Polly of the Circus (1932) User Reviews

Pre-code but tame, all the same

[rickrudge · 6/10 · 24 March 2017]

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.

Marion of the Movies

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 26 April 2013]

A small town is aghast when "Queen of the Air" aerialist Marion Davies (as Pauline "Polly" Brown) arrives with her circus. Promotional posters depicting Ms. Davies in costume are considered too revealing, and concerned citizens cover her legs. During Davies' trapeze act, a heckler shouts, "Hey Polly, where's your pants?" This causes Davies grief and she goes to recover at the nearby home of athletic minister Clark Gable (as John Hartley). You should be able to figure out what happens next...

This is a re-make of "Polly of the Circus" (1917), which starred Mae Marsh and was the first Samuel Goldwyn production...

In the original, Ms. Marsh was a rider who wore a dress; although it was cut above the knees, nobody complained. Marsh went back to the circus to be with ailing "Toby" (the equivalent of this version's "Beef"). The attempts to modernize the story are not successful. Davies and Gable (still not settled on the right pluck for his eyebrows) look good together, but are not convincing in their roles. Watch out for the duster (Raymond Hatton) and the usher (Ray Milland). The too few circus scenes are edited well.

***** Polly of the Circus (2/27/32) Alfred Santell ~ Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Raymond Hatton, C. Aubrey Smith

Sex Appeal Not Saintliness

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 27 January 2009]

Marion Davies and her famous sugar daddy William Randolph Hearst selected a curious item for this film. Polly Of The Circus was a Broadway play in the first decade of the last century which must have been quite a sight. Looking at the original stage cast included a family of acrobats for this circus story. This was many years before Rodgers&Hart produced the ultimate circus show extravaganza, Jumbo.

The play was authored by Margaret Mayo and it premiered on New Year's Eve and ran 160 performances in 1908. Nine years later a film version was done starring Mae Marsh. The story is about a circus trapeze artist whose legs are on prominent display in the poster advertising offending the moral sensibilities of the church folks. The setting is Oneonta, New York and the local bishop of the Episcopal church (and I'm guessing by the vestments the domination)is headquartered there and played by C. Aubrey Smith.

Smith has a young nephew starting out in his church and he's played by Clark Gable. Gable's no more believable here as a minister than he was as a Salvation Army Worker opposite Joan Crawford in Laughing Sinners. But Gable was cast for sex appeal not saintliness.

Davies takes a fall off the trapeze and Gable takes her to his and Smith's house to mend. Of course they fall for each other and a nasty house servant played by Raymond Hatton spreads some vicious gossip. Smith has to listen to it and it derails Gable's promising career in the church.

I imagine Polly Of The Circus was probably something W.R. Hearst saw back in 1908 on stage and liked it and kept in mind for Marion Davies when he started seeing her. It's a quaint old fashioned play, the stuff that Hearst liked for Davies. It was old fashioned in 1932 and certainly is in 2009.

Very Good Performances, Weak Screenplay

[Michael_Elliott · 10 August 2009]

Polly of the Circus (1932)

** (out of 4)

Disappointing and way too corny romance between a bad girl trapeze artist (Marion Davies) and a preacher (Clark Gable). After an accident while working, Davies is forced to stay at the home of Gable and soon the two fall in love but the church objects to their relationship. This is an extremely disappointing film from MGM who certainly had better luck in their other 1932 film to be set in the circus and that of course would be Tod Browning's FREAKS. It's interesting to note that none of the circus performers from that film can be seen here. With that out of the way, this film here offers very little in terms of originality as it follows the same guidelines of countless other pre-code stories from the era. We know that opposites are going to attract. We know the church will object. We know this issue will cause problems in the relationship. We know what this is going to do and so on and so forth. The movie starts off rather good as the two stars work well together but it quickly falls apart and ends up being rather boring. Davies has a few strange line deliveries but for the most part she fits the role quite well. She's very believable as this character and brings a lot of life to it but the screenplay doesn't allow her too much as her character is written rather one sided. Gable gives another very impressive, pre-fame performance and I must admit that my respect for him grows each time I see one of these forgotten films on TCM. He manages to bring a lot of passion and fire to the role and delivers some nice work. C. Aubrey Smith is wasted as the Reverend who objects to the romance. Ray Milland can be seen quickly as an usher walking a drunk out of church. Fans of Davies and Gable might want to check this out but I'm sure most will be disappointed with this film that doesn't give the stars much to work with.

high flying

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 24 July 2021]

Marion Davies and Clark Gable star in Polly of the Circus from 1932.

