Original subtitles

How's that, Kitty?

To your left, George.

That's good, that's good.

Come on, get your back in it. Come on, stupid!

- Come on! - What are you doing to Jumbo?

- Work ain't gonna hurt him... - I told you to leave him alone.

Jumbo is a star, not a laborer. Come on.

A bull's a bull. The way you spoil this one burns me up.

Oh, really?

Let me tell you. I don't know the shows you've been with.

But in this show, you're gonna do it our way. He's a star.

- Cool him off, Jumbo. - Hey, what are you doing?

Put me down, you crazy...! Put me down! Put me down, you idiot! Put me down!

- Don't you drop me, you big baboon! - All right.

Hey, don't you drop me...!

Come on, Jumbo. Come on, come on.

- I quit! - Too late. You're fired.

I hate to let him go. He is a good canvas man. Come on.

Nobody's gonna treat you that way.

Don't you worry, baby. Never happen again.

Trouble is, he thinks you're an elephant.

Well, that'll give you an idea of his mentality.

Oh, what a nerve! Imagine working a person before breakfast.

As soon as rehearsal's over, I'll let you hay up.

Well, Beauty, you're almost as pretty as your picture.

You just stay right here in the sunshine and get dry, you hear?

All right, baby?

Come on, Jumbo, rehearsal time.

- Harry, I'm sorry I'm late. - Morning, Kitty.

Do you have Jumbo's new music? Oh, good.

Good morning, Jumbo. And what key would you like it in?

B flat?

Very well. B flat.

- All right. - Ready?

Very good. Wasn't it, Harry?

Let's try it again, boys, huh?

Excuse me.

I've been looking all over the place for you. Where you been?

All over the place. How about you, Pop?

Oh, I just moseyed into town for a while...

...to take a look around, get the local color.

- You know. - Yeah, I know.

How you can find a crap game in a strange town before breakfast beats me.

Crap game? Me? What makes you think that?

Well, for one thing, Eddie told me that the cash box was empty this morning.

How much did you lose?

I'll level with you, Kitten.

I run a hot 300 bucks into a cool 30 cents.

- Oh, Pop. - Don't worry, honey.

We'll make it back tonight. We'll be sold out.

What's the good of being sold out, now, Pop?

We owe bills from here to Kansas City and points east.

Do you know how much money we owe right here in this town?

All right. I guess we can stall them again. We've had enough practice.

That's my Kitten.

Come on, Jumbo! Mush!

All right, boys and girls, get to work. The boss is here.

Everybody does what they want. No management.

Come on, Jumbo.

Mary. Come on, get back up there.

What are you, a quitter?

I'll never be able to do it, Kitty. I've tried and I've tried.

And you'll keep trying and trying and trying.

- Here you are, Leona. - Thank you, Kitty.

Hey, Kitty! Kitty!

- George! You did it. Oh, I knew you could. - Thanks, Kitty.

You see what hard work does? Oh, George.

All right, hold it.

Stop this show!

Hold it!

- Yes? - Where's Pop Wonder?

Oh, well, Pop's busy right now. I'm his daughter, Kitty.

- Can I help you? - Very simply.

- Just cross my palm with $260. - I'll take 150.

- Make mine 70. - Would you mind stepping outside, please?

We can talk better out here. You know how sensitive artists are.

I'm a little sensitive myself, particularly about not being paid...

...for enough chow to feed an army. - Ten tons of hay.

I've been swindled out of 300 feet of prime lumber.

Gentlemen, please, no one's been swindled.

You mean so far. Well, I'm taking my food back to town right now.

Oh, well, you wouldn't do a thing like that.

No? Just watch me. I've had dealings with you circus people before.

Well, I know you have.

And think of all the nice profits you've made too.

I'll bet you don't get a bunch of suckers like us every day, now do you?

Paying those top prices you charge us.

- I declare. - So far you haven't paid us anything.

- Oh, but we're going to. - When?

Tonight. Gentlemen, we'll be sold out. Every seat.

So if you come back after the performance, you'll all be paid in full.

Well, all right, Miss Wonder. I'll take your word for it this time.

- It's against my better judgment... - Thank you very much, sir.

We'll dang well be back tonight.

I know you will.

I'll be looking forward to seeing you.

They gone?

For now, yes. But they'll dang well be back tonight.

You did it, again, Kitten. I'm proud of you.

I wish I was.

Oh, Pop, how long can we go on like this?

One day, they'll come along and attach every asset we've got.

- Including Jumbo. - Jumbo? They wouldn't dare.

Why, he's like a son to me. You can even see the resemblance.

Oh, Pop, let's hope we're still laughing on the way to jail.

