7 Faces of Dr. Lao

Released Mar 18, 1964

1 hr. 40 min.

Fantasy

List

86%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When the inscrutable Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) and his mystical Chinese medicine show roll into the Wild West settlement of Abalone, Arizona, he ends up in the middle of an ongoing feud between a ruthless land baron, Clint Stark (Arthur O'Connell), and an idealistic newspaper editor, Ed Cunningham (John Ericson). The shape-shifting Dr. Lao soon weighs in on the battle, as well as the problems of widowed librarian Angela (Barbara Eden) and her ambitious young son, Mike.

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Simon T

One of the oddest of George Pal's features. His final film sees Tony Randall as the enigmatic travelling Chinaman who arrives in the Western town of Abalone and conjures up a circus in order to shake up the local citizens, not least a crook who plans to defraud them all. The best elements - William Tuttle's make-up, Leigh Harline's music - are rather overshadowed by the boring subplots and extended whimsy, but it's still an interesting coda to the Hungarian Pal's career.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/08/24

Full Review

jamisean S

Movie is quirky, bizarre and delightful. A little ahead of its time. Shows Tony Randall's talent. Barbara Eden is talented and adds beauty, sex appeal and a soft touch (who doesn't love Ms. Eden in anything). Threads magic, fantasy, wonder, quirky characters and life's questions into a western theme- which is what makes it different and fun to watch. currently on TCM.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/24

Full Review

Rich J

Probably not conforming to modern views on racial stereotyping; it is a thoroughly enjoyable light relief movie. No car chases, explosions but some very dated special effects which add to the whimsy. You know it is a fish tale when you see it is set in abalone. Glorious fun.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/18/23

Full Review

Neil L

Been a favorite since childhood when my mother took me. Tony Randall is fantastic in it playing the various characters. I'm sure today people will find his portrayal of a chinese person offense but he plays it to put points across. For me definitely a feel good move. Simple, no real violence, no swearing, no nudity and relays a very good set of life lessons.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/04/23

Full Review

richard m

Tony Randall is absolutely amazing in his multiple roles here. The kindness and wisdom on full display makes this movie a 10 in my book. Those with a short attention span may miss its subtle nuggets of truth, and complain that it's "cheesy." Just as many in the audience at Dr. Lao's circus miss what the wise old soul is trying to teach them through his various incarnations. Ultimately though the good doctor is successful in bringing about the needed change in people's hearts. If only we could get a modern-day Dr. Lao to bring about change in our current divisive politics of hatred. When the world doesn't always cooperate, it's refreshing to escape to a fantasy movie that takes poetic license to give us a kinder world.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dave s

There's a good reason why you don't mix drama and romance and fantasy and comedy with Westerns. Why? It just doesn't fully work. Case in point: 7 Faces of Dr Lao. When the mysterious Dr Lao and his one-man circus roll into the dusty town of Abalone, he becomes involved in a land dispute between the naïve town folk and a greedy land developer. It's an interesting concept but there is so much going on that nothing really works all that well. There's a predictable romance that isn't all that romantic. Most of the comedy is slapstick and it falls flat. The drama is as predictable as the romance. Despite the drawbacks, Tony Randall is great as the shape-shifting Lao, the special effects are decent for the time period and the make-up is remarkable.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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George Pal

Director

Tony Randall

Dr. Lao

Barbara Eden

Angela Benedict

Arthur O'Connell

Clint Stark

John Ericson

Ed Cunningham

Noah Beery Jr.

Tim Mitchell

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Joyfully directed by the Hungarian-born animation maven George Pal.

Rated: B-

Aug 30, 2021

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...each set piece is dropped into the film with a thud.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 23, 2019

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

A strange, sporadically entertaining fantasy, which won the Honorary Oscar for Makeup: Tony Randall plays seven roles.

Rated: B-

Feb 20, 2013

Full Review

Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan

Tony Randall's best--a whimsical western

Rated: 5/5

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Carol Cling

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Rated: 3/5

Oct 17, 2003

Full Review

James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

a delightful, imaginative curio

Rated: 4/5

Nov 10, 2002

Full Review

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Synopsis

When the inscrutable Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) and his mystical Chinese medicine show roll into the Wild West settlement of Abalone, Arizona, he ends up in the middle of an ongoing feud between a ruthless land baron, Clint Stark (Arthur O'Connell), and an idealistic newspaper editor, Ed Cunningham (John Ericson). The shape-shifting Dr. Lao soon weighs in on the battle, as well as the problems of widowed librarian Angela (Barbara Eden) and her ambitious young son, Mike.

Director: George Pal
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: George Pal Productions
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 18, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009

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