Davies plays Polly, a star trapeze artist with the circus. When the circus enters a small town, she is infuriated that her costume is covered with a skirt on all of the posters because the place is "conservative."

She visits the local minister, John Harley (Gable) and accuses him of ordering the change, but he says he didn't. And, intrigued, he visits the circus that night to see her perform.

Polly falls from the trapeze and suffers an injury. I'm not sure what it was - I assume it was her back, though I never saw her get any treatment. She was brought to the minister's house because it's nearby. She's told she will have to rest for up to several months. That's fine with her because she's falling for the minister.

In fact, they fall for one another and marry, to the chagrin of Hartley's uncle (C. Aubrey Smith), a higher up in the church who can't accept that John married a circus performer. John leaves his job in that parish, but finds he has been pretty much blacklisted. Polly decides on a course of action so he can be re-enstated.

I just saw "Mank" and I will admit I hated the portrayal of Marion Davies by Amanda Seyfried, though she received raves. She had a very exaggerated New York accent and, to me, projected none of the class Marion Davies did in her performances.

Davies is absolutely lovely here, funny, warm, and likeable. Gable in an early role is very sincere and pleasant.

There is some dazzling trapeze work.

Ray Milland has a walk-on.

Enjoyable.

Souls Divided

[lugonian · 6/10 · 22 January 2023]

POLLY OF THE CIRCUS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1932), directed by Alfred Santell, stars Marion Davies in the title role taken from the 1907 play by Margaret Mayo. Previously filmed for Goldwyn Studios in the silent era (1917) starring Mae Marsh, this early sound retelling is better known more for the youthful presence of Clark Gable early in his career. Though Davies was a bigger marque name than Gable at the time, and deemed suitable as Mademoiselle Polly of the circus, many regard Gable miscast as the Episcopal minister. Having already played a man preaching the word of God as a Salvation Army officer in LAUGHING SINNERS (1931), the same year he enacted such villainous characters, namely in NIGHT NURSE (Warner Brothers), Gable was slowly developing from tough guy to man of romance without losing his he-man exterior. With material brought up to date, this 69 minute screen edition gives some idea as to how either the play or silent screen adaptation were earlier presented.

The story revolves around Polly Fisher (Marion Davies) a trapeze artist for the Nailor Circus on a train bound to the Vermont town of Oronta. Many in the troupe notice the passing billboards featuring Polly in tights with her legs covered by bloomers. Because Oronta is a conservative town where residents find Polly's poster indecent, Polly seeks to find the one responsible for disfiguring her posters. She heads over to the church to confront the Reverend John Hartley, mistaking the much elder Reverend James Northcutt (C. Aubrey Smith) for Hartley. She becomes surprised to find the real Hartley (Clark Gable), Northcutt's nephew and rector of the church, to be a much younger man. Learning the one actually responsible for the improved billboards, Polly still insists on performing in the manner of her photographed poster. During a matinee performance doing a trapeze act where John is seen seated in the audience, Polly meets with a serious accident, plunging 50 feet to the ground. With the hospital being too far away, Polly is taken to John's nearby ministry house where she, under doctor's orders, must remain for several weeks, much to the dismay of Downey (Raymond Hatton), a maintenance worker who feels Polly to be immoral. John agrees in having Mrs. Jennings (Maude Eburne) look after Polly during her weeks of recuperation. During that time, Polly becomes a changed person having been reading the Bible in her spare time and soon becomes John's love interest. Under the objections of his uncle, John marries Polly anyway. Finding that no other congregation will take him in as their minister, John earns his living selling Bibles at $28 a week. Realizing John's first love is his church, Polly must come to a decision to what she can do to save her husband from any further disgrace.