See you at the parade.

Go hay up, you beautiful beast.

Hold it.

- We had a dinner date last night. - I'm sorry, Lu. I got tied up.

Yeah. So did I. Cooking a 12-course dinner.

I figured around 1 you weren't gonna show up...

...so I ate it myself.

- Gee, Lu, l... - Yeah, I know, I know.

You ever try eating a 12-course dinner for two?

Not that I mind, no.

It's just that I'm... I'm a lousy cook.

- You gonna help me with this or ain't you? - Of course.

Incidentally, you know what today is?

Certainly I know what today is.

It's your birthday. Happy birthday, Lulu.

"Happy birthday, Lulu." It ain't my birthday. I don't have birthdays.

- It's our 14th anniversary. - No fooling?

No fooling. Today we've been engaged exactly 14 years.

No. It seems like yesterday.

Not to me, it doesn't.

Lulu, tell you what.

You and I'll have dinner tonight. We'll celebrate.

And I'll do the cooking. It'll be just you and me and Jumbo.

I sure wished I knew what was gonna happen.

Kitty?

Coming.

- Yes, Joey? - Murph and Gogo just quit the show.

We're gonna be short on clowns. Do you think you can fill in?

- Here we go again. I'll try. - Good girl.

Anybody home?

Yes?

My name is Sam Rawlins. I'm looking for a job.

- Oh? Doing what? - Anything and everything.

- They told me to see you. - You've been with it before?

- All my life. - What shows?

You name it, I've worked it.

Here today, gone tomorrow, huh?

Sorry, we're full up.

Not from what I hear.

You must be pretty short-handed when a girl has to double a clown.

Look, would you excuse me, please? I have a parade in 10 minutes.

Hey, that's quite an improvement.

I could be a big help to you, Miss Wonder. Take me on for a week.

Lf, at the end of that time, you don't like me, I'm on my way.

I'm sorry, but we don't hire sunshiners.

I'm just a circus bum, huh?

Okay.

Wait a minute. If you're hungry, go by the cookhouse.

- Tell them I said it's all right. - Thanks.

I'm looking for a job, not a handout.

- Did you hear that applause, Kitten? - I sure did.

Did you ever think in a few days...

...we'll be miles away, but they'll remember...

...this night at the circus the rest of their lives.

That's kind of a nice thing to be able to do for people.

Yep.

It went great, Al. Why don't you try the traveling triple tomorrow?

I can do better than that. Tomorrow I'm traveling to Cincinnati.

Cincinnati?

The John Noble show offered me money.

Money. That's all they think about. Money, money.

He hasn't been paid in two months.

Never mind, let him work for Noble. Who cares?

I'm almost ready with the cannon act I been perfecting.

It's going great, Hansel.

I think we could stand another spot in that second half.

What's that supposed to mean?

He says he won't work with a hungry bear.

He did? Why, you can't quit.

- Where's your loyalty? - Don't get excited.

There's nothing you can do. If he leaves, he leaves.

Why, if it wasn't for me, you'd be a rug.

- What's going on? - They're quitting.

- Quitting. - Quitting?

Oh, Gretel, I'm gonna miss you.

I'd like to know where we're gonna find another bear act in Willow Falls, Iowa.

What a night!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Wonder Circus takes enormous pleasure and pride...

...in presenting to you now, the mightiest monster in the whole world.

Stolen from the Rajah of Rangoon...

...8 thousand pounds of pulchritudinous pachyderm...

...the one and only...

...Jumbo!

Ladies and gentlemen...

...may I have your attention, please.

One of the most spectacular acts ever presented anywhere in the world...

...high over the center ring, walking the high wire...

...with his face completely hooded, with no net beneath him...

...with any misstep a dive to death...

...the great, the incomparable, Mantino!

The great Mantino!

Where is he?

The great Mantino.

- Have you seen him anywhere? - Not since the parade.

- I bet he's quit too. - Oh, no.

- What's the matter with him? - I don't know.

Ladies and gentlemen...

...during the next few dangerous minutes, I ask that each and every one of you...

...be absolutely silent.

The great Mant...

And now, my friends, the Wonder Circus proudly presents...

...the grand finale of the show. - Hey, Kitty, who's he?

- Who's who? - The tourist who just walked the high wire.

Don't be silly, Lulu. Mantino.

- And all the other lovable characters out of Mother Goose.

- What were you doing on...? - What about that job?

Where is Mantino?

Last I saw of the great man, he was hotfooting it to the train.

- Oh, that John Noble show. - That's right.

What are you doing in his wardrobe?

I convinced him the least he could do was leave his gear behind.

