Taglines: Where love is just another sucker’s game.
Carny movie storyline. Frankie and Patch are friends who work for the Great American Carnival, a small-time carnival that tours the South. Frankie does an act as The Mighty Bozo, a character who sits in a dunk tank insulting the crowd, while Patch takes the money and runs the game. Patch is also the show’s “adjuster,” hence his carny name, working with the owner of the carnival, Heavy St. John, negotiating deals with local officials and representatives of the local underworld to keep the show open.
What it takes to keep the show open varies from town to town. In one town, it is making good on a city official’s gambling losses on the midway and giving a city councilor a pile of free passes to the carnival. In another, it is compromising to allow the strippers to work, but keeping the freak show closed. In a third, it involves providing an underworld boss’s thug with a girl he fancies. He also works to maintain harmony among the carnies. Patch is good at his job of patching together the deals that keep the carnival rolling and keeping the peace on the lot, but never likes being played for a fool.
At one stand, Donna, an independent 18-year-old bored with small-town life, strikes up a friendship with Frankie and at his invitation follows the carny onto the carnival circuit. Patch is less than happy with her presence, and would like her out of the picture. To get Patch off her back, she takes a job with the strip show as a “side girl,” a backup dancer who does not actually take her clothes off.
Patch plants the suggestion with Delno, the carny who runs the girlie show, that Donna wants to “work strong”, i.e. be a stripper. When she is thrust onstage, she freezes and a brawl ensues. Afterwards, she covers with Heavy to keep Patch out of it, taking the blame for Patch’s setting her up to fail.
Carny is a 1980 drama film about a waitress who joins a traveling carnival. It stars Gary Busey, Jodie Foster, and Robbie Robertson. It also includes an early role for Fred Ward.
About the Story
Frankie (Gary Busey) and Patch (Robbie Robertson) are friends who work for the Great American Carnival, a small-time carnival that tours the South. Frankie does an act as The Mighty Bozo, a character who sits in a dunk tank insulting the crowd, while Patch takes the money, points out the next mark to milk of his money to the Bozo, and distributes the balls outside. Patch is also the show’s “adjuster,” hence his carny name, working with the owner of the carnival, Heavy St. John (Kenneth McMillan) negotiating deals with local officials and representatives of the local underworld to keep the show open.
What it takes to keep the show open varies from town to town. In one town, it’s making good on a city official’s losses gambling on the midway and giving a city councilor a pile of free passes to the carnival. In another, it’s compromising to allow the strippers to work, but keeping the freak show closed. In a third, it involves providing an underworld boss’s thug with a girl he fancies. He also works to maintain harmony among the carnies. Patch is good at his job of patching together the deals that keep the carnival rolling and keeping the peace on the lot, but never likes being played for a fool.
Carny (1980)
Directed by: Robert Kaylor
Starring: Gary Busey, Jodie Foster, Robbie Robertson, Meg Foster, Kenneth McMillan, Elisha Cook Jr., Tim Thomerson, Tina Andrews
Screenplay by: Phoebe Kaylor
Production Design by: William J. Cassidy
Cinematography by: Harry Stradling Jr.
Film Editing by: Stuart H. Pappé
Set Decoration by; Ray Molyneaux, Charles Pierce
Art Direction by: Josan F. Russo
Music by: Alex North
Distributed by: United Artists
Release Date: June 13, 1980
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