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[[File:7FacesOfDrLao_7178.jpg|frame]]
'''''
'''Synopsis:'''
To the dying Arizona town of Abalone comes the mysterious Dr. Lao (Randall) to announce in the local newspaper the advent of his wonderful circus. The editor, Ed Cunningham (Jon Ericson) is engaged in a double struggle: to gain the affections of repressed young widow Angela Benedict (Barbara Eden) and to convince the townspeople not to give up and sell out to cynical local magnate Clint Stark (Arthur O'Connell). Nevertheless, he is also intrigued by the mysterious Lao and his circus, which seems at first to consist only of the doctor, his yellow jackass, and a fish in a
Over the next three days the citizens of Abalone have life-altering encounters with the denizens of the circus, which culminate in the spectacle of the destruction of the ancient Atlantis-like civilization of Woldercan, due to its strangely familiar citizens' giving in to the blandishments of a mysterious tempter who strongly resembles Stark. Meanwhile, Stark's thuggish mooks drunkenly attempt to destroy Lao's circus, inadvertently releasing his pet fish/Loch Ness monster, which chases them out of town and is recaptured only with difficulty by Lao and Angela's young son, Mike (Kevin Tate).
The townspeople, shaken by what Lao has shown them, vote not to sell out to
The film greatly altered the plot and softened the mordant tone of [[The Circus of Doctor Lao|the original novel]], opting rather for a sense of whimsy and wonder, reflected in the score by Leigh Harline, best known for scoring [[Disney]]'s ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney film)|Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs]]'' and ''[[Pinocchio (Disney film)|Pinocchio]]''. Unfortunately, despite an extraordinary performance by Randall and some (though not all) of the other cast (Kevin Tate as Mike is a stand-out), and the admirable visual
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* [[Hot Librarian]]: Angela
* [[Hobbes Was Right]] / [[Rousseau Was Right]]: The central debate of the story. Stark champions the former, while Lao argues persuasively for the latter.
* [[Humans Are
* [[Intrepid Reporter]]: Crusading Editor Ed Cunningham.
* [[Its Pronounced Tropay|It's Pronounced]] ''[[Its Pronounced Tropay|Tro-Pay]]'': It's pronounced "''Low'' -- Doctor ''Low''."
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{{quote|'''Dr. Lao''': Mike, the whole world is a circus if you look at it the right way. Every time you pick up a handful of dust, and see not the dust, but a mystery, a marvel, there in your hand, every time you stop and think, "I'm alive, and being alive is fantastic!" ''Every time such a thing happens, Mike, you are part of the Circus of Dr. Lao.''}}
* [[Yellowface]]: But then, Lao can wear whatever face suits his fancy.
* [[You No Take Candle]]: Dr. Lao, him speak dis way some time,
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