King of the Carnival

Year Published: 1948

Creator: Saul Elkins

Complete Record: Starts with shots of the circus setting up, moving elephants around, clowns milling about, tents going up. A narrator explains that the dapper young guy in 1920s clothes we see on screen dreams of having a show of his own. He says farewell to a clown and there’s a fade from the young man to an old man in the present day, who is now the owner of a great carnival. We see overhead and crane shots of a 1940’s carnival with rickety looking rides, carousels, merry go rounds, etc. We see the carnival’s own railway train going along the tracks in style. We see the circus families on the train enjoying all the modern conveniences. The train unloads at a local fairground and we see the carnival being set up from each rail car. Great shots of performers practicing and kids enjoying vintage rides. There are some POV shots on tiny roller coasters. Neat shots of people doing motorcycle tricks. Finally we see the carnival at night with its neon lights on.