. I think of hom when I'm gloomy and he unfailingly cheers me up.

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  3. He was and is my favourite. Growing up I found that some artists didn't appeal to me as they did when I was a child, but that was never the case with Danny Kaye. He was a stand out.

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  4. What is difficult about expecting 100 per cent if you give 200 per cent and pure pure love?

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  5. I fell in love with Danny as a teenager watching him live at the London Palladium. I saw every film he made and I gave birth to my son [ 2 weeks early] in 1956 the day after seeing him in 'Up in arms', I always said it was because of how much I'd laughed.
    Thank you for the beautiful article by Dena, a fitting tribute to beautiful man.

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  6. I couldn't sleep last night and awoke at 2 am. I clicked on the television and what should be on but the the Inspector General! I was so astonished by Danny Kaye's stunning fencing skills that I ended up reading about it on the internet --which led me ultimately to this article. It reminded me of how much joy Kaye brought into my childhood. I am 61 now and I felt such melancholia at recalling his movie Hans Christian Anderson. Can you imagine, after all these years! Thank you for the wonderful article.

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  7. I am sitting here at 85 years old. I was depressed until I looked up my I Pad while I was watching Hans Christian Anderson. It made me so happy reading about Danny Kaye. I saw a lot of his films and enjoyed them so much. He was a wonderful person. Making so many people happy, such a great gift.

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    1. Can you get JLTV? His show is pure gold. I'm in love and I'm only 50!

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    2. He was the best actor ever, his movies are still the best .

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  8. I'm in love. I was upset at first when JLTV replaced Dinah Shore's show with Danny Kaye's, but then I began to watch. Before I knew it, I was laughing with tears in my eyes. His innocence warmed my heart and I especially wanted to take his character of Jerome into my arms and assure him that at least one person was on his side. I love how confident he is when he marches out from stage left and right up to the camera ready to do business! I don't always get to enjoy his singing, though as my husband likes to fast forward and get to the funny stuff. I go back at later time and settle on the couch with my favorite throw and a cat or two on my lap. I sigh as I let myself get lost in yesteryear with Mr. Kamenski. He is so graceful and charming that I could spend hours in his company. Side story now, I have stage 4 B cell non-hodgekins lymphoma. It is incurable, but because the tumor has shrunk, the government deems that I'm ready to go back to work. They yanked my benefits to even without even looking at my records to see that I'm under the care of another doctor for the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Damage has been done and I no longer have SSDI or Medicare. But yet I'm supposedly ready to go back to work. Lovely depression sets in as I now wait for them to get new records from my doctors and reevaluate my case. Lightning speed, uh-huh, shall I hold my breath? But anyway back to the red-headed Adonis. Another side trip, every time I am faced with a a dilemma God places a person or animal in my life to help me cope and this time it's Danny Kaye! I love visiting with him at my leisure, his handsome face contorting his emotions. He makes me laugh and smile. Something I haven't done in awhile. Also, he has inspired a character in a novel I have been trying to write since 2013. It may actually get finished by Christmas and funny thing about it IS about Christmas, so there is hope! For those that have suffered through this, thank you. I covet your prayers and positive thoughts as this is resolved. In the meantime, I humbly kneel at the feet of the ginger-haired jester and thank him for his kind spirit and the laughs. You've certainly won me over. As I said before; I'm in love...sigh!

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    1. I was so moved by your story, I had tears well up in my eyes. I am so glad that Danny Kaye had brought so much joy into your life. I hope and pray that he continues to help you through any and all of the dark times and keeps you company through the good. Best wishes from another Danny Kaye fan. ❤️

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    2. Carol, It's a 2022 and I wonder if your book was ever published. I loved reading your story here. I hope you beat cancer. It took my mother 14 years ago. I hope you're still with us. God bless you. If you are no longer with us, God rest your soul. I'm sure you've already gotten to meet Danny Kaye in heaven.❤️

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  9. I was watching Danny Kaye in White Christmas and it made me think of how much his movies over the years have meant to my family. My son was born with cystic fibrosis he was in the hospital a lot and we introduced him to Danny Kaye movies, I have never heard my son laugh so much, he loved Danny Kaye when he would talk to his friends, they would wonder who he was talking about it's sad to think that some people have never seen a Danny Kaye movie! He was incredible and what's so beautiful is that even watching them today he brings so much joy and laughter to so many people I just want to thank you for your article thank you for sharing about your dad just wanted you to know the greatest present anyone could give someone is the gift of laughter. I thank God for the gift of Danny Kaye

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  10. I grew up loving your father.

