Fairground of Love (1928)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Fairground of love |
| Original title | The Barker |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1928 |
| Rod | |
| Director | George Fitzmaurice |
| script | Benjamin Glazer , Joseph Jackson |
| production | George Fitzmaurice for First National |
| camera | Lee Garmes |
| occupation | |
| |
Fairground of love (Original title: The Barker ) is an American melodrama from 1928 starring Milton Sills and Betty Compson directed by George Fitzmaurice . Like many films from the period of transition from silent to sound films , The Barker contains individual lines of dialogue as well as subtitles.
action
Nifty Miller is the most famous circus crier far and wide. However, he wants a better life for his son Chris and wants the boy to study law. During the summer vacation, Chris comes to visit his father. Meanwhile, Nifty ends his relationship with Carrie, an exotic dancer. She seeks revenge and pays Lou, a colleague, to seduce Chris. Lou really falls in love with Chris in the end. When the two want to get married, Nifty sees his ambitious plans for his son as a failure. He embittered alcohol. A few years later, he learns that Lou made Chris quit his studies. Overjoyed, Nifty finds another job as a crier.
background
Milton Sills , a popular comedian in silent films, was one of many actors who failed to make the transition to talkies. Its popularity declined rapidly with the advent of the new medium. He made his last film in 1930 and died that same year. He was then completely forgotten. For Betty Compson , whose career was rapidly dwindling at the time, the nomination for Best Actress came as a surprise. Her name appears only in third place on the movie posters and is much smaller than that of Sills and Dorothy Mackaill . The success of The Barker helped her make a brief comeback as one of the first stars of the newly founded film company RKO Pictures . From 1931 she was given almost only supporting roles.
The film was remade in 1933 with Clara Bow under the title Hoop-La and in 1945 with Betty Grable as Diamond Horseshoe . The plot inspired the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu to write his film Haha o kowazuya in 1934 .
Awards
Fairground of Love received a nomination in the category at the 1930 Academy Awards (April)
- Best Actress (Betty Compson)