TheLittleSongbird
There was some great talent here but not all of it is fully utilised. Texas Carnival has great moments but other ways it was underwhelming as well. Texas Carnival has some lavish Technicolor and colourful sets and costumes, so visually it's pleasing, and the incidental score is lovely. Texas Carnival does have some memorable scenes, standing out in particular were the imaginative dream water sequence, Skelton's hilariously nutty drunk routine, Ann Miller's dance with the xylophone in It's Dynamite and the riotous slapstick finale that has some very impressive stunt-work. Of the performers, the one who comes off best is Red Skelton, who is just fine and very funny while Ann Miller is sassy and dances a dream in It's Dynamite. Esther Williams is beautiful and pert and does wonderfully in the water sequence but for a film that was intended to be a vehicle for her this was not really great use of her talents. On the other side of the coin, Keenan Wynn is annoying and badly underplays the comedy at the same time and Howard Keel is wasted, he sings with such richness and beauty and he is a handsome presence but he deserved more songs and better ones too. The songs were pleasant but forgettable also, the most memorable being Deep in the Heart of Texas. The script was in serious need of sharper wit and the story is tired in concept and rambling in pace. The film is much too short as well and feels incomplete, with a feeling that a lot of the film was left on the cutting room floor. If that was the case that means we would most likely have seen more of Williams and Keel as we ought to have done. The ending is rushed and with little sense of surprise and Charles Walters' direction is sadly lethargic. All in all, has good moments but a very odd film that does waste some of the talent it has. 5/10 Bethany Cox
mark.waltz
That old silly plot device, mistaken identity, is utilized for this less than exciting MGM musical that tries to make us believe that two carnival performers can be confused for two rodeo star. Brother and sister Red Skelton and Esther Williams don't do anything to change the confusion since they get free room and board. With one of the rodeo performers (Howard Keel) actually there keeping their secret, all sorts of silly events occur. Throw in Ann Miller tapping, Keenan Wynn tossing out wisecracks and only one sequence with Williams swimming, and you see why I call this second-rate MGM. Miller's big number, "It's Dynamite", is more memorable for the fact that she dances on a xylophone than for the song itself. Skelton, sometimes too silly for today's taste, has one hysterically funny sequence trying to roll tobacco, but his rodeo stunt ride at the end is a repeat of things we've already seen, and not nearly as funny.Keel and Williams get the romance, but Keel's songs are forgettable. A rousing variation of "Deep in the Heart of Texas", also heard in the same year's "Rich, Young, and Pretty", is the musical highlight. A somewhat imaginative sequence where Keel fantasizes about Williams swimming in his hotel room makes you wonder if MGM had declared Chapter 11 this year because of the lack of spectacle usually associated with their musicals.
Michael O'Keefe
This musical comedy stars Red Skelton as Cornie, who teams with the ever attractive Esther Williams as his partner Debbie, who work a dunk tank at a carnival...not successfully. Cornie comes to the aid of an oil baron Dan Sabinas(Keenan Wynn), who has had too much to drink and takes a cab to Mexico before giving his car keys to the carnival worker. When Cornie tries to return the car to Dan's hotel, he is mistaken for the tycoon. This is when the fun really begins. Howard Keel plays Dan's ranch foreman; Texas CARNIVAL now becomes a legitimate musical. (At some point you will think this could have been just as good as a straight comedy). Others in the cast: Ann Miller, Tom Tully, Hans Conried, Thurston Hall and Glenn Strange. One of the highlights is a water ballet sequence. Ms. Williams couldn't look any finer.
vincentlynch-moonoi
I'm a tremendous fan of Red Skelton. And that's what it takes to get very excited about this film -- being a fan of Skelton, Esther Williams, or Howard Keel.Red Skelton does fine here. Enough slapstick to keep you interested. Esther Williams doesn't have a great swim routine until after mid-way through the film...although it's a nice one that is a sort of dream sequence with a lovely white flowing gown. Howard Keel's numbers are sort of hick-ish. Ann Miller is there, though I still don't understand what MGM saw in her...a horse of a woman that, in my view, wasn't that good a dancer. Keenan Wynn is sort of annoying here.The plot centers around two carnival sideshow workers who are mistaken for a rich Texan, but can't seem to get themselves out of the misunderstanding.The saving graces of the film include the aforementioned Williams swim routine (the only one in the film), the great drunk scene in the bar (no one was better at playing drunk than Red Skelton), and the chuck wagon race finale (which includes some pretty spectacular stunt riding).
AD