Others in the cast include David Landau (Beef); Guinn Williams (Eric); Ruth Selwyn (Mitzi); Clark Marshall (Don) and Little Billy (Half-Pint). Look fast for the uncredited Ray Milland in three brief scenes.

As much as the role of John Hartley could have been played by either a Leslie Howard or newcomer Franchot Tone (not yet working for MGM), Clark Gable's presence and the well-staged trapeze acts (performed by professional doubles) makes this worth watching. It's also one movie where one wishes Gable performed with a mustache, which would have made him appear a much stronger character. His trademark mustache, however, wouldn't happen until the latter half of STRANGE INTERLUDE (1932). Yet, when he reunited again with Marion Davies one last time for CAIN AND MABEL (Warner Brothers, 1936), Gable went minus mustache one last time on screen. Though both films starring Davies and Gable are agreeable productions, they each lack any sense of greatness.

Available on DVD, POLLY OF THE CIRCLE did have some cable television showings over the years, namely Showtime (2007) and more frequently on Turner Classic Movies. (**)

Old Chestnut.

[nova-63 · 3/10 · 21 July 2010]

Davies stars as a trapeze artist who comes into contact with a young clergyman (Clark Gable). Eventually the two develop a relationship and much to his family's dismay, they marry.

The film begins to fall apart here with a series of long winded, hard to swallow scenes. The married couple has a falling out over his devotion to the church. Marion realizes for the first time that she is bad for her husband's career. This is so, despite the fact that she has been told this from the moment the two became interested in each other.

After stating her displeasure with his dedication to the church, she turns around and decides she must leave her husband so he can further his career. She is willing to do this because she loves him so much. Marion's plan is to divorce her husband, but when she is told by the reverend (played by C Aubrey Smith) that this is impossible she comes up with another plan. She will go back to the circus and fall during the trapeze act. Committing suicide so then she will no longer be a detriment to her husband's future.

As a rule, I have no problem with ridiculous melodrama. But the screenplay is weak and the acting staid. This film is based on an old chestnut of a play that was probably outdated when it was first filmed in 1917. The wrong side of the tracks girl and the clergyman is a great story in theory, but the film fails to make the relationship believable.

poor casting and a silly story....but somehow it still engaged me...

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 2 October 2010]

Okay, no rational person would call this a very good movie--the casting decisions were questionable, the plot hard to believe and it sure was schmaltzy, but still, somehow, the film was entertaining. However, I should point out that the film's very respectable score (nearly 8.0) is to be taken with a grain of salt. It seems that a few years ago, a group of, well...I have no idea who or why, but it seem s a group of folks deliberately flooded IMDb with TONS of scores of 10 for every Marion Davies film (they also did this with Gloria Swanson and William Haines). It's obvious something is amiss because even her worst films (and all actors/actresses have bad films) have ridiculously high scores. For example, in one Davies' biggest flops ("Cain and Mabel") 60% of its ratings are 10! As a comparison, the great "Gone With the Wind" has only 38% of its scores that high! Now I am NOT saying Davies was a bad actress--she did some lovely films (such as "Show People"). But, was not a great actress--despite all her ridiculously high scores.

"Polly of the Circus" is, in many ways, a bad film. But, Davies and her co-star, Clark Gable, give it their best. This good acting combined with some lovely cinematography that really made Davies look her best (thanks to the insistence of her lover, William Randolph Hearst). But how can a film receive gobs and gobs of 10s with a plot like this one?! Polly is a circus performer and the citizens of a very straight-laced town are a bit scandalized by these circus folk and their 'circusy' ways. So, when Polly is injured in a fall from the trapeze, the folks begin to talk when the local young minister (an oddly cast Clark Gable) takes her in and nurses her back to health. When the two fall in love, everyone talks and they won't accept their marriage. What happens next is very soapy and silly but because the actors tried their best, it somehow kind of worked...kind of. But, when you think about it (and I advise you NOT to think when you watch the movie), it all comes off as silly and contrived--especially the ending. Not a terrible film, but certainly one that the two stars later regretted having made.

