Side Show (TV 1981)

A teenage boy runs away from home. He joins the circus but finds out that it's not all what it's cracked up to be. But then the boy becomes a witness to a murder, and he must try to stay out of the killer's way.

Director:

William Conrad

Writer:

George Kirgo

Stars:

Lance Kerwin, Connie Stevens, William Windom

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lance Kerwin	...	Nick Pallas
Connie Stevens	...	Graciela
William Windom	...	Byron Gage
Barbara Rhoades	...	Paula Picasso
Albert Paulsen	...	Scholl
Calvin Levels	...	Billy
Anthony Franciosa	...	Zaranov
Red Buttons	...	Harry
Jerry Maren	...	Tom Tiny
Patty Maloney	...	Thelma Tiny
Sandra Elaine Allen	...	Goliatha
Joy McConnochie	...	Ronda
John Edward Allen	...	Antonio
Richard C. Beard	...	Excalibur
Bob Yerkes	...	Man Without a Face

Storyline

Nick Pallas is a young runaway determined to make a life for himself in the circus. He quickly meets up with Harry who takes the youngster under his wing. Nick's speciality in the side show is puppeteering and is billed as the "World Youngest Puppeteer". His first day at the circus Red takes him around to meet all of the other side show attractions: midget couple Tom and Thelma Tiny, world's tallest woman Goliatha, sword swallower Excalibur, tattooed lady Paula Picasso, the Man Without a Face, and a few others like the woman with no limbs and some really fat lady. The side show folks are not to associate with the big top folks, and no one associates with the carny. Nick ignores this rule, however, much to the chagrin of the circus manager. He befriends Zaranov, the lion tamer, and falls in love with Graciela one of the main attractions. Things looks great for Nick, but he will soon discover things that aren't all that nice.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | sword swallower | witness | murder | lion tamer | 

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Taglines:

The curtain comes down! The crowd goes home! The nightmare begins...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mord i manesjen

Filming Locations:

Casa Grande, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Krofft Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 1978.

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Soundtracks

"Circus Day Parade"
Written by William Conrad

User Reviews

Campy but Fun

Side Show is a campy movie, but it is fun to watch. You can see how the circus was run at that time. The back drop for this movie was Circus Vargas, and many of the technical support, stunt people, and show folks were actual Circus Vargas employees. On the trapeze were Silvia Lancheros, the catcher Raul Lancheros. The ring master was Clifford E. Vargas himself. The Lion Tamer was Laurence Grant. Clifford E. Vargas passed away several years ago. However, Silvia and Raul Lancheros, and Larry Grant continue working at Circus Vargas.