You didn't tell me you were a high-wire man.

I've done the trick on the low. The only difference is a few feet.

Do you know you could've been killed?

I could also be run over by a beer wagon crossing Main Street.

But I always look both ways.

Don't miss your cue, Miss Wonder.

Just a minute, you.

I don't know who you are, young fella...

...but nobody works this show without the owner's permission.

And from now on, you've got my permission.

Come on, let's talk it over. What's your name?

- Sam Rawlins. - The job pays 40 bucks a week, Sam.

Some weeks.

Tina.

Tina, what are you...? Where are you going?

I wanted to sneak out. I couldn't bear to say goodbye.

- Oh, Tina. - It's not my idea, it's Harry's.

Well, I hope Harry has some more ideas.

Like how are we gonna find a trumpet player in Willow Falls, Iowa.

Sorry. I'm not supposed to tell you, but some of the other musicians...

...are walking too. Come on.

Wait a minute. Stay here, please. I'll have your money in two minutes.

- Listen... - Please! You'll get every cent, I promise.

- Oh, I could just cry. - You probably will.

Eddie!

- Oh, hi. - Get me the cash box, would you?

- We sure had a good night. - We sure can use it.

- Eight hundred dollars. - Thanks.

- Pop! - I tried to talk him out of it.

He said he was gonna win back what he lost to surprise you.

- How much of a head start does he have? - Not much.

That's enough.

Well, look what the wind blew in. Interested in a little snooker, honey?

- Where do you hide the crap game? - I don't know what you're talking about.

There's no crap game here.

Come on, lady luck, for your old buddy Pop.

Let's see that natural.

Thank you.

- Here goes. Double or nothing. - Nothing!

- Kitten. - Nothing, Pop.

I happened to be strolling through town when I ran into a brother Elk.

So I see.

Well, the game is over, Pop. I'm sorry, gentlemen.

I'm sorry too, but that's not your father's. That's his stake.

Fifty! That's all you have left?

That's the situation that prevails.

Oh, Pop.

Pop. I came to tell you to get back to the lot. There's trouble.

- What trouble? What's the matter? - Jumbo's sick.

- Jumbo! I can't leave you in no pool hall. - It's all right, Pop.

Mr. Rawlins will see me safely home. Now, be careful.

- You permit ladies to play? - Your money's good.

- Roll for the 50. - Hold it. Why don't you go home?

Because I...

- I wanna win back some of that money. - You've got 50. Hang on to it.

Fifty dollars is about as much use to me as three cigar-store coupons.

You know what you're doing?

While other little girls were dressing dolls, I was rolling fours the hard way.

Now give me those dice.

All right.

Place your bets, men.

- Right there - There's 20.

Easy money.

- Come on. - Rub off snake eyes, boxcars, trey.

Rub on sevens any day.

- Hey, she did it. - Beginner's luck.

- Never do it again. - Shoot the 100.

- I got 50 of it. - I'll take 10.

- Forty. - All down? All down?

Four and a three or a five and a two, even a six and one will do.

- It did! - Oh, no.

Is that fortunate?

I wouldn't say that.

- Shoot the 200. - I'll take part.

- All right. - There's 10 right there.

- Sixty dollars says she can't. - You seem to be the big winner.

- Don't you feel like covering the rest? - The lady asked a question. Be polite.

- Paid it. - Thank you.

All good children go to heaven, all good dice will roll a seven.

- Not a seven, just an eleven. - Four in a row.

- Told you not to let her... - Gentlemen.

I'll give you all a chance to recoup.

- Shoot the 400. - No, I gotta get...

Now, just a minute.

In nice games, nobody walks out a winner unless the loser quits.

And this is a nice game, isn't it?

Or it was until now.

Get it up, boys.

I said, get it up!

That's 15.

There's 155.

- That's the rest of it. - Shoot, Miss Wonder.

Dice, I need $800 and I need it bad.

Come on, dice, once more. Once more. All the way.

- You forgot the rhyme! - Read them and weep!

Let's get out of here.

Eighty, 90, 800.

I wanna thank you for your help too.

With my luck, I ought to give up the circus and hang around poolrooms.

Yeah. I'd keep these with me, though, if I were you.

- Why? - Sort of special.

- How special? - They're loaded.

- Loaded? - You've been playing with loaded dice.

- What? - That's all right. So was your father.

They rang a pair of cheaters on him the second roll.

I was trying to figure a way to ring in mine, when you solved the problem.

Well...

- You mean when you gave me those dice...? - I switched in the specials.

I thought they did pretty good.

- You've got a touch of larceny in you. - A little.

Old magician friend of mine gave me these on my 9th birthday.

