Circus Daze

Poodles Hanneford was a circus clown, best known for his equestrian act. When the Weiss brothers decided to try him out for the movies in the waning days of silent comedy, they settled, in this short, on a circus background. And when this short is about circus gags, it is very good. Mr. Hanneford may remind the latter-day viewer a bit of Shemp Howard in his reactions, albeit without all the tics and squeaks -- which I always found more annoying than funny anyway. His falls and other stuntwork are fine, and were this short no more than those, it would be excellent, a documentary of the sort of clowning that went on in that era.

Unhappily, however, it is more than that, and lessened thereby. Mr. Hanneford's reactions are broad, suitable for a three-ring circus, but given the comparative intimacy of a movie screen, overly broad and mechanical. In addition, there are too many 'clever' titles early on that distract from the real fun -- including a version of the famous equestrian act with some too obvious wirework, but some real and beautiful falls.

Given time and patience, Mr. Hanneford might have developed into a worthwhile screen presence, but this was 1928 and silent comedy's days were numbered.

So see it for the circus gags and take some pleasure in survival of some real and distinctive entertainment.