Fearless Fagan

This film was shown in the wee hours of the morning and since I had taped this film by mistake, I decided I may as well find out what it was all about. Janet Leigh, (Abby Ames), "Scaramouche", plays the role of a very famous singer who was visiting Army bases during WW II and stops her car as she approaches the Army Base. Abby hears circus music playing from a wooded area of the camp and decides to see just what is going on and runs into Fearless a nice big Lion who has a dear friend called Carleton Carpenter, (Pvt.Floyd Hilston) "Up Periscope". The entire film deals with a great performance between Fearless who plays with and even sleeps with Carleton. Great Animal film along with a very pretty Janet Leigh who was just starting out in her career. This is a worthwhile film to view and I was glad to have taped the wrong picture.

Enjoy

The inspiration for the story can be found in the February 12, 1951 issue of Life magazine titled "Fearless Fagan Finds a Home". Fagan played himself in this movie, "And introducting Fearless Fagan (Himself)" appears in the opening credits and his owner PFC Floyd C. Humeston acted as an adviser. The true part of the story is that Humeston worked as a clown with his lion. When he was drafted, he could not find a suitable home for Fagan so he took Fagan with him to Ford Ord, CA. After the film was completed, Fagan remained as a resident of M-G-M's animal compound until Humeston's enlistment was up in Oct 1952. I would recommend this movie even though much of the comedy is contrived.

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.