She Flies Through The Air

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 21 December 2004]

After a bad fall from the trapeze, POLLY OF THE CIRCUS recuperates in the home of a handsome young clergyman.

Marion Davies uses her considerable talent to enliven this piece of inconsequential fluff, making it an enjoyable time waster. As the mistress of one of the country's most powerful men, she could have easily demanded a solemn spectacle to spotlight her skills. But her ego did not run in that direction and, as always, she's a delight to watch--even though the film itself (which she also produced) is exceedingly silly.

MGM&'s newest young leading man, Clark Gable, is quietly effective as the rector who wins Davies' heart. Cast somewhat against type, he gives an earnest portrayal of a man devoted to God above almost anything else. The macho mannerisms which later became such a dominate part of his screen roles are largely missing here. And it’s obvious that he never forgets that he's the co-star -- Marion Davies is the one who gets to shine.

Wonderful old Sir C. Aubrey Smith lends his grave dignity to the role of Gable's uncle, the bishop. Elderly Raymond Hatton steals a couple of scenes as the rectory's self-righteous, alcoholic servant. David Landau is effective as the goodhearted circus manager. Comic actress Maude Eburne appears all too briefly as Davies’ Irish nurse--but the viewer is treated to Davies' impersonation of her.

Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled Ray Milland as a church usher.

Although obviously using actual trapeze artists as stunt doubles, the aerial sequences under the circus big top are still nerve-wracking to watch.

Another terrible early talkie

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 3/10 · 20 January 2023]

The period between Jolson speaks (surely the most over-rated moment in movie history) and roughly the advent of the Hays Code was easily the worst in Hollywood history.

The vast majority of films from the early talkie era are stiff, static, dull, flat, lifeless, stagebound snoozefests. Polly Of The, um, Church is no exception.

Marion Davies is supposed to be the travelling trapeze act but she gets distracted and plummets about 40 feet. Somehow she neither dies nor is permanently crippled. Just injured enough to be sent to a young preacher's house (Clark Gable) to recuperate.

What ensues is 90 minutes of standing around boring the audience to death.

Were theatre-goers so enamored with circus acts that they filled the house for 160 performances in the 19-oughts? Was the 1917 film starring Davies any good? Because this story has so much mold on it you could grow yogurt with it.

Not so bad but not the best movie in Movie History!

[msladysoul · 29 June 2004]

Marion Davies and Clark Gable makes movie enjoyable. It's not the best classic movie but if you have nothing to do and have 70 mins to spare you'll like it. It's short and sweet, if it was longer maybe that would of been a problem. Marion Davies always makes a film enjoyable. Movie Historians try to say that the only reason Marion was a movie star was because of her association with William Randolph Hearst, that's not true. Marion always gave good performances, if she didn't maybe I would think that. Marion was good with comedy and drama which she displays in this movie. Marion was a fine comedian, fine actress, great with facial expressions and gestures, and natural. This movie is a Marion Davies production. She was good with coming up with plots and stories and getting great cast. Clark Gable is good in whatever he is. This movie isn't his greatest. But Clark Gable fans would like to see this.

When the Circus Comes to Town

[view_and_review · 5/10 · 14 June 2023]

I supposed "Polly of the Circus" fancied itself cutting edge: a reverend marrying a mouthy trapeze artist who loves to show off her legs. Maybe it was in 1932, but I can't imagine that even then it was all that compelling of a movie.

When the Nailor Circus stopped in a little town called Oranta it would forever change the lives of Polly (Marion Davies) and Reverend John Hartley (Clark Gable). Polly suffered a fall from her trapeze platform which critically injured her. The hospital was too far away so she was taken to Rev. Hartley's house to be cared for. When the ambulance came to transport her to a proper hospital the doctor said she was in no shape to be moved. As a result she remained at Hartley's place for the next two months recovering.

