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Laugh, Clown, Laugh
Laugh, Clown, Laugh is a 1928 American silent drama film starring Lon Chaney and Loretta Young (her film debut). The film was directed by Herbert Brenon and produced by Irving G. Thalberg for MGM Pictures. A sound version of this film was released in the second half of 1928 and featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects. The film was written by Elizabeth Meehan, based on the 1923 Broadway stage production Laugh, Clown, Laugh by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, which in turn was based on the 1919 play Ridi, Pagliaccio by Fausto Maria Martini.
Stills exist which show Chaney in his clown make-up. The sets were designed by Cedric Gibbons. The film was in production from December 19, 1927, to February 2, 1928, and cost $293,000 to make. The worldwide box office gross was $1,102,000.
Laugh, Clown, Laugh is readily available today on DVD. The existing print, however, is not 100% complete; it is missing reel #4, but the missing footage does not severely impact the story.
An alternate happy ending—wherein Tito survives his fall, Simonetta marries Luigi, and they all remain close friends—was shot at the studio's insistence in case some studios preferred that ending, but the footage no longer exists.
Tito, a traveling circus clown, finds an abandoned child. He adopts her and raises her as his daughter, naming her Simonetta after his brother Simon. One day the now-teenaged Simonetta encounters Count Luigi Ravelli, a wealthy man who falls madly in love with her. However, Simonetta rejects him when she discovers he has a girlfriend. She returns to the circus and Tito suddenly realizes she is no longer a child. Tito further realizes he is attracted to Simonetta, but knows his feelings are improper because he raised her as his daughter.
Luigi begins having fits of uncontrollable laughter because Simonetta has rejected him. Tito falls into melancholia because of his conflicted interests about Simonetta. They both see the same doctor about their conditions and meet each other there for the first time. Luigi and Tito share their respective troubles and believe they can help each other, not knowing they are in love with the same woman. Nonetheless, the three eventually develop a strong friendship until Luigi asks Simonetta to marry him. Simonetta eventually accepts Luigi's proposal, which throws Tito into an even deeper melancholy.
Before she marries Luigi, Simonetta learns of Tito's affections for her. She tells Tito she loved him before she loved Luigi, then goes to break her engagement. Meanwhile, Tito and his brother Simon begin rehearsing new material for their "Flik and Flok" act. Tito believes Simonetta pities rather than loves him; he also knows that, as her adopted father, it would be immoral to have her become his wife. Driven insane by his internal conflict, he decides to practice his new routine from the act without protection. Despite his brother's protests, he continues with the stunt and falls from the highwire. Tito dies from his fall, freeing Simonetta to marry Luigi.
The film is based on the 1923 Broadway stage production Laugh, Clown, Laugh which starred Lionel Barrymore as Tito, and his second wife Irene Fenwick in the role of Simonetta. The play by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, which in turn was based on a 1919 Italian stage play Ridi, Pagliaccio by Fausto Maria Martini, ran at the Belasco Theatre from November 28, 1923, to March 1924, for a total of 133 performances. The production also featured Lucille Kahn in a supporting role.[citation needed] These plays were all based on the 1891 opera I Pagliacci (The Clowns), by Ruggero Leoncavallo, the principal aria of which has the lyrics, "Ridi, Pagliaccio!" (Laugh, Clown!).
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Laugh, Clown, Laugh
Laugh, Clown, Laugh is a 1928 American silent drama film starring Lon Chaney and Loretta Young (her film debut). The film was directed by Herbert Brenon and produced by Irving G. Thalberg for MGM Pictures. A sound version of this film was released in the second half of 1928 and featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects. The film was written by Elizabeth Meehan, based on the 1923 Broadway stage production Laugh, Clown, Laugh by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, which in turn was based on the 1919 play Ridi, Pagliaccio by Fausto Maria Martini.
Stills exist which show Chaney in his clown make-up. The sets were designed by Cedric Gibbons. The film was in production from December 19, 1927, to February 2, 1928, and cost $293,000 to make. The worldwide box office gross was $1,102,000.
Laugh, Clown, Laugh is readily available today on DVD. The existing print, however, is not 100% complete; it is missing reel #4, but the missing footage does not severely impact the story.
An alternate happy ending—wherein Tito survives his fall, Simonetta marries Luigi, and they all remain close friends—was shot at the studio's insistence in case some studios preferred that ending, but the footage no longer exists.
Tito, a traveling circus clown, finds an abandoned child. He adopts her and raises her as his daughter, naming her Simonetta after his brother Simon. One day the now-teenaged Simonetta encounters Count Luigi Ravelli, a wealthy man who falls madly in love with her. However, Simonetta rejects him when she discovers he has a girlfriend. She returns to the circus and Tito suddenly realizes she is no longer a child. Tito further realizes he is attracted to Simonetta, but knows his feelings are improper because he raised her as his daughter.
Luigi begins having fits of uncontrollable laughter because Simonetta has rejected him. Tito falls into melancholia because of his conflicted interests about Simonetta. They both see the same doctor about their conditions and meet each other there for the first time. Luigi and Tito share their respective troubles and believe they can help each other, not knowing they are in love with the same woman. Nonetheless, the three eventually develop a strong friendship until Luigi asks Simonetta to marry him. Simonetta eventually accepts Luigi's proposal, which throws Tito into an even deeper melancholy.
Before she marries Luigi, Simonetta learns of Tito's affections for her. She tells Tito she loved him before she loved Luigi, then goes to break her engagement. Meanwhile, Tito and his brother Simon begin rehearsing new material for their "Flik and Flok" act. Tito believes Simonetta pities rather than loves him; he also knows that, as her adopted father, it would be immoral to have her become his wife. Driven insane by his internal conflict, he decides to practice his new routine from the act without protection. Despite his brother's protests, he continues with the stunt and falls from the highwire. Tito dies from his fall, freeing Simonetta to marry Luigi.
The film is based on the 1923 Broadway stage production Laugh, Clown, Laugh which starred Lionel Barrymore as Tito, and his second wife Irene Fenwick in the role of Simonetta. The play by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, which in turn was based on a 1919 Italian stage play Ridi, Pagliaccio by Fausto Maria Martini, ran at the Belasco Theatre from November 28, 1923, to March 1924, for a total of 133 performances. The production also featured Lucille Kahn in a supporting role.[citation needed] These plays were all based on the 1891 opera I Pagliacci (The Clowns), by Ruggero Leoncavallo, the principal aria of which has the lyrics, "Ridi, Pagliaccio!" (Laugh, Clown!).