The Circus Clown

Too bad they deleted the scenes with William Demarest... he always added zing to any films he did. And it's only a 63 minute shortie as it is. They must hardly ever show this one on Turner Classics - as of today, it only has two summary comments and 44 votes on quality. All-round average guy Joe Brown who could do any role and really DID start out as a circus performer, plays a circus performer AND his own dad in this one; at one point we even see them sitting next to each other. Brown had been in films for six years by now, and played several lead roles where the hero could do everything, with an "aw shucks" attitude. In our story, Happy (Brown) has a crush on Miss Latour, (who isn't who she seems to be), as well as half the girls in the circus...i had a hard time figuring out who was who. Like most of his films from the 30s, Brown carries the show. This role is a little more serious, without the constant gags in most of his films and shorts. Happy takes the blame for something early on, and pays the price later. Keep an eye on Don Dillaway, who was in films for almost 40 years, but played mostly uncredited roles... has a supporting role here. Not a whole lot of plot here, just a sad sack falling for someone who doesn't pay him much attention...Some funny jokes on famous names on the background signs... "Bingham Brothers Circus" (Ringling Brothers) and "Busby Bixley Productions" (Busby Berkeley). It ends rather abruptly with some un-answered questions, but it IS just a fun, cute, love-story shortie. Directed by Ray Enright, who had worked extensively for Mack Sennett; Sennett was one of the original producer/directors in the film industry. Written by Kalmar and Ruby, who had written several of the Marx Brothers films, so I expected a little more.... and if you re a Joe Brown fan, ya GOTTA see the ending of "Some Like it Hot", where Joe Brown has a fun but tiny little part...

Joe E. Brown plays a dual role as young acrobat Happy and his father Chuck. In the opening scene we see Chuck Howard telling his old boss at the circus that he wants no circus posters put on his establishment. Apparently Chuck has some ill feeling toward his old employer and furthermore doesn't want young Happy anywhere near a circus. Yet, for some strange reason Chuck takes Happy to the circus anyways. Happy is enthralled with the excitement of the place and hides away in a container when the circus ships out. When found, his dad's old boss lets him stay on with the show, although it is not exactly the glamorous life he was hoping for. Instead Happy is relegated to caring for the circus animals and running errands.

One misunderstanding leads to another, and in between misunderstandings the circus folk here are just plain mean to Happy which is difficult to understand since Happy is a very nice if naive guy. There are several somewhat precode situations that don't quite play out and I have a feeling the release date probably has something to do with that - it went into release virtually at the very time the production code went into effect, so probably some of the cut scenes would yield some welcome background information. One particularly puzzling part of the story has to do with Happy's dad. In the first scene Chuck's old boss seems to admire him, he actually hires his son, but in the scenes we see Happy and the circus boss together he is calling Happy useless and joining the rest of the troupe in making a mockery of him. Why would he treat the son of an old friend that way? The circus boss mentions that alcohol ended Happy's father's career, but no further explanation or details are ever given.

Because this film reels somewhat unpredictably between comedy and pathos, it really gives Joe E. Brown a chance to show his range and he meets the challenge well. Plus he gets to display his acrobatic abilities quite a bit here, even showing off the two and a half turn somersault in the air that he was famous for in his vaudeville days. The dual role works too as Happy and Chuck really do seem to be two different people - the eager young acrobat and his father who wants to save his son from the bad experiences he had, yet can't help being proud when he follows in his footsteps.

There are no other big names of the day in this film - Brown is really the only star - yet there are a couple of interesting cameos. First there is Lee Moran who is playing a bit part here as he did in quite a few of the early talking Warner Brothers films - he had a kind of Ned Sparks-like persona. Next, a very young Ward Bond can be spotted at the end of the film as an obnoxious and unimpressed member of the audience as the circus performs.

NIT HAQVING BEEN even thought of during the period of Joe E. Brown's salad days in Hollywood, we really didn't know just what he meant to audiences of the Depression ridden 1930s or the World War II period in the 1940s. Pf course we knew who he was, mainly from Television guest starring shots on the many variety shows and on WHAT'S MY LINE? His old films were shown occasionally; but at late hours when good little Baby Boomer Generation kids were up in slumberland.