As you can imagine, the two fell in love. They didn't do anything sinful so what could've been the conflict? Polly wasn't the type of woman the reverend and an aspiring bishop should be marrying. The town wasn't going to like it and the church wasn't going to like it, which would put the two on a path of struggle.

I thought the movie was very basic, simple, and uncompelling. Marion Davies didn't do it for me as the leading lady and this movie didn't do it for me as a romance. Granted, I don't like romances anyway, but this was especially cheesy. Those 1932 romantic lines were certainly dated and sounded nothing like what a real human being would say.

100 greatest films

[kcfl-1 · 10/10 · 7 July 2017]

I think it's time to give Marion Davies her due. I knew nothing about her except "WR Hearst's mistress," until I saw "Cain and Mabel" (1938). In every Davies film I saw subsequently, she sparkled, whether silent, musical, or drama ("Operator 13"). K Hepburn and B Davis are acknowledged as the greatest actresses of the classic era. I think Davies ranks in the pantheon with them.

"Polly" ranks in the top 1% of the 9000+ films I've seen. As always, Marion carries the picture. To see why, you need only look at the scene where she reads from the "Book of Ruth." A woman attempting a seduction with the Bible is imaginative, and Marion brings it off.

I also like the fact that the film is very critical of the politics in the Episcopal Church. An added bonus is the aerial scenes, the best until "Trapeze."

The bishop's wife

[dbdumonteil · 12 April 2011]

The year before,Gable had been a salvation army officer ("the laughing sinners") ;in "Polly of the circus" ,he took the plunge and became a minister .Like the precedent work ,it has not aged as well as "possessed" in which Gable played opposite Joan Crawford ,or even "men in white" .The problem is Gable's clergyman uncle who is not prepared to accept an acrobat (of the circus)as his niece :his nephew 's career -he went to college so he should become a bishop- would be in jeopardy and he would be relegated to selling Bibles for about twenty-five measly dollars a week.The best scenes are to be found in the circus ,complete with somersaults (without a safety net)

Bought and paid for

[gkeith_1 · 10/10 · 21 April 2013]

Spoilers. Observations. Opinions. 2013 review:

Mr. Gable was bought and paid for by his first wife (his acting coach). She paid to get his teeth repaired and his ears surgically pinned back. Ms. Davies was bought and paid for by a famous publisher. Davies and Gable were set for Hollywood careers. We can in 2013 still see this great pair's performance preserved on screen.

Sinful woman loves a minister, in The Little Minister (Katharine Hepburn, 1934). A gypsy, no doubt. Naturally, the church is horrified. This film came to mind as I watched Polly (a "sinful" circus performer) get attracted to Gable.

Contrast "Polly" with 1936's "San Francisco". Gable is a sleazy nightclub owner, and Spencer Tracy plays the clergy. Gable wants singer Jeanette MacDonald to dress in a skimpy outfit (shades of Polly!), but Tracy sez ixnay. Gable gets converted to religion, after the SF Earthquake.

I realized that Marion would not do her own flying-trapeze stunts here. She made quite a lovely picture, standing on the high platform. Gowns by Adrian? The white pants on the elephant were hilarious, and quite a nice touch.

10/10

Update May 4, 2017:

This was from a 1907 story by Margaret Mayo. Polly was a "circus riding girl" -- an equestrienne standing on the back of the horse Bingo while he ran inside the circus ring. This was an anathema to the church, when Polly met the minister.

The real Polly's injury was from falling off Bingo. John Douglas was the minister. Hartley was the last name of the doctor. Mandy, African American, assisted Douglas in nursing Polly back to health -- not Irish Mrs. Jennings, as in this film.

A church deacon is the big troublemaker in the original story, not the minister's uncle as shown in this film.

Looking closely at the in-flight trapeze footage in this film, I see who looks like the famous Alfredo Codona actually doing the (deadly triple) in-air transfers.

Versatile Gable played many character types. He made tons of films in the early sound and pre-code era, playing opposite sirens such as Jean Harlow and Joan Crawford. All actors need to portray sleazy, swashbuckling or nice guy types. Gable could do it all. You can think of Red Dust, It Happened One Night and Mutiny on the Bounty.

