Here is a delightful, old-fashioned movie from the ’60s which is family-friendly, entertaining and peppered with gags that will make you laugh throughout. You get to sit in on a clown act from a circus in the comfort of your own home. Whizzo the clown is the prototype of a clown who fumbles around, makes you laugh, and comes up with a trick or two when you least expect it. This includes surprising the kids (and viewers) with flowers with the exclamation, “Hocus Pocus!” and climaxes with him taking the kids, dressed as circus performers, on a magic-carpet ride in the sky to the North Pole to visit Santa himself!

One of the most creative sequences involves the kids after they’re turned into circus performers. One child is dressed as a lion and a young boy acts as the lion tamer, snapping a pretend whip and the lion promptly does a back flip! We also have tight-rope walkers (don’t worry, they actually use a line on the floor!) as well as a ballet dancer and still more performers. They are fun to watch and the kids are obviously having loads of fun.

And that’s not all. Puppets are also featured and dancing dolls and a Christmas tree that lies flat and then rises to full height. Having grown up in the sixties, I recognized the clothes, hair-cuts, and glasses of the day. But fun is never out of date, and neither is this fun hour. It merits our Dove-approved Seal for All ages. Frank Wiziarde, who plays Whizzo and directed the film, was a former host of children’s TV series for many years and makes a great and lovable clown.

The Dove Take:

You and your family will laugh at the constant antics of Whizzo the lovable clown, along with the fantastic finish when the kids meet Santa Claus. The hour it takes to watch it will fly by! And the theme of the joy and laughter of the Spirit of Christmas being much more important than receiving gifts is … well, priceless!