Carny (1980 film)

Carny is a 1980 drama film about a waitress who joins a traveling carnival. It stars Gary Busey, Jodie Foster, and Robbie Robertson. It also includes an early role for Fred Ward.

What it takes to keep the show open varies from town to town. In one town, its making good on a city officials losses gambling on the midway and giving a city councilor a pile of free passes to the carnival. In another, its compromising to allow the strippers to work, but keeping the freak show closed. In a third, it involves providing an underworld bosss thug with a girl he fancies. He also works to maintain harmony among the carnies. Patch is good at his job of patching together the deals that keep the carnival rolling and keeping the peace on the lot, but never likes being played for a fool.At one stand Donna Jodie Foster, a wayward bisexual 18yearold bored with small town life, strikes up a friendship with Frankie and at his invitation follows the carny onto the carnival circuit. Patch is less than happy with her presence, and would like her out of the picture. To get Patch off her back, she takes a job with the cooch show as a side girl, a backup dancer who does not actually take her clothes off. Patch plants the suggestion with Delno, the carny who runs the girlie show, that Donna wants to work strong be a stripper, in other words. When she is thrust onstage, she freezes and a brawl ensues. Afterwards, she covers with Heavy to keep Patch out of it, taking the blame for Patchs setting her up to fail herself. ........

Source: Wikipedia