SYNOPSIS: Uninvited, a medicine show tags along with a traveling carnival and draws customers away, much to the displeasure of the carnival's ringmaster, who threatens the medicine show with violence. However, Maryan, the daughter of the carnival's owner, persuades her father to offer the medicine show people (Doc May and his wife, plus Garry, a singer) a role in the carnival instead. Needless to say, romance soon blossoms between Maryan and Garry, but Trixie – Maryan's partner in an aerial act – also has eyes for Garry and decides to sabotage this love affair.
COMMENT: Exuberantly produced on a budget which seems to have no limits, director, Joseph Santley does wonders with the first reel of this movie and for a while there, it seems we are in for a real treat. Our expectations are savaged, however, right at the beginning of the second reel when the camera focuses on, of all people, that disgrace to the entire acting profession, that squirmingly unfunny "comedian", Stepin Fetchit. In the space of one or two minutes, Mr Fetchit manages to efface all the goodwill inspired by the first reel. The movie never recovers, even though there are some good scenes ahead with both Fred Scott and Little Billy.
For some reason, the normally super-lovely, super-lively Dorothy Burgess is somewhat muted here, even though she has a main role to carry. No doubt producer and director were bending themselves double to "protect" Helen Twelvetrees, who looks old and haggard, and whose acting is more reminiscent of a silent photoplay than a sound film. A rather hammy and unlikely turn of the screw in the plot at the climax doesn't help either.
The movie still has its moments, but never regains the heights of that first tuneful, crowded with extras, slyly satirical first reel.
AVAILABLE on a middling DVD from Grapevine. The all-important first reel, most fortunately, is great, but quality tends to trickle downhill from there. Also the movie has been cut from 92 minutes to a mere 75. But maybe this is our good fortune. I suspect that more than a few of those missing minutes featured Mr Fetchit, who is given a tiresomely long-winded introductory scene but then virtually disappears. Also short-changed is Ben Turpin who "enjoys" a couple of fleeting close-ups -- and that's all!
COMMENT: Exuberantly produced on a budget which seems to have no limits, director, Joseph Santley does wonders with the first reel of this movie and for a while there, it seems we are in for a real treat. Our expectations are savaged, however, right at the beginning of the second reel when the camera focuses on, of all people, that disgrace to the entire acting profession, that squirmingly unfunny "comedian", Stepin Fetchit. In the space of one or two minutes, Mr Fetchit manages to efface all the goodwill inspired by the first reel. The movie never recovers, even though there are some good scenes ahead with both Fred Scott and Little Billy.
For some reason, the normally super-lovely, super-lively Dorothy Burgess is somewhat muted here, even though she has a main role to carry. No doubt producer and director were bending themselves double to "protect" Helen Twelvetrees, who looks old and haggard, and whose acting is more reminiscent of a silent photoplay than a sound film. A rather hammy and unlikely turn of the screw in the plot at the climax doesn't help either.
The movie still has its moments, but never regains the heights of that first tuneful, crowded with extras, slyly satirical first reel.
AVAILABLE on a middling DVD from Grapevine. The all-important first reel, most fortunately, is great, but quality tends to trickle downhill from there. Also the movie has been cut from 92 minutes to a mere 75. But maybe this is our good fortune. I suspect that more than a few of those missing minutes featured Mr Fetchit, who is given a tiresomely long-winded introductory scene but then virtually disappears. Also short-changed is Ben Turpin who "enjoys" a couple of fleeting close-ups -- and that's all!