Happy FIFTIETH Anniversary, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao!

Greetings, Friends & Fiends! Ye Olde Dragon here, bearing tides of celebration!

Today marks the Golden Anniversary of one of my favorite films, George Pal’s 7 FACES OF DR. LAO (1964). Including my review of Warner Archives’ DVD re-release, I’ve written quite a bit on this gem the last few years. It really is a great family film that has some very good, simple messages, the least of which is to not take everything at face value. Tony Randall has a tour-De-force playing the six magical circus acts and their mysterious ringmaster, Dr. Lao – who speaks broken English one moment, only to sound like a Shakespearean actor the next. Aside from the great cast, featuring performances from Barbara Eden, John Ericson and Arthur O’Connell (in a rare turn as a villain), the other major star of this film is the amazing make up wizardry of William Tuttle, who received an honorary Oscar for this film, before make up became a full fledged award-winning category. There’s a great vintage featurette on Tuttle’s process on the Warner Archives’ DVD. I can’t recommend this film any more than I already have! Check it out, by all means!