Pathe had so much faith in it's two newest signings (Helen Twelvetrees and Fred Scott) that 4 months after introducing them in "The Grand Parade" they were re-teamed in a circus story with songs "Swing High". Helen more than went on to justify the faith the studio had in her but Scott eventually ended up as a singing cowboy, he had a lusty singing voice but no "special something". The supporting cast was mainly made up of old timers (Dot Farley, George Fawcett, Chester Conklin and Ben Turpin) and a couple of youngsters who the year before probably thought their ship had come in. Sally Starr was an MGM discovery, talked about as a pocket sized version of Clara Bow. In January 1930 she was giving interviews about her method of cracking the big time - early to bed, no night clubbing until after she's a big star but unfortunately it didn't work because by May she was struggling in the supporting players of "Swing High". Roumanian born Nick Stuart was given even less to do but the year before he had leads!!!
The story was set in 1880 and was all about the life and loves of a troupe of travelling circus players of whom the star is aerialist Maryan (Twelvetrees). Garry (Scott) is a singer in a medicine man show and his rendition of "My Guitar and You" brings him and Maryan together and also convinces her that the two shows should combine. With the joy of being around Garry (he agrees and thinks "There's Happiness Over the Hill") comes change and heartache. Maryan's trapeze partner, Ruth (Starr) and Billy (Stuart) are keen to marry and leave the show so enter vampy Miss Trixie (Dorothy Burgess). She catches the eye of Major Tiny (Little Billy), the circus midget, and is very scathing to him - until she sees his bank book!! She spins the old yarn about a sick grandmother and before you know it he has given her all his savings and serenaded her with a particularly creepy song "Do You Think I Can Grow On You". Their strange "affair" is reminiscent of the much more sinister pairing in "Freaks" (1932).
Gary has a vice - he is a gambler and when Maryan is off recuperating from a fall (he has just sung her another dreary love song "It Must Be Love", in his very fruity baritone, there are close-ups of Helen biting her lips, trying to hold back the tears - she must have wanted to scream!!) - he goes to the dogs. When the circus payroll goes missing he is the chief suspect and there are more thrills in the last 15 minutes when Maryan overhears a conversation and wrangles a confession from the real thief the only way she knows how, up on the high wire!!!
The performance of Stepin Fetchit may be cringeworthy but he was one of the first black actors to gain a foothold in Hollywood. He had perfected the character of the slow moving, slow speaking servant, always a slave to the whims of the white folk, from his stage days but in later years was vilified for his caricatures. On the other hand an unbilled Clarence Muse (who enhanced every film he appeared in) had the best moment in the movie with his spirited spiritual "Shoo the Hoodoo Away".
The story was set in 1880 and was all about the life and loves of a troupe of travelling circus players of whom the star is aerialist Maryan (Twelvetrees). Garry (Scott) is a singer in a medicine man show and his rendition of "My Guitar and You" brings him and Maryan together and also convinces her that the two shows should combine. With the joy of being around Garry (he agrees and thinks "There's Happiness Over the Hill") comes change and heartache. Maryan's trapeze partner, Ruth (Starr) and Billy (Stuart) are keen to marry and leave the show so enter vampy Miss Trixie (Dorothy Burgess). She catches the eye of Major Tiny (Little Billy), the circus midget, and is very scathing to him - until she sees his bank book!! She spins the old yarn about a sick grandmother and before you know it he has given her all his savings and serenaded her with a particularly creepy song "Do You Think I Can Grow On You". Their strange "affair" is reminiscent of the much more sinister pairing in "Freaks" (1932).
Gary has a vice - he is a gambler and when Maryan is off recuperating from a fall (he has just sung her another dreary love song "It Must Be Love", in his very fruity baritone, there are close-ups of Helen biting her lips, trying to hold back the tears - she must have wanted to scream!!) - he goes to the dogs. When the circus payroll goes missing he is the chief suspect and there are more thrills in the last 15 minutes when Maryan overhears a conversation and wrangles a confession from the real thief the only way she knows how, up on the high wire!!!
The performance of Stepin Fetchit may be cringeworthy but he was one of the first black actors to gain a foothold in Hollywood. He had perfected the character of the slow moving, slow speaking servant, always a slave to the whims of the white folk, from his stage days but in later years was vilified for his caricatures. On the other hand an unbilled Clarence Muse (who enhanced every film he appeared in) had the best moment in the movie with his spirited spiritual "Shoo the Hoodoo Away".