Legendary circus clown, Poodles Hanneford, starred in a few silent shorts for the Weiss Brothers near the end of the silent era. Given better timing in the industry he might have become a comedy star, but time was running out on silent comedy and he went back to the circus. Good for the circus, but too bad for the movies. This is the best of the five or so shorts I've seen him in.
It's a fairly simple set-up that allows the people in charge -- including director Leslie Goodwins, who later went on to a long career directing clowns in the sound era -- to short-circuit my usual objection to this sort of pure-clowning activity. Usually, these pieces don't work well because the characters are blank and circus clowning does not usually avail itself of much subtlety: it's meant for a human-sized performer in a big, big tent.
But here, Poodles is in love, and she's a bad woman who is using him. That's enough to make me feel for him -- what human being has not been in that situation or imagined that situation? So I was on his side and could enjoy the performances for what they are.
And the performances are fine, given Mr. Hanneford's abilities, both in the big set-piece gag as he tries to ride a wild pony -- his best-remembered act was an equestrian one -- and even the small gags that pepper the piece, through the telling last one.