''Fearless Fagan'' is a 1952 comedy film directed by

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are '' On the Town,'' (1949) and ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), both of which he co-directed with Gene Kell ...

and stars

Janet Leigh Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, ...

and

Carleton Carpenter Carleton Upham Carpenter Jr. (July 10, 1926 – January 31, 2022) was an American film, television and stage actor, magician, songwriter, and novelist. Early and personal life Carpenter was born in Bennington, Vermont, where he attended Benni ...

. It is about a clown who is drafted into the military and tries to sneak his pet lion into the service. The film was inspired by the 12 Feb 1951

Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

story ''Fearless Fagan Finds a Home'' where Private Floyd D. Humeston requested an emergency 14-day furlough from Ft. Ord, California to take care of his pet lion. Fagan played himself with the army assigning Pvt Humeston to act as a technical adviser on the film.

Plot

Floyd Hilstown is working in a circus as a clown with a comical lion act when he finds out he's a

draft dodger Draft evasion is any successful attempt to elude a government-imposed obligation to serve in the military forces of one's nation. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to comply with the military draft laws of one's nation. Illegal draft ev ...

. He is given a chance to enlist, instead of going to jail, but he doesn't want to leave his best friend. The friend is one Fearless Fagan, a lion which Floyd has raised since he was four days old. The circus owner Owen Gillman suggests he buy the lion, after which Fagan would be worked as an ordinary lion by the circus lion tamer Emil Tacuchnitz, which doesn't sit well with Floyd. Floyd joins the army and hides Fagan somewhere on the base. All goes well until Abbey Ames, who is on the base to entertain the troops, stumbles on Floyd and Fagan playing in the woods. Frightened, she gives her word to keep Fagan's presence a secret, but soon appears in the woods with Colonel Horne and troops in search of the lion. When Fagan is found Sgt. Kellwin, Captain Daniels and Colonel Horne try to help Floyd find the lion a home. After an exhaustive search a home is found with the Ardley's. By this time Floyd has professed his love to Abbey and she is starting to have feelings for him even though she believes him to be a bit touched. Fagan escapes his cage and creates some humorous havoc along his way back to Floyd. After he is recaptured the Army gives Floyd the choice of selling Fagan to his old circus troop or euthanasia. When Emil comes to pick up Fagan he cracks the whip and is promptly attacked. The lion is wounded by a soldier and Floyd knows a wounded lion will kill so he takes a pistol and knows what he must do. Once he finds the lion he can't pull the trigger and is himself attacked but quickly calms Fagan down. Floyd wakes up in the hospital to find Sgt. Kellwin, who tells him he's to receive a medal and a ten-day pass. He also tells Floyd that Fagan is alive and Abbey has taken him to Hollywood. Floyd arrives at Abbey's home and to his horror discovers a lion skin rug. Abbey then appears and leads Floyd to the outdoor pool where they find Fagan jumping from the diving board and swimming to safety.

Cast

as Abbey Ames *

as Pvt. Floyd Hilstown of Company J *

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most ...

as Sgt. Kellwin of Company J *

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. Among his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin ( Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers ( Lindsay Wagner) i ...

as Capt. Daniels of Company J *

Ellen Corby Ellen Hansen Corby (June 3, 1911 – April 14, 1999) was an American actress and screenwriter. She played the role of Esther "Grandma" Walton on the CBS television series '' The Waltons'', for which she won three Emmy Awards. She was also ...

as Mrs. Ardley * Fearless Fagan as himself * Barbara Ruick as Nurse * John Call as Mr. Ardley *

Robert Burton Robert Burton (8 February 1577 – 25 January 1640) was an English author and fellow of Oxford University, who wrote the encyclopedic tome '' The Anatomy of Melancholy''. Born in 1577 to a comfortably well-off family of the landed gentry, Bur ...

as Owen Gillman * Wilton Graft as Col. Horne *

Parley Baer Parley Edward Baer (August 5, 1914 – November 22, 2002) was an American actor in radio and later in television and film. Despite dozens of appearances in television series and theatrical films, he remains best known as the original "Cheste ...

as Emil Tacuchnitz * Jonathan Cott Cpl. Geft of Company J

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $722,000 in the US and Canada and $228,000 overseas resulting in a loss of $324,000.

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

found the movie "...a highly amusing comedy, the kind that will provoke uproarious laughter."

References

External links

* * * *
"Fearless Fagan: Portrait of the Lion as a Young Actor"

. {{Charles Lederer 1952 films 1952 comedy films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American comedy films Films with screenplays by Charles Lederer Military humor in film Films about lions American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Stanley Donen 1950s American films