"Boy," he said, "don't use them unless the other fellow draws first."

So tonight was one of those nights.

Wait a minute. You bet against those dice.

I thought it might look a little better.

- How much did you lose? - Thirty-five dollars.

I'll take care of that right now.

Oh, dear.

There you are. Thank you.

And I do mean thank you.

Twenty, 40, 60. Right, Harry? Six weeks' salary.

- Please, don't say anything to anybody. - Money! Money! Payday!

Money. Hey, come on, I haven't been paid for seven weeks.

And they took every dime of it too.

Of course, everybody's paid off now, but we can't expect miracles every night.

She means you, Diamond Jim.

Kitten, I swear it'll never happen again.

If I ever go near that little ticket wagon, so help me...

...I'll have myself arrested for petty arsony. - Well, we'll talk about that later.

Right now, we have to come up with acts for Chatsburg.

- Alonzo ain't gonna be easy to replace. - He sure isn't.

Say, what about Borzoni?

- He does a pretty good turn. - Borzoni's with John Noble.

Signed up last week.

- How do you know that? - I'm a scholar. I read Billboard.

John Noble. That name, why, it sticks me like a crow in the throat.

Hiring away my talent. Stealing acts out from under my very nose.

And why should he do that, Mr. Wonder?

- Because he wants Jumbo. - Oh, now, Pop.

But he'll never get him.

I haven't got my crystal ball with me, but I think we're going on a long voyage.

- The creditors! - I forgot about them.

Just tell them I was mauled by a wild camel.

Well, here we go again.

Good luck, Kitten.

Evening, Miss Wonder. I suppose you know why we're here.

I have the most wonderful news.

We're gonna need triple the supplies we ordered.

- That so? - We have to stay extra days...

...by popular demand. - Our money?

- We'll need 50 tons of hay. - Our money?

- Food for these people. - Do you have our money?

- Well, not just this minute. But tomorrow... - Marshal!

Marshal? Oh, marshal.

- You'd better tell her. - I have a writ here against the circus.

A writ?

Gentlemen, I'm just a woman.

I don't know anything about these things. What does that mean?

Means you're out of business till we get paid.

- Oh, no. - Oh, yes.

Oh, gentlemen, you can't do this to us.

You can't put all these dear people out of work.

Why, the circus is their whole life.

And think what it is they're doing.

They're bringing joy and laughter to little children.

Shouldn't your band play "Hearts and Flowers"?

All right, so you hate kids.

But the law is the law and you can't touch us.

Under the State Penal Code, Section 372, and I quote...

You can quote the law to Judge Ellis. He's my brother.

Help! Mad elephant! Mad elephant! Run for your lives! Help!

Lulu, what happened?

Call out the militia! Call out the militia!

- Pop? - Jumbo. He's on a rampage again.

- What? - Mad elephant. Take to the wagons.

- There's no mad elephant. - Ask the three he trampled to death.

- Get me the elephant gun. - You can't kill Jumbo.

- It's him or us! - Mister, I'm a little too...

We did it. All right, Jumbo, start cleaning up.

You naughty boy, I'm gonna give you a kiss.

Good Jumbo. Harry, flag's down. Start loading.

Flag's down. Start loading. Come on, let's go. Let's go.

Relax, they won't find us this soon.

Certainly not. Besides, we're gonna pay them, ain't we?

- When? - We'll discuss that at intervals.

Anyway, my intentions are honorable.

- They always are, Pop. - Yeah.

Say, who are you knitting that for? Me or Jumbo?

Lu, do you want another doughnut?

Well, I don't wanna see them go to waste.

Say, Pop. What about this Sam Rawlins?

I like him. No, thanks.

He's a very nice, talented young man.

Don't you think it's kind of funny that he just popped up out of nowhere?

Why?

You know darn well he could get twice what we pay.

- Yeah. If we pay him. - Yeah.

What's funny about it? He's circus, like us.

Why, we'd die if we weren't with it. Same with him.

Maybe so.

I must admit, he's not the usual sunshiner.

No, he isn't, dear.

Say, what have you got against sunshiners?

Why, I was a circus bum myself once.

And that'll be just about enough out of you.

- Can I see you a minute, Pop? - Sure.

Yeah, we were just talking about you. Kitty was saying that we have...

- Would you like some coffee and doughnuts? - Nothing, thanks.

If you're worried about anyone following, there's a side road a mile ahead.

It's a few hours longer, but it might be safer.

My boy, that's a masterpiece of strategy, and we thank you for the suggestion.

Right, Kitten?

Right.

Wanna tell Whitey about the turnoff?

Yeah. And I wanna talk to you about an act.

