L'Amour et la bête

A variation of Kid Galahad but without the Bogart character and the boxing. Humphrey Bogart plays the owner of a circus and Sylvia Sidney is his girl. The circus isn't very big and their lion tamer is always drunk. When a lion escapes and goes into a town, Eddie Albert winds up holding the lion back until Bogart shows up to get it. Bogart hires Albert as an assistant to the lion tamer but when the lion tamer gets really drunk, Albert has to go on by himself. He's a success and the other lion tamer is fired. The lion that escapes is very vicious and winds up killing a guy and when Albert goes to stay with Bogart's family after he is injured, Bogart gets an idea in his dead. The first part of the movie is pretty good but the ending is pretty obvious and also pretty bad.

Humphrey Bogart runs a circus but doesn't want his kid sister Joan Leslie to have anything to do with circus men. Enter grocery clerk-turned-lion tamer Eddie Albert, who "aww shucks" his way to Joan's heart while also making an impression on Bogie's woman Sylvia Sidney. Lots of drama under the big top in this one. It's essentially a remake of 1937's Kid Galahad, a boxing film with the same plot. Bogart was also in that picture, only he played the villain there. This lesser Bogie pic came out between two of his classics, High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon. It obviously doesn't compare to either of those movies but it's pleasant enough for what it is. The WB flavor and circus setting help some. Bogie sells his part well as a guy who's neither all good nor all bad. Sidney is lovely and gives a nice sensitive performance. Leslie is also good in her small role. For his part, Eddie Albert does fine as the innocent hayseed bumpkin with a heart of gold. The solid supporting cast includes Sig Ruman, Frank Wilcox, and John Ridgely. It's an OK movie, especially for fans of Bogart or the kinds of dramas Warner Bros. put out in the '30s and '40s. But it's not remarkable in any way and the ending stinks.

Wagons Roll at Night, The (1941)

** (out of 4)

Circus promoter Nick Coaster (Humphrey Bogart) finds himself in trouble when a dangerous lion escapes his act but a grocery clerk (Eddie Albert) ends up saving the day. Nick, seeing the possibility for money, hires the kid on as a lion trainer but soon jealously gets involved as Nick's girlfriend (Sylvia Sidney) starts to fall for the kid but even worse is when his sister (Joan Leslie) falls for him. This film really comes off as a watered down version of Kid Galahad, which also featured Bogart in a supporting role. If you've seen that earlier film with Edward G. Robinson and Bette Davis (or the later Elvis remake) then you're going to know all the twists and turns that this film offers. The one thing this film has going for it is seeing the pre-fame Bogart playing this type of role so fans of the actor might get a kick out of this thing. I've read that Bogart really hated this film but he's actually not too bad in it. He certainly isn't giving a classic performance but he does a good job showing off his tough side and again, it's always fun seeing him in this type of role. Sidney ends up stealing the film as his troubled girlfriend who wants a better life outside the circus. She comes off very charming in her role and add a lovely realism to her character. Albert is also very good in his role and really comes across well as that bright eyed kid who is about to learn a lesson in life. There are some nice touches of humor thrown in including a great sequence when the lion escapes and wonders into Albert's grocery store. A woman is sniffing limburger cheese when she first sees the beast and Albert's reaction to what happens is great. It's also worth noting that this is the first film in which Bogart received top-billing so that's one historic reason, which might draw people to watch this.

A Lion escapes from Humphrey Bogart's circus during a performance in a small town. It wanders into a grocery store where Eddie Albert is clerking. He manages to trap the lion behind a counter and gets a lot of plaudits and an offer from Bogart to work in his circus.

But jealousy rears its ugly head as Bogart's sister Joan Leslie and his girl friend Sylvia Sidney both fall for who Bogart considers a nice kid, but a hick.

The Wagons Roll at Night was a transitional film between two acclaimed Bogart productions High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon. It was NOT the first time Bogart received number one billing. He did in a few other films like Black Legion for example. But with the acclaim he got from High Sierra, Jack Warner put him in this before the highly touted Dashiell Hammett adaption, I guess as a trial run.

The plot is based on Kid Galahad where oddly enough Bogart had a supporting role. Eddie Albert shows only a bit of his incredible talent. Joan Leslie as the nice sister basically repeats the part she had from High Sierra. Sylvia Sidney does well as the love lost carnival fortune teller with eyes for both Bogart and Albert.

Personally though I've always liked what Sig Ruman did in this film as the drunken lion tamer whose place Albert took. The film is at its best when he's on screen.

I liked this film. While a little predictable and such, it did offer Bogart and Sylvia Sidney, both of whom I admire a great deal. The scenes with the tigers were interesting. The film, while mostly melodramatic, was humourous in some portions. As a die hard Bogie fan, I can't say as to whether or not others would like this though. I am a tainted Bogie fan, and so my opinion is always slanted...