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MAC AND ME-1988-Widely panned as one of the worst movies ever made because of its ET rip offs and gratuitous product placing of McDonald's and Coca cola, this family oriented sci-fi comedy features a kid Eric (Jade Calegory) in a wheelchair who befriends a small alien being accidentally transported from his home planet to earth. They get into a lot of mischief and dangerous situations but have time for a big dance number at Mickey's D's which even features a cameo by Ronald McDonald himself! The tragic/happy ending was changed before release but remained in a Japanese version. 

Director Stuart Raffill had previously made THE ADVENTURES OF THE WILDERNESS FAMILY, ICE PIRATES and THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT.

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Talking Chimp

CARNIVAL MAGIC-1981-In this low budget family oriented film a struggling carnival is given new life when their main attraction becomes magician Markov the Magnificent (Don Stewart) and his talking chimp named Alex (played by Trudi the chimp). All goes well until a jealous lion tamer sells Alex to a doctor who wants to dissect him! All the circus rubes get together to rescue him. The chimp (who grumbles more than talks but considering the low budget that's about all they could do) drives a car. There's some romantic sub-plots but the acting and script are below average. It was filmed in North and South Carolina.

This was one of the last films directed by Al Adamson (who was killed in 1995) and features his real life wife Regina Carroll (about the only "name" in the cast) in her last role (she died in 1992). I don't think it has ever been released on VHS or DVD making it one of Adamson's least seen films but once again TCM came through and showed at 2 am one night! Adamson made his last film LOST 2 years later.

It ends with the promise of MORE CARNIVAL MAGIC but alas it was never to be...

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