IN MORE RECENT years ('recent' extending back to those 1970s), we started to have the good fortune to screen his comedies from the 1930s, 1940s. Titles such as: EARTHWORN TRACTORS, ALIBI IKE and THE GLADIATOR were the order of the day. We found ourselves to be very fortunate to have access to some film revival venues such as the Clark Theatre, the Film Center of the Art Institute of Chicago and Northwest Federal Savings Saturday evenings' screenings.

ADDED TO THE mix was a sudden explosion in interest books and various periodicals which were devoted to film history. We were all familiar with the plethora of "movie magazine" that were available down at the corner newsstand at the Damen Drug Store, but we also knew that these were really "tabloid type" gossip trash, with little historical material in them.

SO THAT BRINGS us right up to this recent viewing of THE CIRCUS CLOWN (First National/Vitaphone, 1934) via the good facilities of our cable TV provider and Turner Classic Movies. This was one Joe E. Brown outing that we had not even herd of, let alone having seen it. We find that Mr. Brown's screen persona had remained very much the same, even when his characters' names, locales and stations in life did. Be sure, he always managed to give his audience at least some snippets of his famous abilities in yelling.

AS FOR OUR story, we find Joe in a double role of Happy Howard and his father. His life is one o e farm, but he longs to join the circus and become the star that his father hadn't. He does get his chance and, being a rather naive, generously helpful albeit somewhat inept sort of fellow. He get's himself in the crossfire of some "bad girl" type and even a female impersonator(!!), before he finally finds his way to his true love. THE END

ONE OF THE most interesting attributes of this picture is the manner in which the production team manages to display Joe E. Brown's amazing abilities as an acrobat. Mr. Brown was truly a gifted athlete, who also spent a great part of his early life in circus and vaudeville troops performing tumbling, trapeze and trampoline routines & stunts. He also was a professional baseball player in the minor leagues; who turned down a contract with the NY Yankees (Babe Ruth. Lou Gehrig & Murderers Row).

THAT THIS MAN maintained such a high degree of physical fitness was a tribute to his dogged determination and devotion to exercise. And he did so in spite of a problem with alcoholism.

BUT. WE ONCE again digress. Just see it, at least once, honest Schultz!

A pretty aerialist doesn't know that THE CIRCUS CLOWN who's taken her drunken brother's place on the trapeze is actually the goofy animal keeper who loves her.

Comic Joe E. Brown is in his element in the fantasy world of the circus. Not only does he get to play two roles--father & son--he also performs difficult & dangerous stunts on the trapeze, proves himself most proficient on the trampoline and works with lions, elephants and one very large hippo. In addition, Brown acts as the target for a highly jealous knife thrower. In short, he has a marvelous time, and, with the help of good production values and a little touch of sweet sentiment, he brings the viewers along for the fun.

In a story wrinkle which strangely forecasts Brown's involvement in SOME LIKE IT HOT decades later, Joe suffers a rather bizarre but heartfelt infatuation for a female impersonator, played by Donald Dilloway. Patricia Ellis provides the more acceptable romantics as the fetching high flyer.

Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled Ward Bond as an unwisely opinionated spectator at the end of the film.

This Joe E. Brown film is a pleasant one but if you are expecting comedy, there really aren't many laughs. Instead, Brown plays it much more for pathos and it's a film that is much more about characters than laughs.

When the film begins, you see that Happy Howard (Brown) is eager to go off to work at the circus but his father (also played by Brown) discourages him, as he was once a circus performer but has bitter memories about it. Despite his dad's advice, Happy joins the Bingham Brothers Circus and mostly does odd jobs...all the while working on a circus act on his own. Unfortunately, late in the film after Happy makes good with his act, he also makes a STUPID decision to help Frank, the alcoholic clown...and ends up getting thrown out of the circus. Can he possibly return and make good?

Brown was nice here...less brash and obnoxious than he could be (such as in "Alibi Ike")...so the fact that the laughs are few and far between doesn't seem to matter too much. Not a great film but an enjoyable and pleasant one.