Carnival Magic

USA 1981
produced by
Elvin Feltner (executive) for Krypton Productions
directed by Al Adamson
starring Don Stewart, Trudi the Chimp, Jennifer Houlton, Howard Segal, Regina Carrol, Joe Cirillo, Mark Weston, Charles Reynolds, Diane Kettering, Missy O'Shea, Ron De Marco, Farzene Habib, Earl Vedder, Mike Allen, Gordon Peterson jr, Pjilip Morris, Stanley Harin, Vic Moore, Richard Haskell, Angie Brenson, Galla
story by Elvin Feltner, screenplay by Mark Weston, Bob Levine, music by Martin St. Lawrence

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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Magician Markov the Magician (Don Stewart) just happens to own a chimp, Alexander the Great (Trudi the Chimp) who can talk and do all sorts of funny (?) stuff - and before you know it, Alexander saves a carnival from going bankrupt helping Markov with his magic tricks. Tigertamer Kirk (Joe Cirillo) doesn't like that one bit though, so he and his girlfriend Kim (Diane Kettering) kidnap Alexander and bring him to professor Poone (Charles Reynolds), who has shown great scientific interest in the monkey, and who wants to dissect the animal. Almost too late does Kim realize she has made a mistake, and she phones the carnival to come to Alexander's rescue - which the carny-people do at the drop of a hat ... alas too late it seems, Alexander hasw already taken poison. Modern medicine can't save him, but Markov's love can ...

Another narrative thread tells the story of Ellen (Jennifer Houlton), daughter of the carnival owner (Mark Weston), and how she falls in love with the place's PR-man (Howard Segal) - but they get together in the end only thanks to Markov's sound advice.

Al Adamson regular Regina Carrol plays Markov's assistant who falls in love with him.

Rather boring film about travelling circus folks that cannot decide whether to be a mindless comedy with a funny animal or a carnival drama with coming-of-age undercurrents and seemingly deep (if over-clichéed) messages. That the script of this movie is badly structured doesn't help one bit either, nor the fact that the film is sloppily paced. And while Al Adamson might have made one or the other grindhouse gem (and a whole lot of trash on the side), he is certainly not enough of a director  to capture the proper carnival atmosphere to make this worthwhile at least on a directorial level.

Pointless and utterly forgettable.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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