Not bad for a boy from the coal mining era in our state of Ohio. I have visited his childhood home, and it is chock full of personal Gable memorabilia. Huuuuuuuuge there is Gone With the Wind. For a fee, the tour guide showed Gable's blue 1950s Cadillac on display in the garage.

Marion Davies' worst talkie.....

[Dr. Ed-2 · 9/10 · 5 February 2001]

is not her fault. The script is second-rate and although she and Clark Gable try hard to inject some life into this film, they can't do it. Lots of possibilities for snappy lines as in other Davies vehicles ("Cain and Mabel," "Ever Since Eve," "Page Miss Glory," etc.) but the scripters settle on the dull and boring aspects of Davies (a circus star) trying to become a goody-two-shoes to please Gable (a minister). Even supporting stars like C. Aubrey Smith and Maude Eburne don't get much to do. Watch for a young Ray Milland in the church scenes. One compensation: Davies looks great!

Gorgeous Marion Davies

[drednm · 22 January 2023]

This is probably the weakest of Marion Davies' MGM talkies because of the story and the likely cuts (it runs only 70 minutes). But Davies is fine as the spunky circus girl who falls for a small-town parson (Clark Gable) despite all the warning signs.

Based on a 1906 Broadway play and the 1917 silent films version (which starred Mae Marsh), the story seems a tad old fashioned but in 1932 America was still largely rural and hick towns maintained their 19th century prejudices.

Anyway, Polly causes a sensation when the circus comes to town and the hicks cover up the pictures of her in her trapeze outfit with pieces of cloth. But they turn out for the show. When someone in the audience yells out something rude, she makes a mistake in her aerial act and falls to the ground. She's taken to the parson's house (because it's close by) to recuperate. They fall in love and get married.

But the hayseeds don't want a parson who's married to a circus girl and he loses his job. Convinced she's causing his career harm, she picks a fight and goes back to the circus. Will love win out over small-town prejudice?

Davies is very good and Gable (still a rising star at MGM) is ok as the parson. Raymond Hatton is snarky as the drunken caretaker, and Maude Eburne is good. There's also C. Aubrey Smith as Gable's uncle, David Landau as the circus manager, and Ray Milland has a small role as a church usher.

Worth a look.

Polly want a crack-up

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 10 November 2023]

Marion Davies plays a trapeze artist who comes to a small conservative community with her circus troupe. Not only does she face opposition from the town's more prudish denizens over her racy costume, she gets off on the wrong foot with a local pastor (Clark Gable).

The night her big performance occurs she misjudges part of her routine, loses her balance and plummets 50 feet. Upon crashing to the ground (no safety net was in place), she is severely injured.

Conveniently she is taken to the home of the very single pastor to recuperate. This development is most unrealistic, as a hospital would be the best place for such a recovery. We must endure her initial anger, taking the mishap out on Gable.

MGM adapted the story from an old stage play; and in fact, it had already been filmed fifteen years earlier as a silent picture in 1917. It's not that Miss Davies comes across slightly miscast, it's that I don't think she really connects with some of the material. It might have been better if the story had been revised to make her a glamorous actress, maybe hit by a car and hiding out from her adoring public and loved ones.

Because the premise is rather hokey and because Miss Davies lacks gravitas as a serious dramatic actress, her character's convalescence doesn't really resonate with great emotional impact. At least not until the end, when the story has her contemplate suicide. By comparison, the crippling that is experienced by Irene Dunne's character in LOVE AFFAIR is done with much more resonance, finesse and daresay skill.

We know Davies and Gable will eventually find happiness as a married couple, regardless of what the people in such a narrow-minded town may think. There is no surprise in them overcoming all odds. But at least the two leads share good rapport in their scenes together. They'd team up again in 1936's CAIN AND MABEL.

Adding to the picture's entertainment value is C. Aubrey Smith as Gable's well-meaning uncle, who's another man of the cloth. Plus we see a variety of circus performer types when our heroine returns to life under the big top. The final portion of the narrative has her attempt a grand comeback that may prove fatal, if she falls again.