7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

A mysterious circus comes to a western town bearing wonders and characters that entertain the inhabitants and teach valuable lessons.

Director:

George Pal

Writers:

Charles Beaumont (screenplay), Charles G. Finney (based on the novel "The Circus of Dr. Lao" by),

Stars:

Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O'Connell

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Randall	...	Dr. Lao / The Abominable Snowman / Merlin the Magician / Apollonius of Tyana / Pan / The Giant Serpent / Medusa / Audience Member
Barbara Eden	...	Angela Benedict
Arthur O'Connell	...	Clint Stark
John Ericson	...	Ed Cunningham / Transformed Pan
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Tim Mitchell
Lee Patrick	...	Mrs. Howard Cassin
Minerva Urecal	...	Kate Lindquist
John Qualen	...	Luther Lindquist
Frank Kreig	...	Peter Ramsey
Peggy Rea	...	Mrs. Peter Ramsey
Eddie Little Sky	...	George C. George
Royal Dano	...	Carey
Argentina Brunetti	...	Sarah Benedict
John Doucette	...	Lucas
Dal McKennon	...	Lean Cowboy

Storyline

An old Chinese gentleman rides into the town of Abalone, Arizona and changes it forever, as the citizens see themselves reflected in the mirror of Lao's mysterious circus of mythical beasts.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | chinese | pan | merlin the magician | librarian | 

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Taglines:

Bolt the doors! Lock the windows! Dr. Lao's coming to town!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Mystery | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1964 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Circus of Dr. Lao

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Pal Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tony Randall related on a 1963 episode of Password All-Stars that his next film was called "The Circus of Dr. Lau," changed at some point before release to its eventual title.

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Goofs

During the opening festivities for Dr. Lao's circus, the Yeti is shown as organ grinder for three musical-box figures, one of which is Fred Flintstone playing the drums - a cartoon character who wasn't created until nearly half a century after the film takes place (and, incidentally, a type of drum set-up not popularized until the early 1940's).

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Quotes

Dr. Lao: The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Sorcerers (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Sumer is icumen in"
(uncredited)
Traditional 13th century English round

User Reviews

Fresh and inventive! An excellent fantasy-tale!!

I hadn't seen – or even heard of – this film ever before…And I think that goes for many film fans with me. That's an awful shame, since this neat little film deserves some praising. It's playful, original and moralizing feel-good fun for all the family. Directed by cinema's pre-eminently fantasist George Pal. The legendary director who already shot a few delightful myths and fairy-tales such as `The Time Machine', `Atlantis' and `The Wonderful world of the Brothers Grimm'. This time, he bases his film on a famous novel and it's a successful adventure with unlimited imagination. Tony Randall puts on quite a show as the multi-faced illusionist, Dr. Lao. He arrives with his circus in a near-dead little town. A greedy magnate wishes to buy the entire town and makes the inhabitants believe their properties are worthless. With a little help from a news reporter, Dr. Lao faces the townies with some of the smaller joys of life and their own consciousness. Both fortune-telling sequences are fascinating and remarkably written and - in order to be complete - the story foresees a touching romance. There are tons of educational and mythical aspects to discover in this film…lots of facts about the Greek Mythology, for example! The creature effects and make-up are terrifically kitschy and rather charming. Recommended for sure! Seven Faces of Dr. Lao is some of the most pleasant fantasy adventures of the sixties and it has the right to a larger fanbase!