TRAVELING SIDESHOW: SHOCKED & AMAZED

($5 Screening)
Friday, May 7, 11:00 PM, Charles Theatre 2

Director: Jeff Krulik

Cast: Ward Hall, Matt Hely, Felicity Bouvier, "Molotov' Bouvier, Bobby Reynolds, Johnny Fox, Hovey Burgess, Joe Coleman, The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

Country: U.S.
Year: 2003
Running Time: 50 minutes + extra footage
Format: Beta SP

 

This documentary - based on and around James Taylor's book series, Shocked and Amazed On and Off the Midway - is an effort to preserve sideshow history, and pay tribute to the great performers and human oddities of past and present. Carnival and circus sideshow history is explored through historical footage and photos, and recent interviews featuring the likes of Ward Hall, Bobby Reynolds, Joe Coleman, and The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. Plus don't miss the record breaking Big Swallow-- the most swords ever swallowed by sword swallowers at the same time! Partially shot in Baltimore during the American Dime Museum's third anniversary party at MICA!

Also showing: A short tribute to Baltimoreon Robert White--one of the most remarkable collectors of all-time--famous for his collections of shrunken heads, famous hair locks, even Hollywood Oscars, not to mention the greatest private collection of JFK memorabilia ever assembled. He passed away suddenly last year at 54. He was a gracious and friendly man, and this short reel from a March 1994 visit is but a small testament to his grand vision.

Rounding out the program will be weird and unusual footage from the Planet Krulik archives, including selections from a proposed TV show called NUT MAGNET. Plus, stick around to see - live in person - sideshow acts performed before your very eyes! Don't miss Charon, one of less than a half-dozen female sword-swallowers in the world!

-- Skizz Cyzyk

Presented By: Jeff Krulik (director), James Taylor (author), Kathleen Kotcher (author)
Washington DC-based filmmaker Jeff Krulik has spent nearly two decades turning his camera on segments of America that are not often represented, resulting in an impressive collection of ironic pop-culture documentaries. Among his best known: I Created Lancelot Link, The Scott & Gary Show, Ernest Borgnine On The Bus, Hitler’s Hat and the cult classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot. He is a 2004 recipient of the Peter C. Rollins Film Award for Outstanding Contributions in Documentary Filmmaking by the Popular Culture Association.

Since 1973, James Taylor‘s Dolphin-Moon Press has been publishing unusual works of literature and the visual and auditory arts. His book series, "James Taylor's SHOCKED AND AMAZED! - On & Off the Midway," devoted to the history of novelty and variety exhibition, showcases the history of strange, bizarre, weird and unusual entertainment. He is a co-founder of the American Dime Museum, has been featured on virtually every major media outlet, and in his spare time, he works full-time for the government, teaches college part-time, and is finishing a novel.

Kathleen Kotcher is the editor of "James Taylor's SHOCKED AND AMAZED! - On & Off the Midway." She also writes the Net Freak Alert, an online column on the weird and unusual in the entertainment business. She lives in Washington DC with her husband Ivan and her two little dogs, Perro and Cuy, distant cousins of Toto.