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Carnival Story

"The Story of a Woman's Shame!"

1954-04-16 Drama 1hr 35m

In search of a better life, a German girl named Willi joins an American carnival passing through Munich. While traveling from town to town, she is torn between two suitors: cruel carnival barker Joe and kindhearted high-dive artist Frank. Frank gets the upper hand when he asks Willi to join his act. The partners soon become the most popular attraction at the carnival. But tragedy is only a slip away.

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Storyline

In search of a better life, a German girl named Willi joins an American carnival passing through Munich. While traveling from town to town, she is torn between two suitors: cruel carnival barker Joe and kindhearted high-dive artist Frank. Frank gets the upper hand when he asks Willi to join his act. The partners soon become the most popular attraction at the carnival. But tragedy is only a slip away.

  • Released
    1954-04-16
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 35m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English, Deutsch
  • imdb-logo
    5.7
  • Production
    Westia Film, King Brothers Productions, RKO Radio Pictures

Crew

Kurt Neumann
Director
Hans Jacoby
Screenplay
Maurice King
Producer
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Cast

Steve Cochran

Steve Cochran

Joe Hammond
Lyle Bettger

Lyle Bettger

Frank Colloni
George Nader

George Nader

Bill Vines
Jay C. Flippen

Jay C. Flippen

Charley Grayson
Anni Trautner

Anni Trautner

Bearded Lady (uncredited)
Jadin Wong

Jadin Wong

Chinese Dancer (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

Carnival Story
Carnival Story
Carnival Story

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Carnival Story
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 5

Written by John Chard on 2014-07-26

You will go wherever I tell you. Kurt Neumann directs Carnival Story, starring Anne Baxter, Steve Cochran, Lyle Bettger, George Nader and... read more

You will go wherever I tell you. Kurt Neumann directs Carnival Story, starring Anne Baxter, Steve Cochran, Lyle Bettger, George Nader and Jay C. Flippen. Music is by Willy Schmidt-Gentner and cinematography by Ernest Haller. Set in Munich, Germany, plot centres on the workings of Grayson’s travelling carnival. The perils of love, infatuation and high diving acts come crashing together. Filmed in Agfacolor/Technicolor and unfurling its narrative in a carnival atmosphere, Carnival Story is pleasing enough on the eyes and ears. That is once you get used to Baxter’s German accent that is! Willi (Baxter) is the fulcrum for everything that happens, caught picking the pocket of carnival worker Joe Hammond (Cochran), she ends up getting employed by the owner Charley Grayson (Flippen). From there she starts to literally rise up the ladder of success whilst indulging in a torrid love triangle with Joe and Frank Collini (Bettger). The temperature never gets above lukewarm settings, the narrative getting bogged down by a repetitiveness that grates entering the last third of film. There’s much swooning and sexual discord, but it never steams the screen up, this in spite of Cochran’s animal magnetism and Baxter’s natural sexuality. While Flippen is under used and Bettger unsuited to the role of a swim trunk wearing high diver. It’s all a bit flat in story telling terms, even the ending fails to close pic down with thrilling wonder. A missed opportunity here, but fans of Cochran doing bad boy are well served, as are those of us who have lusty lustations for Annie Baxter. 5/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 5

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-11-21

Maybe not a film Anne Baxter will look upon whilst compiling a list of her top ten films. She plays "Willie" who runs away to join a circus ... read more

Maybe not a film Anne Baxter will look upon whilst compiling a list of her top ten films. She plays "Willie" who runs away to join a circus in Germany where she quickly learns the ropes, rising to become the star turn. Meantime, she has fallen for the rather ruthless owner Steve Cochran ("Joe") but is also quite keen on acrobat Lyle Bettger ("Frank Colloni") whom she marries - then tragedy strikes! It's actually quite an entertainingly filmed piece of melodrama - if you don't impose 21st century attitudes to 1950s circus acts (and some mean knife-throwing); but there is little to redeem the really rather hammy acting and terribly lacklustre storyline - and Baxter's Germanic accent wouldn't ever have to worry Marlene Dietrich! A colourful nostalgia piece, but not much more.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

You will go wherever I tell you. Kurt Neumann directs Carnival Story, starring Anne Baxter, Steve Cochran, Lyle Bettger, George Nader and Jay C. Flippen. Music is by Willy Schmidt-Gentner and cinematography by Ernest Haller. Set in Mu...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 5

Written by John Chard on 2014-07-26

You will go wherever I tell you. Kurt Neumann directs Carnival Story, starring Anne Baxter, Steve Cochran, Lyle Bettger, George Nader and Jay C. Flippen. Music is by Willy Schmidt-Gentner and cinem...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 5

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2022-11-21

Maybe not a film Anne Baxter will look upon whilst compiling a list of her top ten films. She plays "Willie" who runs away to join a circus in Germany where she quickly learns the ropes, rising to bec...

read more