Polly of the Circus

Plot

When a traveling circus arrives in a small town, trapeze artist Polly Fisher 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. 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 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, 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' next stop and arrive just in time to save Polly.

Cast

Marion Davies as Pauline 'Polly' Fisher

Clark Gable as Reverend John Hartley

C. Aubrey Smith as Bishop James Northcott

Raymond Hatton as Downey, Hartley's servant

David Landau as Beef, the circus manager who raised Polly

Ruth Selwyn as Mitzi

Maude Eburne as Mrs. Jennings

"Little Billy" Rhodes as Half-Pint

Guinn Williams as Eric Alvarez

Clark Marshall as Don Alvarez

Lillian Elliott as Mrs. McNamara, a friend of the Hartleys

Ray Milland as Church Usher (uncredited)