Hoopla

A brazen fairground dancer finds herself falling for the son of the show's manager after accepting $100 to make him fall for her. Clara Bow's final movie sees her give a winning performance, even though her brassy showgirl is no romantic fit for Richard Cromwell's wet-behind-the-ears youth. The movie starts out strongly, but becomes increasingly formulaic as its story unfolds. Worth watching just to see the fat lady being loaded onto the train!

Hoopla is a talkie remake of The Barker, a famous play of the day that was made into a hit silent/part-talkie starring Betty Compson (Oscar nomination) who played Carrie while Dorothy Mackaill played Lou. Here Bow plays the lead role of Lou, a good-time carnival girl who, on a bet, chases after the boss' innocent son only to fall in love. Bow is remarkable in her final film and follow-up to the sensational Call Her Savage (1932). Her vitality and sexuality jump off the screen and make her very contemporary. She's also a fine actress, able to jump from comedy to drama easily. She rivaled Jean Harlow in her ability to make audience like tramps. As the hoochie koochie dancer, Bow gets to do a couple of numbers. Her final costume is a doozie. The cast is quite good. Hunky Preston Foster is wonderful as the boss and father of the innocent boy. He's aged about 10 year but carries the part well. Minna Gombell as Carrie, Florence Roberts as the fortune teller, James Gleason, Herbert Mundin are good, but Richard Cromwell is a bit gooey. If not for personal problems, Clara Bow could have had a great career in talkies. Too bad.

Fresh-faced student Richard Cromwell (as Chris Miller) jumps off a train, to join father Preston Foster (as Nifty Miller)'s traveling carnival. Mr. Foster wants his son to stay away from the sleazy side-show folk, and pursue his interest in becoming a lawyer; but, Mr. Cromwell wants to spend some quality time with his dad. With the kid around, Foster must move bed-partner Minna Gombell (as Carrie) to other quarters; so, she slips under the covers with Clara Bow (as Lou). Ms. Gombell doesn't appreciate losing her bed-space to Cromwell; so, she asks Ms. Bow to seduce him. Bow says she doesn't want to be a "cradle robber", but changes her mind for $100.00.

Bow and Cromwell try to make it believable, after her swimming scene (to their credit); but, watching them is like watching Mae West seduce Charles Ray. A re-make of "The Barker" doesn't seem like an inappropriate vehicle; however, "Hoop-la" exploits the plumper Bow's past and (at the time) notoriety. This is precisely the kind of exploitation Bow should have been moving away from, at this point in her career. Not an awful film, all things considered. But not enough for Bow to carry on after all the "Hoop-la". So Bow, born within only two years of Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and Katharine Hepburn… sadly, retired.

***** Hoop-la (11/30/33) Frank Lloyd ~ Clara Bow, Richard Cromwell, Preston Foster

The extraordinarily fortuitous fact of being an existant does beguile and entrance us all into the illusion of a vibrant and eternal immortality. Thus Clara Bow in HOOPLA. Time illumines our vibrancy, then by a thousand surreptitious cuts does eventually slay each of us diminution by infinitesimal diminution. Thus did time to the irrepressible Clara Bow.

It's a tragedy that this should be Clara Bow's final film. She certainly had many years of good work ahead of her. She lights up the screen whenever she appears. She has wonderfully dramatic as well as comedic scenes here. Unfortunately, as much cannot be said about other cast members performances. Her final "snake hips" costume is the most revealing onscreen apparel of her career.