Atriz do Circo

Marion Davies and Clark Gable makes movie enjoyable. It's not the best classic movie but if you have nothing to do and have 70 mins to spare you'll like it. It's short and sweet, if it was longer maybe that would of been a problem. Marion Davies always makes a film enjoyable. Movie Historians try to say that the only reason Marion was a movie star was because of her association with William Randolph Hearst, that's not true. Marion always gave good performances, if she didn't maybe I would think that. Marion was good with comedy and drama which she displays in this movie. Marion was a fine comedian, fine actress, great with facial expressions and gestures, and natural. This movie is a Marion Davies production. She was good with coming up with plots and stories and getting great cast. Clark Gable is good in whatever he is. This movie isn't his greatest. But Clark Gable fans would like to see this.

Polly of the Circus (1932)

** (out of 4)

Disappointing and way too corny romance between a bad girl trapeze artist (Marion Davies) and a preacher (Clark Gable). After an accident while working, Davies is forced to stay at the home of Gable and soon the two fall in love but the church objects to their relationship. This is an extremely disappointing film from MGM who certainly had better luck in their other 1932 film to be set in the circus and that of course would be Tod Browning's FREAKS. It's interesting to note that none of the circus performers from that film can be seen here. With that out of the way, this film here offers very little in terms of originality as it follows the same guidelines of countless other pre-code stories from the era. We know that opposites are going to attract. We know the church will object. We know this issue will cause problems in the relationship. We know what this is going to do and so on and so forth. The movie starts off rather good as the two stars work well together but it quickly falls apart and ends up being rather boring. Davies has a few strange line deliveries but for the most part she fits the role quite well. She's very believable as this character and brings a lot of life to it but the screenplay doesn't allow her too much as her character is written rather one sided. Gable gives another very impressive, pre-fame performance and I must admit that my respect for him grows each time I see one of these forgotten films on TCM. He manages to bring a lot of passion and fire to the role and delivers some nice work. C. Aubrey Smith is wasted as the Reverend who objects to the romance. Ray Milland can be seen quickly as an usher walking a drunk out of church. Fans of Davies and Gable might want to check this out but I'm sure most will be disappointed with this film that doesn't give the stars much to work with.

Davies stars as a trapeze artist who comes into contact with a young clergyman (Clark Gable). Eventually the two develop a relationship and much to his family's dismay, they marry.

The film begins to fall apart here with a series of long winded, hard to swallow scenes. The married couple has a falling out over his devotion to the church. Marion realizes for the first time that she is bad for her husband's career. This is so, despite the fact that she has been told this from the moment the two became interested in each other.

After stating her displeasure with his dedication to the church, she turns around and decides she must leave her husband so he can further his career. She is willing to do this because she loves him so much. Marion's plan is to divorce her husband, but when she is told by the reverend (played by C Aubrey Smith) that this is impossible she comes up with another plan. She will go back to the circus and fall during the trapeze act. Committing suicide so then she will no longer be a detriment to her husband's future.

As a rule, I have no problem with ridiculous melodrama. But the screenplay is weak and the acting staid. This film is based on an old chestnut of a play that was probably outdated when it was first filmed in 1917. The wrong side of the tracks girl and the clergyman is a great story in theory, but the film fails to make the relationship believable.

The year before,Gable had been a salvation army officer ("the laughing sinners") ;in "Polly of the circus" ,he took the plunge and became a minister .Like the precedent work ,it has not aged as well as "possessed" in which Gable played opposite Joan Crawford ,or even "men in white" .The problem is Gable's clergyman uncle who is not prepared to accept an acrobat (of the circus)as his niece :his nephew 's career -he went to college so he should become a bishop- would be in jeopardy and he would be relegated to selling Bibles for about twenty-five measly dollars a week.The best scenes are to be found in the circus ,complete with somersaults (without a safety net)

Marion Davies and her famous sugar daddy William Randolph Hearst selected a curious item for this film. Polly Of The Circus was a Broadway play in the first decade of the last century which must have been quite a sight. Looking at the original stage cast included a family of acrobats for this circus story. This was many years before Rodgers&Hart produced the ultimate circus show extravaganza, Jumbo.

The play was authored by Margaret Mayo and it premiered on New Year's Eve and ran 160 performances in 1908. Nine years later a film version was done starring Mae Marsh. The story is about a circus trapeze artist whose legs are on prominent display in the poster advertising offending the moral sensibilities of the church folks. The setting is Oneonta, New York and the local bishop of the Episcopal church (and I'm guessing by the vestments the domination)is headquartered there and played by C. Aubrey Smith.

Smith has a young nephew starting out in his church and he's played by Clark Gable. Gable's no more believable here as a minister than he was as a Salvation Army Worker opposite Joan Crawford in Laughing Sinners. But Gable was cast for sex appeal not saintliness.

Davies takes a fall off the trapeze and Gable takes her to his and Smith's house to mend. Of course they fall for each other and a nasty house servant played by Raymond Hatton spreads some vicious gossip. Smith has to listen to it and it derails Gable's promising career in the church.

I imagine Polly Of The Circus was probably something W.R. Hearst saw back in 1908 on stage and liked it and kept in mind for Marion Davies when he started seeing her. It's a quaint old fashioned play, the stuff that Hearst liked for Davies. It was old fashioned in 1932 and certainly is in 2009.