Fearless Fagan

The plot to "Fearless Fagan" is very stupid and impossible to believe...yet, amazingly, it's based on a true story! What's more, the film stars the actual lion, Fearless Fagan!

This weird story first came to light in "Life" magazine. It seems that a soldier was drafted back in 1951 and he had a pet lion that needed to find a home while he served in the Army. And, MGM thought (incorrectly) it would make a great film....but sadly the movie lost money according to the studio.

When the story begins, Floyd is working in the circus with his pet lion, Fearless Fagan. The pair have an act where Floyd is a clown lion tamer and Fagan chases him about the cage. It's pretty cute. But when Floyd is drafted, he's got a problem...he needs to find a home for it. This film is about his quest...as well as the lion's subsequent escape!

Carleton Carpenter is the relatively unknown actor who plays Floyd. I read about the film and apparently the real Floyd Hilston coached Carleton and introduced him to Fagan. As a result, the scenes are cute, look very real and work quite well. I really think Carleton Carpenter was a lucky guy to get such an amazing assignment!

So is it any good? Yes...it's quite charming...though how true all this story is, I have no idea. It's a nice family film...with a sweet happy ending.

A very cute story, loved the lead actor, he reminded me a lot of Dick Van Dyke in his style. The movie was sweet, innocent, could be seen by any age group. The most amazing thing is how they were able to train a lion to do all that Fagan did in the movie, that part was the most incredible. It was a fun diversion all the way.

Fearless Fagan is a story based on a real life lion and his best human friend. Carleton Carpenter plays the human friend and while he's not an animal trainer per se, he and Fagan the lion have worked out a marvelous circus act for themselves. And Fagan is one man lion.

But that all could change when Carpenter receives his draft notice. He feels he can't leave Fagan with the circus. So he takes him with him. Might have been better suited for the British army.

This is based on a true story and knowing that you know that somehow the United States Army accommodated Carp;enter and his friend. How they did it is for you to see the film for. But USO entertainer Janet Leigh certainly helped.

Fearless Fagan hasn't lost any of its cuteness. Nice performance also by Keenan Wynn as Carpenter's sergeant. Still quit enjoyable.

Stanley Donen directed this movie immediately after directing Singin' in the Rain. He was to have directed Jumbo, but that film wasn't ready to go yet.

It's true that neither Stanley Donen, Janet Leigh or Carlton Carpenter wanted to do the film, but it did OK at the box office.

This is a fun movie, although slight, and the lion, Fagan, is amazing. (Fagan plays himself.) In one of the opening scenes, Carpeter's character performs with the lion, and the lion reminded me of a great big kitty cat playing hide n' go seek!

To read more about this movie, go to tcm.com.

As a Generation X-er, I had never even heard of this movie before tonight. I was flipping through channels and saw some guy wrestling with a lion on AMC and had to stop and watch. Before I knew it, I was hooked and had to watch the whole thing. The lion, Fagan, must've either been drugged or he was the tamest lion ever. The main character not only dances and wrestles with this lion but get it to listen to commands like it is a dog. It even plays with string like a cat and sleeps in the same bed with the guy. Amazing. I have never seen anything like it. Granted lions are more docile than tigers but Siegfried and Roy had nothing on whoever trained Fagan. Today's movie makers wouldn't even bother, they would just digitize the lion.

The movie is short, only about 80 minutes. So if you see it on, do yourself a favor and watch it. Fagan is worth it.