Clearly, the structure of the screenplay mimics that of the prior "Kid Galahad", with the exception that it's the story of the unlikely accent of a young man to become the lion tamer of a traveling circus/carnival, instead of his ascent to become a world champion boxer. However, interestingly, both were based on the 1936 novel by Francis Wallace, which was about a circus. Clearly, "Kid Galahad" has been more popular with IMDB voters. I have yet to see it.
Bogart plays Nick: the owner of a struggling traveling circus/carnival. Sylvia Sydney is especially beautiful as Nick's fortune teller and girlfriend, Flo. Although they are the nominal leads, actually the film is mostly about the unexpected growth of Eddie Albert's character, Matt, from backup to the regular lion tamer for the circus, and his unexpected meeting with Nick's much younger sister Mary(16yo Joan Leslie) and their whirlwind romance, to Nick's disapproval. Nick doesn't want Mary to mix with his circus people, whom he considers her social inferiors. He has paid for her education at a convent, and expects her to marry an important man. Regardless, behind his back, Matt continues to see Mary.
Nick is so determined to squash this romance, that he schemes to put Matt in a performance cage with just increasingly ill-tempered biggest lion: Caesar, hoping Caesar will tear him apart. He is given a whip and chair to defend against Caesar. Nick also gives him a pistol supposedly loaded with blanks, but actually, empty, as a last resort, to scare Caesar away. Unexpectedly, Flo and Mary arrive as Matt is performing. They see that he is having difficulty, shooting his gun, but with no sound. Mary begs Nick to do something to protect Matt. I won't divulge the happenings of the following film climax.
This film followed closely on the heels of Bogey's acclaimed performance in "High Sierra". Joan Leslie was one of his girlfriends in that film, whereas she even more incongruously plays his 25 years younger sister here! Oh well, not quite as bad as "Royal Wedding", where Fred Astaire and Jane Powell, 35 years apart in age, play brother and sister!
Although Bogey apparently didn't think much of the film, I enjoyed its relatively simple story, and always enjoy seeing the beautiful Sylvia Sydney. See it for free at You Tube.
Bogart plays Nick: the owner of a struggling traveling circus/carnival. Sylvia Sydney is especially beautiful as Nick's fortune teller and girlfriend, Flo. Although they are the nominal leads, actually the film is mostly about the unexpected growth of Eddie Albert's character, Matt, from backup to the regular lion tamer for the circus, and his unexpected meeting with Nick's much younger sister Mary(16yo Joan Leslie) and their whirlwind romance, to Nick's disapproval. Nick doesn't want Mary to mix with his circus people, whom he considers her social inferiors. He has paid for her education at a convent, and expects her to marry an important man. Regardless, behind his back, Matt continues to see Mary.
Nick is so determined to squash this romance, that he schemes to put Matt in a performance cage with just increasingly ill-tempered biggest lion: Caesar, hoping Caesar will tear him apart. He is given a whip and chair to defend against Caesar. Nick also gives him a pistol supposedly loaded with blanks, but actually, empty, as a last resort, to scare Caesar away. Unexpectedly, Flo and Mary arrive as Matt is performing. They see that he is having difficulty, shooting his gun, but with no sound. Mary begs Nick to do something to protect Matt. I won't divulge the happenings of the following film climax.
This film followed closely on the heels of Bogey's acclaimed performance in "High Sierra". Joan Leslie was one of his girlfriends in that film, whereas she even more incongruously plays his 25 years younger sister here! Oh well, not quite as bad as "Royal Wedding", where Fred Astaire and Jane Powell, 35 years apart in age, play brother and sister!
Although Bogey apparently didn't think much of the film, I enjoyed its relatively simple story, and always enjoy seeing the beautiful Sylvia Sydney. See it for free at You Tube.