Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) on Netflix
Tito, a circus clown, adopts an abandoned girl and names her Simonetta. Years later Count Luigi Ravelli falls in love with her, and Tito's feelings for the girl he raised are improper.
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- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.5/102,312 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Plot summary
Two traveling clowns, Tito and his brother Simon, come upon a child who has been abandoned, take her in, and call her Simonetta. When she is older she becomes a performer in the circus herself. One day, hunting for roses, she makes her way into the garden of Count Luigi Ravelli, who is infatuated with her at once, though she leaves at the earliest chance. Sometime afterward the count visits a doctor about the laughter he cannot control, and finds Tito there, seeking help for weeping he cannot control. The two agree to help each other and become friends, neither of them knowing that they love the same woman.
Cast
- Julie DeValoraas Nurse(uncredited)
- Helena Dimeas Lady at Luigi's Party(uncredited)
- Leo Feodoroffas Minor Role(uncredited)
- Frankie Genardias Peasant Italian Boy(uncredited)
- Lilliana Genardias Peasant Italian Girl(uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
MGM shot an alternate happy ending in which Tito survives his fall, Simonetta marries Luigi and all three remain close friends, in case some studios preferred that ending. The footage no longer exists.- The theme song "Laugh, Clown, Laugh", composed by Ted Fio Rito, became a hit record, and Lon Chaney's set musicians played the song at his 1930 funeral.
- Preparing for Laugh, Clown, Laugh and He Who Gets Slapped, Lon Chaney studied the clown makeup of circus performers and 19th-century stage clowns such as Joseph Grimaldi and George L. Fox, of Humpty Dumpty fame. The film was said to be Chaney's favorite of all his roles.
- Loretta Young was fourteen when she played Simonetta, her first major movie role. Near the end of her life she said she was grateful to Lon Chaney for his kindness and guidance, and for protecting her from director Brenon's sometimes harsh treatment.
- MGM thought about offering Lon Chaney this film in 1925 but delayed it for several years, partly because Chaney had already played a clown in the 1924 film He Who Gets Slapped and because of speculation that Lionel Barrymore might reprise his stage role. MGM instead paired Barrymore with Chaney in West of Zanzibar.
