King of the Carnival (1955)

Director:

Franklin Adreon

Writer:

Ronald Davidson (written by)

Release Date:

27 June 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

DEATH HAUNTS THE CARNIVAL! In one breath-taking episode after another! Don't Miss It! (original poster)

Plot:

Treasury agents go after a ring of counterfeiters operating out of a traveling carnival. |

Plot Keywords:

Counterfeiter | Treasury Agent | Carnival | Circus | Warehouse

Cast

Harry Lauter	...	Bert King
Fran Bennett	...	June Edwards
Keith Richards	...	Daley
Robert Shayne	...	Jess Carter
Gregory Gaye	...	Zorn (as Gregory Gay)
Rick Vallin	...	Agent Art Kerr
Robert Clarke	...	Agent Jim Hayes
Terry Frost	...	Travis, Henchman
Mauritz Hugo	...	Sam, the Barker [Ch.1]
Lee Roberts	...	Hank, Henchman
Chris Mitchell	...	Bill [Ch.5]
Stuart Whitman	...	Mac, the Acrobat [Ch.1]
Tom Steele	...	Matt Winston, Acrobat [Ch.7]
George DeNormand	...	Garth, Knife Thrower [Ch.3]

Also Known As:

King of the Circus (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

167 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: 1. Daredevils of the Air 2. Death Takes the Wheel 3. The Trap That Failed

Movie Connections:

Features Circus Girl (1937)

The Pits!

"King of the Carnival" is the nadir of the once fabulous Republic Studio serial machine that turned out true masterpieces of action during the late 30s and early 40s. Made in l950, this ultra cheapie is a disgrace. I'm sure that the brilliant Republic serial directors like William Witney and John English were mortified to discover their studio had unleashed this incredibly bad, tawdry product onto movie screens. This story has something to do with a circus and criminals. I couldn't figure it out. One of the circus dressing rooms is set up against the corner of a sound stage with draperies to hide the wall. The draperies constantly ripple from a draft. In some of the underwater sequences, the performers pretend to be in the water by moving in s-l-o-w motion. Yet, they don't get wet. One plus: the tape box that this came in has to be one of the most beautifully created containers I've ever seen. Someone did a brilliant job designing this little work of art. Brilliant and vibrant yellows, greens and reds and blues jump off the box. I would give the tape box an A+. The serial gets an O--as in off the radar screen for lousy entertainment. Watch it out of curiosity. And then watch one of Republic's greatest serials: the l942 masterpiece, "G-Men vs. The Black Dragon" with one of the most dynamic female performances in serials: the fabulous Constance Worth. Just watch her use the machine guns, revolvers to help out her boss, rugged Rod Cameron.