Nick Coster (Humphrey Bogart) runs the Coney Island Carnival, a small-time traveling circus with merry-go-rounds, strong men, and dancing women, though the carnival's main claim to fame seems to be the lion taming act of Hoffman the Great (Sig Ruman). Flo (Sylvia Sidney), who presents herself as fortune teller Madame Florina and who is Nick's mistress, thinks the carnival needs some razzle dazzle to take it to the next level, especially as Hoffman has been letting his drinking get the better of him—one night, Nick has to hose him down to get him in shape to perform. A few nights later, the untamable lion Caesar escapes into town, winding up in a general store run by Matt Varney (Eddie Albert, pictured). Matt keeps his cool and manages to save the day, and the townsfolk proclaim him a hero. Nick, looking for some good publicity, hires Matt to make an appearance at the lion show and he's a success. Nick talks Matt into taking a permanent job as Hoffman's assistant, and one night, with Hoffman in a drunken stupor, Matt takes charge and is again a success. Hoffman later attacks Matt but gets too close to Caesar's cage and is viciously mauled. When the cops are called and Hoffman's buddies blame Matt, Flo sneaks him out of town to stay with Nick's mom, dad and sister at their farm until the carnival moves on. While there, Matt falls in love with Nick's young sister Mary (Joan Leslie). Despite Matt being a bonafide small town innocent, Nick is adamantly against Mary getting involved with carny people. Despite nursing a small crush on Matt herself, Flo tries to intercede on Matt’s behalf, but nothing works. Eventually, with Flo threatening to leave the carnival, Nick goes a little nuts and plots to get Caesar to kill Matt in the ring.
This was the first movie in which Bogart was top billed, being released a few months after High Sierra where Bogart has the starring role but was billed behind Ida Lupino. Right after this came The Maltese Falcon and the rest is movie history. Though Bogart is the bad guy, he starts out as a relatively admirable character, and he becomes something of an antihero at the end. It's not a subtle performance like the one he would give as Sam Spade in Falcon, but subtlety is not called for in a Warner Brothers melodrama like this. Up and comer Eddie Albert, known for a light comic touch, is very good here moving in a more dramatic direction while still carrying off the likable innocent persona. Sylvia Sidney and Joan Leslie, overshadowed a bit by the men, are fine, as is Sig Ruman. Look for John Ridgely and Clara Blandick in small roles. Charley Foy, of the famous Seven Little Foys vaudeville act, is noticeable as a pickpocket. At times the narrative is a bit bumpy—how Nick’s carnival escapes both lion incidents without major law troubles (or lawsuits) is beyond me, but this is still watchable with Albert coming close to stealing the show from Bogart. [TCM]
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