Polly of the Circus
Encyclopedia
Polly of the Circus is a 1932 American MGM drama film
directed by Alfred Santell
. The film stars Marion Davies
and Clark Gable
.
version of the same Margaret Mayo
play was made in 1917, the first film by Goldwyn Pictures
. It was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
at Universal Studios
when it and many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century.
When a heckler distracts Polly during her performance, she falls 50 feet (15.2 m) to the ground. John Hartley has her brought to his nearby house. The doctor advises against moving her. As she recuperates, Polly and John fall in love and marry. She willingly gives up the circus for him.
John's uncle, Bishop James Northcott (C. Aubrey Smith), questions the wisdom of the union, and John's congregation rebels at having an ex-circus performer as their minister's wife. As a result, he is fired and cannot obtain another church position because of his marriage.
Seeing how miserable her husband is, Polly goes to plead for the bishop's help, but he remains unmoved. When she tells Northcott she is willing to give John up, the clergyman tells her that a divorced minister is just as unacceptable. Polly sees only one way out - as a widower, John could return to the church. She pretends that she has tired of her husband and returns to the circus, planning to have a fatal "accident". However, Northcott has a change of heart. When he goes to tell the couple, Polly has already left. Northcott guesses what she intends to do. He and John speed to the circus's next stop and arrive just in time to save Polly.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Alfred Santell
Alfred Santell
Alfred Santell was an American film director born September 14, 1895 in San Francisco, California. He directed over 60 films, including The Patent Leather Kid , Body and Soul , and Beyond the Blue Horizon...
. The film stars Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
and Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
.
First version
An earlier silent filmSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
version of the same Margaret Mayo
Margaret Mayo (playwright)
Margaret Mayo, born Lillian Elizabeth Slatten , was an American actress, playwright and screenwriter. She is buried in St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery, Mt. Kisko, New York....
play was made in 1917, the first film by Goldwyn Pictures
Goldwyn Pictures
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company founded in 1916 by Samuel Goldfish in partnership with Broadway producers Edgar and Archibald Selwyn using an amalgamation of both last names to create the name...
. It was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
when it and many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century.
Plot
When a traveling circus arrives in a small town, trapeze artist Polly Fisher (Marion Davies) is outraged to find that clothing has been added to posters of her to hide her moderately skimpy costume. She goes to see the man she mistakenly holds responsible, Reverend John Hartley (Clark Gable). He denies being the censor, but their relationship gets off to a rocky start.When a heckler distracts Polly during her performance, she falls 50 feet (15.2 m) to the ground. John Hartley has her brought to his nearby house. The doctor advises against moving her. As she recuperates, Polly and John fall in love and marry. She willingly gives up the circus for him.
John's uncle, Bishop James Northcott (C. Aubrey Smith), questions the wisdom of the union, and John's congregation rebels at having an ex-circus performer as their minister's wife. As a result, he is fired and cannot obtain another church position because of his marriage.
Seeing how miserable her husband is, Polly goes to plead for the bishop's help, but he remains unmoved. When she tells Northcott she is willing to give John up, the clergyman tells her that a divorced minister is just as unacceptable. Polly sees only one way out - as a widower, John could return to the church. She pretends that she has tired of her husband and returns to the circus, planning to have a fatal "accident". However, Northcott has a change of heart. When he goes to tell the couple, Polly has already left. Northcott guesses what she intends to do. He and John speed to the circus's next stop and arrive just in time to save Polly.
Cast
- Marion DaviesMarion DaviesMarion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
as Pauline 'Polly' Fisher - Clark GableClark GableWilliam Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
as Reverend John Hartley - C. Aubrey Smith as Reverend James Northcott
- Raymond HattonRaymond HattonRaymond William Hatton was an American movie actor who appeared in almost five hundred movies, including a stint of being paired in 1920s comedies with Wallace Beery....
as Downey, Hartley's servant - David LandauDavid Landau (actor)David Landau was an American film actor who appeared in 33 films between 1931 and 1935.He appeared on Broadway in 12 plays from 1919 to 1929....
as Beef, the circus manager who raised Polly - Ruth Selwyn as Mitzi
- Maude EburneMaude Eburneright|thumbMaude Eburne was a Canadian character actress of stage and screen, known for playing eccentric roles.Born in Bronte-on-the-Lake, Ontario and studied elocution in Toronto...
as Mrs Jennings - 'Little Billy' Rhodes as Half-Pint
- Guinn WilliamsGuinn Williams (actor)Guinn "Big Boy" Williams was an American actor who appeared in memorable westerns such as Dodge City , Santa Fe Trail , and The Comancheros...
as Eric Alvarez - Clark Marshall as Don Alvarez
- Lillian ElliottLillian ElliottLillian Elliott was a Canadian actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1915 and 1943.She was born in Canada and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* Proud Flesh...
as Mrs McNamara, a friend of the Hartleys