Carnival Magic

A magician in a carnival -- who actually can read minds and levitate people and objects -- works with a super-intelligent chimp named Alex, who can also talk.

Whether this is a bad movie or a so-bad-it-is-good movie will be up to the viewer to decide. I mean, either way we have to all agree it is pretty bad, right? But it does have a certain charm.

The "talking" ape is bizarre, because he basically just grunts and says nothing of value. There is a creepy 40-year old man who sexually assaults a teenage girl... and the next day she announces to her father that they are getting married. What? There is a mad scientist with s poorly dubbed German accent. Why? And a dead wife who is never fully explained.

Carnival magician Don Stewart (as Markov) is fired from his job, but gets it back when he makes his talking chimpanzee companion "Trudi" (as Alexander) part of the act. The attention has a bad side effect when "Alex" is chimp-napped by a mad scientist and jealous lion tamer who think he may be the missing link. Director Al Adamson's wife Regina "Gena" Carrol (as Kate) is Mr. Stewart's bosomy assistant. Fortunately, Stewart kept his day job on "The Guiding Light" serial. Even more fortunately, Mr. Adamson's threatened sequel "More Carnival Magic" (1982) did not materialize.

*** Carnival Magic (1981) Al Adamson ~ Don Stewart, Jennifer Houlton, Howard Segal, Mark Weston

I was asked on Friday, July 11, 1980 by Mr Feltner, while renting him a car, if I wanted to be in a movie. I'm sure I looked at him as if he was a dirty old man and he quickly read the situation and said, "Not THAT kind of movie. We are shooting at Earl Owensby Studios (which living in the area I was familiar with) and told me he would give me a line to say and $75. Sounded interesting, so I said ok, I'll be there. I drove to Gaffney on Saturday, July 12, 1980 to do my one line. In the directors cut he mentions that he asked the girl who rented him a car from Avis Rent a Car, me, to come down to Gaffney, SC to appear in this movie and that I rode down with him, which I did not. As I stated previously, I drove down the next day.

I had always assumed that the movie was never shown. Imagine my surprise after all these years, to discover that the movie was released and I was in it at around the 26 to 28 minute mark. The girl in the blue shirt in the Midway scene. I ended up spending the entire day. The monkey had gotten lose and they had to set up for the long shot on the Midway which was the scene I was in. It took over 2 hours to find the monkey, and another 3 hours to set up for the Midway shot.

I recall on the first take, after saying my one line, he yelled CUT! And asked if I could say my line less southern, as he didn't want the movie to sound like it was made in the south. I was a bit embarrassed but tried it again. Then I heard some one say, don't worry about it. When can dub over her voice later. To my surprise they didn't dub over my actual voice and they didn't cut my scene out of the movie.

After shooting wrapped for the day he asked if I wanted to go eat with him and the cast. I agreed and we went out to a local Steak House that served hush puppies. Don Stewart looked at them and asked what they were, cornbread??? I told him no, they were hush puppies. He nearly lost his mind laughing and asked me to repeat what they were until he had everyone at the table laughing at the word hush puppy and my southern accent. I won't lie, I was slighly offended. I can take a joke and laugh at myself. But when they started trying to mimic me and laugh, it started to get old. Mr. Feltner saw what was going on, he seemed to always be paying attention to everything going on even when you didn't think he was. He was extremely nice and somewhat paternal toward me. Being in a movie, even a sub B Movie, was an eye opening expericence. It does strip away a lot of the magic.

Ironically, people giving a 10 star "so bad it's good" review may have their heart in the right place, but sadly do themselves and everyone else a disservice. At the time of this review, IMDB has Carnival Magic at 2.3. WAY too high.

I understand "The Room" holds the title of worst of all time (the WOAT?) But I strongly disagree. So what is it about Carnival Magic that makes it worse than The Room? I'm glad I asked! It all comes down to intent. Call it conspiracy theory but I've long felt The Room just a little TOO awful. Tommy Wisough(sp?) saw the masses of nostalgic hipsters and created for them their "Citizen Kane" (something I genuinely respect BTW). Carnival Magic ALSO thinks it's Citizen Kane. How does a movie this bad slip through so many people and get released? Well it's something future historians will struggle to answer. Its been said archeology is the study of trash, people's culture defined by their garbage. Carnival Magic is beautiful garbage. Real people wrote this script, real actors read for these parts, real casting directors hired these roles and somewhere a real director has this on a resume. Its a beautifully orchestrated train wreck done right, with tickets sold to passengers NOT to spectators!

(that train analogy was awesome)

So while the sheep continue "ironically" worshipping false idles, purchasing 4K special editions of Sharknado, waiting hours in line for a selfie with Tommy Wisoeh(sp? I refuse to Google that man), it's quiet unsung heroes, heroes like Carnival Magic, who sadly go unappreciated.

I urge you. Do what's right here, look into your heart. Give Carnival Magic the 1 star it deserves, the 1 star it earned.

I found a DVD and just gave it a spin - not nearly as bad as a feared, but it's still one weird flick. I like that it captures the sleazy vibe of those flea market carnivals of the 70s - like the movie, they mixed kiddie attractions with crazy gross freakshows and sometimes burlesque and peep shows (I saw my first stripper sneaking under a carnival tent!). But the acting was so weak, it made Ed Wood's posse look like a PBS ensemble.

And what was up with that crazy chimp voice?? Al Adamson makes some of the most inexplicable flicks ever. There's a full audio commentary by the producer/co-director, "a critical appreciation" and silent outtakes, and the print quality is outstanding. How crazy that the flick was rated G! The producer says they had to cut the animal trainer slapping his girlfriend's face from three slaps down to two to get the G rating. His memory is astounding, he recalls where each performer was hired from. One gal was the rental car agent he picked up when he flew in, he just gave her a line in the midway scene!

There's one scene of the monkey running off after a trick - the producer says the monkey just ran off the set and was missing for hours! Nobody knows where he went or what he did. He just strolled back onto the set later that day, and they resumed shooting his scenes.

I bet there's some neighbor somewhere near where they shot this who's still telling wild tales that nobody will believe about the day that monkey showed up and raided the dog food dish....