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  11. Me too. My parents took me to see him perform at the Carter Baron Ampitheatre in Washington D.C. At the end of the show he invited the children in the audience to come back stage for his autograph. I was thrilled.
    But when we arrived back stage, he was having a loud argument with his wife, Sylvia. No autographs were given. We left empty handed. My Father was furious and never forgave him for disappointing me. Fortunately, I forgave him, albeit many years later. Marriage ain’t easy for anyone....not even Danny Kaye..

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  12. Danny Kaye was born in the same neighborhood and within a month of my grandfather. I'd like to say they knew each other, but I don't think they did. Mr. Kaye was several generations ahead of me so I haven't seen much of his work. But I have seen White Christmas many, many times! That's when I fell in love with him! He seemed to be all the things you described and more! Slapstick comedy, singer, dancer and charmer. My favorite scene is him dancing with Vera-Ellen to " The Best Things Happen While Your Dancing". I become mezmerized by his beautiful dancing and singing. He was so graceful and a joy to watch. He seemed to be a wonderful man and all who knew him were blessed.

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  13. Danny Kaye died the year I was born but my grandad used to put Hans Christian Anderson on for me as a child and it stuck in my head. I met my now bf and instantly felt like I knew him, I went back to my grandad and said I’ve met someone and he looks like an old actor but I don’t know who. As soon as my grandad seen him he said that’s danny Kaye. I started watching more of him old movies out of curiosity and it was odd my bf really does look like him and have similar mannerisms he just can’t sing or dance unfortunately. I’m on to his second biography and Wow what a man. The more I read and watch him the more I’m in love. What an amazing human being. Unfortunately I have been trying to tell my friends about him but not many people know his name now that are my age. I will make sure my daughter watches his movies and carries on the Danny Kaye memory.

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    1. Very well shared. Like all of us, we that were entertained by him loved him for all he is/was. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  14. My daughter has discovered Danny Kaye at 25. The Court Jester was my favorite growing up...we would recite "the vessel with the pestle, the chalice with the palace" rhymery in line at lunch, on the playground, etc. He brought mirth to my childhood and laughter to my adult life. Secret Life of Walter Mitty was amazing. His work lives on. Thank God he was born in the age of cinema; others will enjoy and discover.

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  15. Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. I grew up loving everything I saw Danny in because I just felt JOY every time I watched him. Even when he was in a serious scene that made me cry....there was still, somehow...warmth that wrapped around you like a favorite blanket. I remember being so excited to see him in The Cosby Show and to see him act in something current.....and then he was gone. I cried for days. He is a cherished memory of my childhood that I get to revisit every time I see one of his movies. What a blessing that he was your father, and what a blessing that you would take the time to share such sweet details of the person we all loved from afar. Thank you Dena

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  16. I was born when he started his career as i got older his films brought my life so much laughter and joy also to my children thank you for sharing ms kaye

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  17. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful memories with us all,we all fell in love with with your handsome, beautiful heartfelt father & the love he had for all he was to America. I'm 66 he was a beautiful man inside & out. I know in my heart he sings in Gods choir. Thank you Ms. Kaye

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  18. When asked what my favorite Christmas movie is I always say White Christmas . I’ve seen all of his movies and loved them all. I’ve loved Danny Kaye since I was a little girl. Whether in person or on film or television he pulls you in. His laughter, kindness and warm caring heart warm my spirit as only he could. There will never be another like him, the mold was broken.


    Thank you for sharing your father with the world.

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  19. When I was a little girl, growing up in the 60's, I was often sick. My mother would put Danny Kaye on the record player - Hans Christian Anderson! His voice calmed me and was the only thing that could soothe me enough to finally fall asleep. I have always loved Danny Kaye - he not only brought laughter to us but he was tender, which came through in his stories and tone of voice. Thank you for sharing these details about your father!

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  20. Turned on YouTube this morning. Decided to watch the story about Danny Kaye.
    Watch an enjoyable morning to see this.
    Happy Birthday. I am 7 days older. How do,derful we share a wonderful time when we had your father, the entertainer

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  21. I became a fan in 1956, when my father took me to see The Court Jester. From that moment on, I was hooked. I got the soundtrack and could sing along to "The Maladjusted Jester." Years later, around 1963, my friend arranged for us to meet him outside his dressing room at The Greek Theater after the show. So exciting. He was so nice. To add to that night, I got a glimpse of Cary Grant in the dressing room. Wow. Two of my favorite Capricorns in one place. I never forgot talking with your father at the dressing room door.
    He was a brilliant entertainer, with immaculate timing, and a flair for speech, with grace. He also executed your mother's musical talent like no one could. What a great partnership that was. I still have the book The Danny Kate Saga that my cousin gave me as a present. It was a good biography.

