Light Fantastic

I don't know that I have much to say that hasn't been said here already. I used to have a pressbook for it, which said that star Dolores McDougal was actually the wife of either the producer or the director of LIGHT FANTASTIC. I don't recall seeing her in any other films. Barry Bartle, who played the dance instructor, did show up as a guest star on some sitcom in the late eighties, I think it was. I presume that he was primarily a stage actor, because that one sitcom is the only other appearance of him on film that I know of. The Jean Shepherd who plays the older dance instructor is the same man who wrote the beloved A Christmas STORY and other humorist writings.

I used to have this film on a home-recorded VHS from a local TV telecast in the early 1980s, but that tape has probably been lost to the ravages of time. The film was telecast locally as part of a TV syndication package entitled "Young Adult Theater."

I saw this film after I picked up the Soundtrack Album at a local five and dime in 1964. It had several haunting jazzy tracks and I grew to love this album. Then late one night in 1965 it came on television and I was there falling in love with this off the cuff little film. It had the bare bones feeling of every indie film I came to love in later years. Filmed in black and white, it came across the screen as a slice of life piece and etched its way into my soul forever. It is a thoughtful little film incensed with a raw reality from its film noir lighting, accentuated by interesting camera angles, and it's haunting score. I have long since lost that soundtrack, and have never seen this film as being available on video, and it's too bad, too. Because this is a film that captures what big city life in 1960's America was all about. Life, love and a touch of deception. It reminds me of the late John Cassavetes' early work in its style and execution, though it was not one of his projects. James Van Pelt of Tulsa, Oklahoma

Although Dolores McDougall receives top billing the central narrative turns upon the moral dilemma experienced by Barry Bartle as the partner in a racket offering dancing lessons to lonely middle-aged women (more than once we hear him informing his partner "You're my favourite pupil, you know...).

Set against the backdrop of a wintry New York and with a plaintive flute score by Joseph Liebman, there's lot of talk but most of it reasonably intelligent, the narrative hinging on the tension derived from the crisis of conscience suffered by this jaded chancer and his ability to continue stringing his latest mark along, since his affection for her has proved his Achilles heel.

I have never met anyone who has ever seen or heard of this extremely obscure early-60's drama--it's not even listed in Leonard Maltin's book. I myself saw it years ago in the early 80's on a now-defunct local television station. I remember it so clearly because it felt very "indie" for a film from that time period: on-location filming with as-of-yet still unknown actors, and a "small" story (lonely young woman takes dancing lessons and begins to fall for her handsome but devious instructor). I'd love to view it again to see if it was really as effective as I remember it being; at any rate this lonely little flick will always have a place in my heart.

* As a postscript to this review, some 5+ years later, I have heard from a number of people associated either directly or indirectly with the making of Light Fantastic, and it's been great to find I am not the only person in the world who remembers the movie. The film even has something like 6 other ratings posted now, along with mine. I invite any and all of these people to post their own reviews and/or thoughts here as well. My little memory of it still posts all alone. But as it stands now, on 8/18/05, it looks like what we have here is possibly the smallest cult audience for a film yet!

I saw this movie circa 1974 around age 12 on a local television afternoon movie. At the time, I didn't know much about movie stars beyond the current crop so I had no way of knowing if these people were famous or if this was a major film or whatever. I have never seen this movie anywhere since but it is one of the very few I can still remember watching at that age. It was a really good little slice of life drama, a plain girl "wins" dance lessons and falls for her handsome dance instructor and quite moving in a slightly detached way as I recall. I seem to recall the leading man looked somewhat like James Franciscus, while the leading lady was a brunette who wore glasses. Hopefully, some day this film will find the audience it deserves.