A showmen team is mistaken for a cattle baron and his sister.A showmen team is mistaken for a cattle baron and his sister.A showmen team is mistaken for a cattle baron and his sister.
Foy Willing
- Band Leader Foy Willing
- (as Foy Willing and His Orchestra)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt the time "Texas Carnival" was filmed, Red Norvo's quintet included an African-American musician, bassist Charles Mingus, and when they recorded their number for this film (backing Ann Miller on "It's Dynamite") Mingus played on the soundtrack. But when the number was filmed, MGM executives insisted that a white bassist substitute for Mingus on screen.
- GoofsDuring the chuck wagon race the Texas flag on the announcers stand is upside down.
- Quotes
Cornie Quinell: You were just a chorus girl.
Debbie Telford: I was a *happy* chorus girl.
- Crazy creditsRed Norvo's Quintet is billed as the Red Norvo Trio.
- ConnectionsFeatured in That's Entertainment! III (1994)
Featured review
Friendly and occasionally lively...all it needed was a wittier script
Penniless carnival barker Red Skelton and chorine-turned-dunking girl Esther Williams are mistaken for millionaires and are forced to enter a Chuck Wagon race to eradicate a gambling debt. Modest M-G-M comedy-musical filmed in Technicolor looks just as good as the studio's more-popular output--what was needed, however, was a screenplay with bigger laughs and stronger characterizations. Skelton juggles, sings, and performs some pleasing comedy shtick, but he's too polite here; director Charles Walters keeps Red reigned-in so much that a nutty drunk routine late in the movie seems out of place. Williams has a nifty fantasy number where she appears to pole-dance underwater (!), while Ann Miller has one great tap-dance sequence accompanied by a mad xylophone. Isolated moments of fun linked by the barest minimum of plot, though the wild slapstick finale nearly makes up for the picture's deficiencies. **1/2 from ****
helpful•41
- moonspinner55
- Apr 12, 2010
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,684,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 17 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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