AL ADAMSON DOUBLE FEATURE: CARNIVAL MAGIC (1983)/LOST (1983) Blu-ray
Director: Al Adamson
Severin Films

Late in his career as a jobbing director, exploitation maverick Al Adamson made films for the kiddies (in his very idiosyncratic way) with this double bill of CARNIVAL MAGIC and LOST.

Stoney Martin's (Mark Weston, I SPY) circus has fallen on hard times, with the only act that bring in meagre takings being the tiger act of sadistic drunken lout Kirk (Joe Cirillo, THE AMBULANCE); so when Kirk believes that magician The Marvelous Markov's (Don Stewart, AMERICAN NINJA) has turned his cats against him with his Zen-like mysticism garnered from his childhood in the Far East, Stoney has no choice but to give the magician his notice. Just as Markov is about to leave, however, Stoney's tomboy daughter Ellen (THE DOCTORS' Jennifer Houlton) discovers just what the magician has been hiding in his trailer that has aroused the curiosity of the entire troupe: Alex, an intelligent talking chimpanzee with a talent for mischief. Markov is loath to exploit Alex for his own benefit, but Ellen convinces him that Alex could help keep her father's show in the black. Alex is an overnight success, and loner Markov opens up to former showgirl assistant Kate (Regina Carrol, DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN) and convinces Ellen to get out from under her father's shadow when the circus' young publicity manager David (Howard Segal, THE LAST GAME) shows an interest. Unfortunately, Alex's talents attract the attentions of sinister scientist Dr. Poole (second unit director Charles Reynolds, FINAL EXAM) who wants to explore the missing link between man and ape through vivisection, and Kirk is jealous enough to steal the chimp.

Ostensibly a family film, CARNIVAL MAGIC has little to appeal to exploitation audiences but Adamson fans will find its quirks enjoyable. Alex the chimp's one liners are not particularly guffaw-inducing, but he leers just enough at Cosmopolitan magazine models and braless circus-goers to also cast a shadow on the seeming age difference (or at least the gap in emotional maturity) between subplot couple Ellen and David. Stewart's Markov seems more wooden than Zen, but Carrol is a welcome presence still looking vivacious and giving the film more warmth than Houlton or Segal; however, it is character actor Weston that actually provides the film's emotional center to the extent that the dramatic final scenes between Markov and Alex feel more soapy than truly moving. Cirillo's villain is at least a bit more lively than Stewart's Markov, but also looks like a trained thespian next to Reynold's mad scientist. For an Adamson film, it could have done with a John Carradine cameo. The film was lensed in Shelby, North Carolina which explains why the crew is made up of Earl Owensby- or at least Earl Owensby Studio-regulars, including cinematographer Darrell Cathcart (FINAL EXAM) who gives the film's photography a cleaner if blander look than some of otherwise proficient Gary Graver's typically less-than-stellar work for Adamson.

Released theatrically by short-lived Krypton Films, CARNIVAL MAGIC disappeared from availability until a single print was discovered in a second run theater in Seattle and eventually wound up with American Genre Film Archive (more about that below). The film first reached Blu-ray from Virgil Films in a Blu-ray/DVD combo that subjected the worn transfer to excessive digital noise reduction that made it look even softer than it already was. Mastered from a newer scan and restoration by Vinegar Syndrome, Severin's 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen Blu-ray appears to have had its credits recreated digitally (and possibly superimposed over the old ones with some drop shadow to further obscure the original lettering). The presentation is fairly clean while retaining grain, looking better than most Adamson films in general in terms of cinematography and condition of the materials used for the transfer. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track is in good condition, with a relatively boisterous music track and clear dialogue, although the clarity does call attention to the film's audio post-production work. Optional English SDH subtitles have some transcription errors such as when Kirk describes his reputation after his accident with the cats negatively as being "the new Wallenda" (referencing the death of daredevil Kurt Wallenda in 1978).