    If you have children, I hope they got some of his talent. He gave the world what it needed, when it needed it.

    Will always be a fan.

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  22. I loved watching Danny Kaye and all the movies that he played in his dancing and white Christmas but very Allen really set my heart pounding to see how graceful and elegant he was what a sharp he was back then would make so many young men jealous thank you very much for sharing your story with us all

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  23. Miss Dena; thank you for this wonderful tribute to your father. It brought tears of joy to my eyes. Your father died 10 months before I was born. But I grew up on White Christmas, The Court Jester and The Inspector General; and saw reruns of your father's show on tv during the holidays and I fell head over heels in love with him when I was so very young. I don't even remember how I old I was exactly, but I'm certain I was under the age of 6!
    Your father's singing voice always captivated me, and I loved his face because it was funny, but gorgeous. and he had red hair,just like me; and a big nose just like me. But people found him attractive and funny and somehow that made me feel more comfortable in a skin that I had never really felt like I fit into; even though it was my own.
    I am now 31 years old and I still love your father to the very depths of my soul. As an above poster had said, whenever times in life get tough or difficult to deal with, God sends them a person or a pet to help them get through, and as that person said; Danny was the person this time for me!
    I've had many people who helped me over the years. One of whom was Roddy McDowall, who I have a blog, a podcast, and two fan sites dedicated to on the internet. And it was Roddy who initially lead me, (albeit slowly) back to your wonderful Daddy. I saw Roddy's appearance on your fathers show, and Et Voila! The flame was ignited and curiosity took over. That was in the summer of 2018. Come Christmas I was thirsting for something of your father's and my sister gave me a wonderful Christmas gift. A DVD of The Court Jester, and for my birthday, a DVD of Hans Christian Andersen was given me by my aunt.
    Since that time I've collected almost every single film your father ever made and almost every single album. And thanks to Youtube, I've managed to find many of his radio programmes.
    He's lighted up my life once again and I'm so in love with everything about him, but I'm most in love with how much he loved his music and how good he makes me feel. I've had a difficult decade (literally the last 10 years of my life were hell except for the last two years; which were thankfully much better, but still a little tough), and your father, along with Roddy and a few others have managed to make my life a happy one.
    It makes me want to live up to his example. He had a marvelous outlook on life, a fantastic work ethic and he was just amazing. I love his quote about how life is a great big canvas and we should throw as much paint on it as we can get. That's a great way to look at life. From now on I'm going to do the best I can to do just that. Thank you again for this article. I've been so blessed by your father as have many many others; and I'm so happy you exist to help us remember him. Thank you for all you've done to keep his memory alive.
    God bless you.
    ~Zoe Dean

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  24. Danny Kaye was a first-rate entertainer and tireless humanitarian. But, what I found most interesting about Mr Kaye was his ability to master such disparate fields of endeavor as gourmet cooking, golf, aircraft flying, dancing, singing, conducting, acting, fencing, and baseball knowledge. Amazing!

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  25. I remember always feeling a special kind of loving vibe from Kaye in all the performances I saw him in growing up. He made me feel like he would be a wonderful friend if ever I could have met him. Just effortless sparkle.

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  26. As a child I watched his show and wished he were my father❤️

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  27. Dena, I just finished the book The Danny Kate Saga and loved every page! I could not put it down! I collected for UNICEF every Halloween for many years growing up. I joined the thousands in tears when your dad passed,he was SO special! I loved his talent,his giving,his being!!!

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  28. I loved Danny Kaye so much that my mother let me stay up to watch his TV show. I wrote to him when I was 8 years old, and sent my school photo to him. I was surprised and so happy when I received an autographed photo of him back!
    Cindy

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  29. I’ve always been interested in learning more about the true greats of entertainment. I’ve been looking for an answer to a question but haven’t found it yet. I have been trying to find out what jacket Danny wore while performing for King George and princess Elizabeth. It would help if I could find out the color of the jacket and whether it was his or if he had borrowed it and from whom. Does a recording of the palladium performance exist? Maybe at least I could see what the jacket looked like.

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  30. very good article i ever read

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