Carny (1980)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Robert Kaylor

Writers:

Phoebe Kaylor (story) and
Robert Kaylor (story) ...

Release Date:

10 July 1981 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Where love is just another sucker's game.

Plot:

A carnival comes to a small town. Eighteen year old Donna meets Frankie and Patch, two carnival hustlers...

Plot Keywords:

Carnival | Freakshow | One Word Title | Fairground | Bearded Woman

Cast

Gary Busey	...	Frankie
Jodie Foster	...	Donna
Robbie Robertson	...	Patch
Meg Foster	...	Gerta
Kenneth McMillan	...	Heavy St. John
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	On-Your-Mark
Tim Thomerson	...	Doubles
Teddy Wilson	...	Nails (as Theodore Wilson)
John Lehne	...	Skeet
Bill McKinney	...	Marvin Dill
Bert Remsen	...	Delno Baptiste
Woodrow Parfrey	...	W. C. Hannon
Alan Braunstein	...	Willie Mae
Tina Andrews	...	Sugaree
Craig Wasson	...	Mickey

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:R | UK:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Company:

Lorimar Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: While Mickey is at the roulette joint, Doubles is seen ringing a bell while wearing a tan plaid shirt. The audio of the bell ringing and Doubles' line "I tell ya, the boy has me in a corner" carries over to a shot of Mickey. When the shot switches back to Doubles a few seconds later, his tan plaid shirt has suddenly changed to a solid dark shirt with a denim jacket over it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Being John Malkovich (1999)

Prime Jodie Foster....

This may not be a familiar title to many, but for me, "Carny" marks a major turning point in the career of Jodie Foster.

In "Carny", she plays a regular young woman who is lured by the excitement of the midway into becoming one of the regular carnival members or, as the title calls them, a carny.

This is basically a story about carnival life, the nomadic existance of the carnies and the eventual maturing of Foster's character by this new way of life. Watching her adjustments, both easy and difficult, make it easy to see why she received more difficult roles after this.

Robbie Robertson, leader of The Band, plays a fellow carny and love interest for Foster. He is all cool assurance and strong emotional center, both of which are things Foster's character is looking for. It's a wonder Robertson hasn't been in more movies since.

Gary Busey, in a performance that is both humorous and borderline psychotic, plays a dunk tank clown that forever taunts patrons, both in and out of the cage. He is also involved with Foster, and finds himself at odds with Robertson over her attentions.

If there's one problem with this film it's that it is too brief. More likely than not a filming decision but see it yourself and see if you don't agree.

Eight stars.

Now, "Carny" is a movie that DESERVES a sequel.