The Clown
and the Kids
(aka THE PIED PIPER, SVIRACHAT)
With: Emmett Kelly Jr. (the Piper), Burt Stratford (as "Robert Stratford") (Mark), Katie Dunn (as "Kathy Dunn") (Freny), Mikhail Mikhajlov (as "Michael Michealov") (Scrag), Leo Conforti (Mayor), Bogomil Simeonov (Scrag's assistant), Oleg Karvatchev (Billy)
Plot Outline: A traveling circus, led by a supernatural clown, enters an evil town and leads a revolt of the oppressed children there.
***
This live-action remake of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" is visually interesting, with handsome production values, spoken in the English language but filmed in Bulgaria, with locals filling in most of the peripheral parts.
Famous clown Emmett Kelly Jr. is sort of odd as the head of the traveling circus. Although professionally, he brings joy to kids via his clown persona, we never see him laugh nor smile in person, and he is consistantly mean and tyrannical to his daughter and son-in-law.
When circumstances dictate, he turns, somehow, into a supernatural Pied Piper character, with a silly hat, putty ears and nose. He then leads the sad kids of Scragsville to revolt and freedom.
The lead boy and girl, Kathy Dunn and "Bert Stratford," are strange-looking newcomers, marginal actor-singers with big mouths. The villain Scrag is a hoot, a European curmudgeon who speaks his lines in phonetic pidgin English. He is determinedly indecipherable throughout.
The circus itself is extra-neat (although we do witness some questionable animal exploitation such as boxing bears and an elephant giving a man a shave). Kelly the Clown does some great bits, including trying to sweep away a clingy spotlight.
Add to this some affable production numbers by Tony Velona and a bundle of atmosphere, and you have one of the most pleasant and ultimately successful films that Childhood Productions released during their too-short reign as Kiddie Matinee kings.
The plot bears much similarity to Childhood Productions' THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WASN'T, in which an evil businessman tries to deprive children of their greatest holiday. Both were produced in the U.S., and filmed in Europe, featuring at least one "name" talent from the States. One wonders if Childhood's big 1966 Xmas hit was a prototype for this children's fantasy.
Regardless, THE CLOWN AND THE KIDS is a pleasant low-budget morality tale with an infectious charm, a lighthearted romantic expression of emancipation and the sanctity of childhood.
The obscure but talented director, Mende Brown, also helmed two other Kiddie Matinee features, both hard to locate: LITTLE JUNGLE BOY (aka MAMAN), and JULES VERNE'S STRANGE HOLIDAY.
***
In this heartwarming and charming fairy tale, Emmett Kelly (the famous tramp clown) and his circus troupe come to a small European village. They hope to do a show for the local kids.
But as soon as they enter the town's front gates, they are met with resistance by the villagers. The reason for the apprehension towards the circus is the town's mean and controlling leader, Jonathan Scragg, who hates the kids, or anyone having fun!
So Scragg prohibits the circus from performing. It takes the pathos-like tragic comedy of "Wear Willie" (Kelly's famous character) to get Scragg to allow the circus to perform. It takes Kelly's alter-ego "the Piper", to work with the kids to put an end to Scragg's evil and abusive domination of the small Hamlet.
Kelly shines as a character actor in this, his fourth and last film performance. He is able to entertain as his legendary clown character, but is also engaging as "the Piper", and as himself in one of only two film appearances where he speaks.
The other actors are also engaging, including the young couple. The adults are wonderful and so are the kids. The sets are real and the plot is charming too.
I first saw this film at the old Wakefield Movie Theater in The Bronx, New York, back in 1970. I loved it! I was also lucky enough to see Mr. Kelly there in person. He only stopped long enough to say "Hello!" and to encourage us all to "hiss" and "boo" the villain. It was an experience that I will always treasure.
***
Video/DVD availability: VHS (Goodtimes, oop; VCI)
Links of related interest:
(1967, U.S./Bulgaria) color/Cinemascope 102/75/69 minutes
Brown-Fox-Boyana Films / Bulgarian State Films/ Childhood Productions
Screenplay: Mende Brown
Cinematography by Dimo Kolarov
Music: Tony Velone
Directed by Mende Brown
The Clown & The Kids
by Kevin S. Butler
an Emmett Kelly biography