Side Show (film)
| Side Show | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Roy Del Ruth |
| Written by |
Screenplay: Arthur Caesar Ray Enright Story: William K. Wells |
| Starring |
Winnie Lightner Charles Butterworth Evalyn Knapp Donald Cook Guy Kibbee |
| Music by | Leo F. Forbstein |
| Cinematography | Devereaux Jennings |
| Edited by | James Gibbon |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Side Show is a 1931 American pre-Code musical comedy drama film starring Winnie Lightner, Charles Butterworth, Evalyn Knapp and Donald Cook. It was produced and released by Warner Bros. The film was based on a story by William K. Wells. Although it was planned and filmed as a full-scale musical, most of the songs were cut from the film before release due to the public's apathy and aversion towards musicals in 1931.
Plot
Pat (Winnie Lightner) does everything she can to keep the struggling Colonel Gowdy Big City Shows traveling circus afloat, despite an alcoholic though well-meaning Colonel Gowdy (Guy Kibbee) and disgruntled unpaid workers. She sings and dances, and even does a high dive into a shallow pool of water when the "Great Santini" quits just before a performance. One of her few comforts is her love for barker Joe Palmer (Donald Cook). He, however, seems less enthused about the relationship and regularly takes money from her. To add to her troubles, her younger sister Irene (Evalyn Knapp), whom she is having educated to become a lady, visits her during school vacation and wants to stay with the circus.
Irene and Tom fall in love. When Pat finds out, she sends Irene back to school, fires Tom, and tells Gowdy she is quitting the circus. Fortunately, Tom and Irene come to their senses, and Tom asks Pat to marry him.
Cast
Featured
- Winnie Lightner as Pat. (The film's director, Roy Del Ruth, later fell in love with Lightner and married her in 1934.)
- Charles Butterworth as Sidney, a circus worker who loves Pat and keeps spouting odd, illogical sentences
Credited
- Evalyn Knapp as Irene
- Donald Cook as Joe Palmer
- Guy Kibbee as Pop "Colonel" Gowdy
- Matthew Betz as Tom Whalen
- Fred Kelsey as Sheriff Hornsby
- Tom Ricketts as Tom Allison
Uncredited
- Louise Carver as Minn
- Ann Magruder as Jen, the fat lady
- Luis Alberni as Santini
- Edward Morgan as Jimmie
- Otto Hoffman as Otto Gribble
- Lucille Ward as Aunt Sarah
Music
- "She Came from a South Sea Isle", sung by Winnie Lightner
Production
The film was originally intended to be released in the United States early in 1931, but was shelved due to public apathy towards musicals. After waiting a number of months for public tastes to change, Warner Bros. reluctantly released the film in September 1931 after removing all the music except for one song, "What Do You Think of Me Now?" sung by Lightner. The film was released outside the United States (where there was no aversion to musicals) as a full musical comedy early in 1931.
Preservation
Only the cut print released in 1931 in the United States is known to have survived.
External links
- Side Show at the Internet Movie Database
- Side Show at the TCM Movie Database