L'Amour et la bête

I would wager that given the choice, Humphrey Bogart wouldn't have bothered making "The Wagons Roll at Night." I daresay he hadn't any option, since he had only just become a star when the film went out on general release and hadn't signed a new contract when he could have more of a say in his choice of films. The film is merely a remake of the masterpiece, "Kid Galahad." That is everything the above film isn't. The story is as about as dull and predictable as could be. Fans of Bogart might want to see this but only to see him. Joan Leslie was worthy of being in better films as well. The setting is that of a circus, where Humphrey Bogart as the owner, is struggling to make his circus successful. Then by accident, a young fellow proves he has what it takes to be a lion tamer (Eddie Albert). I'm grateful that the running time is quite short.

In 1941 Humphrey Bogart was near to stardom, he starred also in ''High Sierra'' and his first classic, ''The Maltese Falcon''. I consider this a bit of a remake of ''Kid Galahad'', but instead of boxing it's set in the circus world. His co-stars here are Eddie Albert, Sylvia Sidney, Joan Leslie and Sig Ruman. The direction is by Ray Enright, the same who directed in 1936 ''China Clipper'' with Bogart

It begins when Matt Varney (a grocery store's clerk) saves a baby from an escaped lion and suddenly Nick Coaster, the circus manager makes him a star although Matt had never experienced lion-taming, and this because the other lion tamer, Hoffman the Great, is always drunk. One night Hoffman has a brawl with Varney and ends up mauled by a lion, and Flo (Coaster's girlfriend), tries to help Matt sending him to Nick's farmhouse. But trouble follows because Matt falls in love with Nick's sister, and Nick don't want her sibling mixed with circus people because they are the scum of the Earth! It ends with Coaster killed by Caesar, the fiercest of all the circus lions, after he wanted to punish Varney for his bad behavior.

Although Humphrey Bogart received top- billing Albert is the real star of the movie, as the grocery clerk- turned-lion tamer who suddenly becomes the circus star. The leading lady is Sylvia Sidney, as Bogart's girlfriend, torn between repulsion and love, and Joan Leslie in a supporting role, as Bogart's sister who falls in love with Albert's character. The always great Sig Ruman as Hoffman the Great, in a brief but interesting supporting role!

This movie is recommended to: (1) Humphrey Bogart fans (2) fans of movies set in carnivals.

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.

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.

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.