Cleo inherits a carnival and announces in the newspapers that her show will be operated free of all grifters, dips, three-shell men, confidence artists, and hookers. Flash and Luke, a couple of dips, see in this policy their big chance and, passing themselves off as honest men, find work in Cleo's show.
If you have any romanticized notions of 1920s carnivals being all twinkling lights and magic, The Spieler will kill that pretty quickly. This is a movie that feels like it smells like sawdust, cheap cigars, and unwashed wool. It’s worth a watch if you’re into that specific brand of pre-Code grit, or if you just want to...
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Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.
Tay Garnett
Alexander Butler
Community
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"If you have any romanticized notions of 1920s carnivals being all twinkling lights and magic, The Spieler will kill that pretty quickly. This is a movie that feels like it smells like sawdust, cheap cigars, and unwashed wool. It’s worth a watch if you’re into that specific brand of pre-Code grit, or if you just want to see Alan Hale—years before he was the Skipper—looking like he could actually break someone’s arm. Renée Adorée plays Cleo, who inherits the show and immediately puts out a call f..."
Fred Warren
John W. Krafft, Tay Garnett, Hal Conklin
United States
