Chairman Lao

Actor Tony Randall (1920-2004) is perhaps best acknowledged for his five year stint as television's first yet flippant obsessive-compulsive, Virgo from Hades, Felix Unger on the series version of Neil Simon's runaway hit The Odd Couple. And while this is the face most recognized, he had seven more - and within the same hour in George Pal's most fantastical western/circus adventure; 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

And yes while Felix Unger will be forever etched on our memories from those moments as seemingly harridan house-husband of Oscar Madison, there is perhaps no greater hour for the talenthouse, as the far-out far-Eastern eponymous medicine show man, and the archetypal master of disguise extraordinaire was he, and so effortless, to recall an earlier Alec Guinness's turn(s) in one of Ealing's true landmark efforts - Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) where Alec was essentially the whole film, and oh yeah
Dennis Price, he starred a little too. 

A Flash of the Pan.

  

It is indeed puzzling as to how Randall's 7 faces are kept hidden away, accumulating vault dust and bordering on celluloid atrophy, when it is by far one of the most majestic from casa MGM, a surprising faith restorer from the studios that were well past their magical prime. Few people I know even remember this one, which astonishes  me. Recently, a certain someone very special and myself, found ourselves in optical abandon, marveling at all of it's precocious wonder. Randall is the definitive chameleon, shape-shifting every which way, but never loose - as he went the gamut from iconic
figure to iconic figure, from Hellenic philosopher Appolonius of Tyana to the one who walked with mystery man, the God of joy, Pan, slithering into the Giant Serpent and yes, even a stone-cold Medusa, in which our protagonist du jour, slightly resembled a mid-80s incarnation of Boy George.

The Ringlings had nothing on Dr Lao.

There are even messages profound in it's 100 minute journey, such that you may well believe the good doctor was channeling that soothsaying one, Lao Tzu, as yet another in his plethora of personage. 



If you are waiting for this to present itself on television, it may be a very long grueling wait, however if you find yourself privy to this MGM gem, from any other source possible, find yourself there, please. And in those very immortal words of Emerson Lake and Palmer :You gotta see the show, it's a dynamo...