Polly of the Circus (1932)
This was a talkie remake of an earlier silent film from 1917 and a stage play that was popular before the last century. But, this movie hasn't aged well for 21st century tastes. It's a pre-Code movie but the issues are so tame (even for the day) that the movie seems kind of corny. Marion Davies' Polly Brown is your typical spunky, frolicking, young circus acrobat heroine from the silent age. She's a free spirit, but totally innocent.
Clark Gable plays Reverend John Hartley for a very small town. The local morality squad is upset about an advertisement for the traveling circus featuring Polly in her leotards. Reverend Hartley fixes the tempers by nailing some clothes over the offending tights.
Polly is injured while doing her act and Reverend Hartley takes her in while she recovers, to the further ire of the old biddies of the local morality squad. Naturally, John and Polly start to fall in love with each other. Despite them marrying, this is serious enough with the community that Hartley is fired from the church.
Reverend James Northcott (C. Aubrey Smith) talks to Polly, making her consider leaving poor John so that he can go back to the calling that he loves so much.
This was a talkie remake of an earlier silent film from 1917 and a stage play that was popular before the last century. But, this movie hasn't aged well for 21st century tastes. It's a pre-Code movie but the issues are so tame (even for the day) that the movie seems kind of corny. Marion Davies' Polly Brown is your typical spunky, frolicking, young circus acrobat heroine from the silent age. She's a free spirit, but totally innocent.
Clark Gable plays Reverend John Hartley for a very small town. The local morality squad is upset about an advertisement for the traveling circus featuring Polly in her leotards. Reverend Hartley fixes the tempers by nailing some clothes over the offending tights.
Polly is injured while doing her act and Reverend Hartley takes her in while she recovers, to the further ire of the old biddies of the local morality squad. Naturally, John and Polly start to fall in love with each other. Despite them marrying, this is serious enough with the community that Hartley is fired from the church.
Reverend James Northcott (C. Aubrey Smith) talks to Polly, making her consider leaving poor John so that he can go back to the calling that he loves so much.