SoftInloveRox
Horrible, fascist and poorly acted
Numerootno
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
Aubrey Hackett
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Jemima
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Sparky48
I never knew this 50s' TV series existed until I saw it for the first time on the "Antenna TV" channel several weeks ago. Well, all I can say is that over the years, I hadn't missed much.In my opinion, the only interesting aspect of this show is seeing Mickey Dolenz in the title role playing an orphan working in a circus as an animal trainer. (Dolenz of course would go on to achieve much greater fame as an adult as the drummer for the 60s' rock group the Monkees.) Aside from seeing Dolenz as a small child, this series doesn't offer much else. As with most TV sitcoms from the 50s, time has done a great deal of harm to "Circus Boy." Many of the story lines of various episodes are overly sentimental and, by today's standards, ludicrously naive. It's really no wonder that this short-lived series only lasted two seasons."Antenna TV" should up its game by providing better quality programming.
bkoganbing
The Circus Boy series bore no small resemblance to Rin Tin Tin and that's not surprising since they both came from Columbia Studio's television unit. In Rin Tin Tin small boy Rusty and a German Shepherd puppy who grew up to be Rinty was found after a wagon train massacre and the soldiers at Fort Apache made him an official mascot.And that's what happened with Mickey Dolenz here who was then known as Mickey Braddock. He was an orphan who lived and traveled with the circus owned by Big Tim Champion as played by Robert Lowery during the gaslight era. They did the western circuit so a lot of western type plot situations could be used.It was not a bad series and what a life for Mickey. He lived with Noah Beery, Jr. who was a clown. His other good friend and fourth and last series regular was Guinn Williams who was the head roustabout for the show.It wasn't a Barnum&Bailey type show, but it was a small circus and life really seemed good. And unlike Rin Tin Tin you didn't have the Indians to contend with. Too bad it only lasted two seasons, but it was only when The Monkees debuted in the Middle Sixties that I learned that our Circus Boy was not a real blond.It must have been just as devastating for nineties fans to learn that Mark-Paul Gosselaar was not a California blond either.
palther
Loved this program as a youngster. Once had a book based on it too. Had not realized "Corky" went on to star with the Monkees(a vastly underrated group IMO). Good, wholesome entertainment from the "Leave it to Beaver" era. Would love to see it come out on DVD. It was never dull-there were often tense moments. It was drama , not comedy."Big Tim" was the most memorable of the other characters. And then there was a lady who played Corky's real mother, and wanted him to leave the circus in some episodes. And of course there was the circus animals.Are there other "Circus Boy" fans out there? Maybe we can get something going on the Message Board.
Albert Mazeika
CIRCUS BOY, starring future "Monkees" drummer/singer Mickey Dolenz (then as billed as Mickey Braddock)in the title role, spent the 1956-57 Prime Time TV Season on NBC and the next on ABC. I enjoyed it when it re-ran on Saturday mornings thru 1960. There could be 70+ episodes of CIRCUS BOY as back in those days they produced as many as 39 new episodes a season. Nowadays, costs being what they are, you're fortunate to get 20-24. The Circus Boy was Corky, an orphan taken in by Big Tim Champion's turn of the 19th century Circus. He was water boy for Bimbo, a baby Elephant. As a 7 or 8 year old at the time, I found the show quite fascinating and, of course, envied Corky to no end. I mean, who wouldn't want a pet elephant? Coincidently (?) Disney released the popular, similarly-themed TOBY TYLER in 1960. Source Material: THE COMPLETE DIRECTORY TO PRIME TIME NETWORK & CABLE SHOWS.