7 FACES OF DR. LAO

Director: George Pal

Stars: Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O'Connell, John Ericson, Noah Beery Jr.

Year: 1964

Rating: N/R

I had no idea what to expect from this film; I had heard the title before, knew it starred Tony Randall - but that was about it. When it started out a western, I was less than enthusiastic; somehow the title and a western theme didn't seem to match up at all. But as the movie played out, I fell more and more under its spell; directed by special-effects-wiz-at-the-time George Pal, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao is an enchanting fantasy-western that showcases the both Pal's artistry and Randall's versatility in creating characters.

The film opens with the Chinese Dr. Lao (Randall) arriving in the small, down-on-its-luck western town of Abalone, Arizona in the early 1900's, riding a donkey. Lao wears the stereotypical straw hat, has a long white beard and glasses, smokes a long, thin pipe and speaks like a bad Charlie Chan impersonator - and when he arrives in town, he ties up his donkey, leaving a goldfish bowl on the seat containing one fish, and enters the offices of newspaper publisher/editor Ed Cunningham (John Ericson) to place a full-page display ad.

That ad is about Dr. Lao's circus, which has come to town for the weekend - and between the ad and flyers put up all over town, the citizens of Abalone are more than interested in riding just out of town to attend. The night, however, Lao attends a town meeting as well, where a land developer named Stark (Arthur O'Connell) is trying to buy up all the homes and land from the citizens of Abalone, giving them more than their homes are worth if they'll move. Dr. Lao makes his presence known at the meeting, where publisher Cunningham and a beautiful widowed schoolteacher named Angela Benedict (Barbara Eden, a gorgeous brunette here) seem to be almost the only two people in town who oppose the sale.

The next night, at Lao's circus, the people of Abalone are treated to one interesting and bizarre character after another (all of which are played by Randall): there's Merlin the magician, who seems to be mediocre at best; the Abominable Snowman, who is the muscle and also provides musical and comical entertainment; Medusa, who must be viewed through a mirror or her gaze will turn you to stone; Pan, the god of joy, who allows you to see inside yourself to your deepest fantasies; the Giant Serpent, who allows you to see who you really are inside in his face; and (my personal favorite) Apollonius of Tyana, the fortune teller cursed with telling nothing but the exact, unvarnished truth ... no matter how much misery it causes. And Dr. Lao, of course, plays host to the entire thing.

Each person who visits any of the above is enthralled and changed by his/her experience. In particular, not only are the scenes with Apollonius a bit startling, but Barbara Eden's scene with Pan, for 1964, must have seemed quite daring and even a bit controversial; 45 years later, I was even a bit surprised by how far (again, for its time) the scene went. But it's the second night of the circus that Dr. Lao saves for a special presentation for the people of Abalone; a presentation that shakes up everyone and shapes their town's future.

I ended up loving this film. Randall thankfully ditches the stereotypical Charlie Chan-style accent (for the most part) early on, making Dr. Lao much more convincing, and he's excellent as all the members of Lao's circus, as well (I almost didn't recognize him as Medusa; he looks almost like a young Boy George!). The film is entertaining, funny, charming, and an enjoyable fantasy with a good message at the end that won't hit you over the head. I "discovered" this film, for the first time, on Turner Classic Movies, during a salute to George Pal's work, and I'm really glad I did; this is a wonderful film that's the perfect showcase for just how good Randall could be beyond Felix Unger; he will make you believe, as he says in the film, that "the whole world is a circus, if you look at it the right way." ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome