LIFE IS A CIRCUS

(director/writer: Val Guest; screenwriters: Len Heath/John Warren; cinematographer: Arthur Graham; editors: James B. Clark/Bill Lenny; music: Philip Green ; cast: Shirley Eaton (Shirley Winter), Joseph Tomelty (Joe Winter), Bud Flanagan (Bud), Teddy Knox (Sebastian), Jimmy Nervo (Cecil), Lionel Jeffries (genie), Eric Pohlman (Rickenbeck), Jimmy Gold (Goldie), Charles Naughton (Charlie), Eddie Gray (Eddie); Runtime: 84; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: E.M. Smedley-Aston/John Pellatt; Gasbags DVD Allied Artists); 1960-UK)
“A musical comedy fantasy mainly for the kiddies.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A musical comedy fantasy mainly for the kiddies, is ably directed by the always interesting Val Guest (“Expresso Bongo”/”Hell is a City”/”Jigsaw”). It’s co-written by Guest, Len Heath and John Warren.

A British circus undergoing hard times uses an Aladdin’s Magic Lamp it finds to bring up a genie (Lionel Jeffries) to get business to compete against a rival’s attempts to put it out of business. Shirley Eaton is the star singer. Her dad is the struggling circus owner (Joseph Tomelty). Also starring in the circus is the senior citizen comedy group from the 1930s known as The Crazy Gang (Eddie Gray, Bud Flanagan, Jimmy Nervo, Teddy Knox, Jimmy Gold, Charlie Naughton). It’s their last film and they are not able to offer their best performance. Eddie Gray was a replacement for the original performer Chesney Allen.

The songs include include: “Life is a Circus”, “For You, For You”, and “Underneath the Arches”.

REVIEWED ON 6/15/2015 GRADE: B-