Ported over from the Virgil Films Blu-ray is an audio commentary by producer Elvin Feltner (TEENAGE STRANGLER), moderated by a pre-Vinegar Syndrome cult film historian Joe Rubin. Feltner discusses the origins of the idea in his love of MR. ED and other talking animal films and shows, the script written by actor Weston and attorney Bob Levine, and his idea to cast TV soap actors after the paycheck and gross profit demands of film actors (as well as the agent of the original chimp actor). He also reveals that he picked exploitation director Adamson because he saw how quickly he could work, and that it was not Adamson's idea to cast his wife when the original actress fell ill. "A Boom to Science" (11:47) is a "critical appreciation" by American Film Genre Archive's Zack Carlson & Lars Nilsen who reveal that the print was found in a Seattle second run theater by the staff who projected it in the background of concerts (done on the side without the knowledge of the theater owners) and eventually gifted the print to Carlson. They discuss the history of taking chimp TV shows including BJ AND THE BEAR and crack up over the inanities of the film, from Markov's domestic relationship with Alex to the absurdity of his apparently never even considering that a talking chimp might be of interest to a circus. Some silent outtakes (20:29) are also included along with the theatrical trailer (1:04), and a TV Spot (0:31).

CARNIVAL MAGIC was apparently successful enough for Adamson to take on another family film project with LOST – also known as BUDDY AND SKIPPER – in which Jeff Morrison (Stewart) moves his insta-family in new wife Penny (Sandra Dee, A SUMMER PLACE) and stepdaughter Buddy (Sheila Newhouse) to the wilds of Utah to a ranch house that could charitably be called a fixer upper ("It doesn't have any windows," exclaims Penny just in case one wonders if the filmmakers took out the windows to be able to shoot in the cramped house). Buddy hates the place on site and misses her father who fostered her love of horses by taking her with him to the track, believing that Jeff is responsible for keeping her from her absent father. She finds further cause to dislike him when Jeff sends away her aged pet donkey at the advice of neighboring rancher Wyatt Cosgrove (GUNSMOKE's Ken Curtis) who he otherwise ignores while trying to turn the crumbling plot of land into a thriving farm. When Jeff plans to get Buddy a horse of her own from neighbor Newhouse (Jack Elam, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST), she and her pet dog Skipper go missing when she goes to see the wild horses in the hills and gets washed away by a flash flood. As the search for the missing girl wears on the Jeff and Penny, Buddy and Skipper brave snakes, cougars, a broken ankle, and a seemingly mad hermit prospector (Gary Kent, SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS) who might have designs on eating Skipper.

Patterned after a Disney TV movie of the period, LOST has some charms despite poor acting, library music, grainy photography by Gary Graver, and nothing roles for Elam and BLOOD FEAST's William Kerwin (who appears here with his sister Betty and Denise, his daughter with TWO THOUSAND MANIAC's Connie Mason). The story is better written, although the setup is laborious and Dee – a long way from THE DUNWICH HORROR (and even farther from GIDGET) – seems more miserable than her character. Stewart is better here than in CARNIVAL MAGIC but the comic relief stemming from his attempts at home improvement are grown-worthy. Susan Coppola, cousin of Francis, served as the film's editor. Adamson attempted one more kid's film with THE HAPPIEST HOBO, but nothing came of it apart from rushes shot for a promo reel, and LOST would end up being Adamson's final film.

Given a regional release in 1983, LOST did get a video release until 1989, and comes to Blu-ray in a 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 pillarboxed fullscreen transfer of a warn element. The image is overall soft and grainy, which is no doubt more than partially due to the original photography and the impoverished budget. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track has some underlying hiss that probably has as much to do with age as the original recording and mixing. Optional English SDH subtitles are included. Extras are relegated to a VHS trailer (0:48) and rushes for a promo for Adamson's last project "The Happy Hobo" (22:42) which apparently never got beyond this stage. The disc is not only part of the Severin Kids line but is also the fourteenth disc in the AL ADAMSON MASTERPIECE COLLECTION set. (Eric Cotenas)

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