(1952)
2
Craig Butler
Based upon a true story, Fearless Fagan is an amiable little animal picture that will appeal greatly to children. Adults may like it as well, but they should be warned that Fagan is an awfully "cute" movie, with lots of shots of the title lion doing adorable things and behaving in a manner that is intended to push the "Aw, isn't he too sweet" buttons? There's nothing wrong with this, of course, but charm is really all that the screenplay has going for it; despite the contributions of Charles Lederer, there's not a lot of meta to the story, and the situations that it sets up turn out pretty much as one expects: the private is not going to be believed by his sergeant, and the lion is going to cause all sorts of unintentional and hopefully amusing trouble. Fortunately, the cast is long on charm as well. Carleton Carpenter may not be an actor of immense range, but he has the requisite appeal that the role calls for. Likewise, Janet Leigh is not greatly challenged by her part, but she does it very well, and gets to perform the great Hugh Martin-Ralph Blane number "What Do You think I Am?". Keenan Wynn is appropriately blustery, and Stanley Donen's direction is smooth and assured.
cast-crew for Fearless Fagan on AllMovie
Fearless Fagan (1952)