It's about shooting a guy out of a cannon.

It'll be the biggest thing in show business.

- What were you two looking at? - Your palm.

- You embarrassed me. - Let me see your palm.

That's for suckers.

Well, you know what Barnum always said: "There's one born every second."

- Hey, you know what? - No. And don't tell me, I don't wanna know.

It's witchcraft. Any intelligent person...

- "Wow" what? - "Wow" wow.

- You really see something? - Yeah.

I see a man. He's tall, dark...

...and handsome. - And handsome.

You are such a faker.

Did you ever see anyone short, fat and ugly?

Yep. In the mirror.

I don't have to read your palm, it's written all over your face.

- What's written all over? - He's a good-looking guy, don't you think?

- Yes. - See, see?

He's young, healthy and smart.

- You know something else? - No, what?

He likes you too.

- Oh, Lulu. For heaven's sake. - But he does too like...

Kitten, don't you ever think of getting married?

Not more than three or four times a day.

With me, it's on the hour.

You know, Lu, I figured it out.

The trouble with us is, we move too fast. We do.

Before we can find out the color of a man's eyes, we're in the next town.

Well, that may be all right with you, but don't forget I'm no spring chicken.

Oh, fiddle. You're not old.

Yeah, I know.

As a matter of fact, the day before yesterday...

...I had a growing pain. It went sideways.

Oh, gosh.

Well, Sam, how are things with you?

- Pretty good. - And with the Wonder Circus?

Perfect.

Every night when we pull up stakes, I stick around and pay off the creditors.

They sign the receipts and credit the payment to you.

Good, good.

- There you are, Richards. All paid. - They don't care as long as they get money.

In three or four weeks, we'll successfully have stolen the Wonder show.

- Stolen? - Excuse me.

Absorbed.

Sam, what's it like over there?

What do you do, really?

Little of everything. Repair rigging, collect tickets, take a few leaps.

- I also double as the Great Mantino. - On the high wire?

You haven't worked it for years. You do use a net, of course?

A net's no use unless you fall. I don't intend to fall.

I didn't send you there to break your neck. From now on, you use a net...

...or give up the turn. Understand?

Suppose I don't? What'll you do? Send me to bed without my supper?

Sam, there's something about your attitude. Something that puzzles me.

What is it?

Well, I'll tell you, Dad.

- I don't like the way you call me "Dad." - All right, I'll call you "Father."

That's better.

Go on.

I don't like what I'm doing.

All we want is Jumbo, why ruin a whole circus?

I tried to buy Jumbo. You know that. They won't sell.

Pop Wonder is a sentimental old fool.

That doesn't make it any easier for me.

I never made things easy for you, Sam.

I brought you up in the roughest, toughest way I could think of...

...and when you could stand on your feet, I threw you to the wolves.

Why? So when the time came, you'd have the strength...

...to do the things required of you.

- Meaning to do what you want. - Meaning to carry on where I leave off.

We're building something here. The greatest show on the face of the earth.

- I wonder about that. - What?

What is this big drive of yours?

"The greatest show on the face of the earth." Why?

Why does it have to be?

I don't know, Sam. Maybe because I wanna bring something to people.

More than just a show. A spectacle.

No, more than that.

A miracle.

One miraculous, shining hour, that they couldn't forget if they tried.

You know, it's funny...

...you and Pop Wonder, you both want the same thing.

You just go about it differently.

I've gotta get my train.

Better take some more money.

Sam...

...you're not going to let me down.

I guess not.

Cash on the line, that's my motto.

- When Old Man Wonder says... - Sign that.

Yes, sir. When Old Man Wonder says I'll pay you tomorrow...

...I says tomorrow, this stuff is gonna be back under the shed.

- Sam! - That's what I said.

Dave, you can unload now.

How did you manage that?

- Pop said he wouldn't leave the supplies. - Passes to the show plus a little charm.

- You must have a pretty good line of talk. - Yeah, I'm a conversational wizard.

- Morning, Sam. - Morning.

What's the matter with him?

I don't know.

Every time I try to speak to him lately, he runs out on me.

Yeah? Maybe he's just playing hard to get.

Who wants him?

You do.

- I think he knows it too. - Well, I'm certainly not going to chase him.

Why not?

What do you think I am, Lulu?

A red-blooded American girl. Now, go get him.

Well, go on.

Happy hunting.

I'm not hunting.

I'm just stalking him a little.

Need any help?

Need any help?

We could use a good rigger.

We had one. He quit in Kansas City to join the John Noble show.

- I'd better check the traps. - Next season we're gonna have...

As I was saying, next year we're going to have all new equipment.

- New canvas, new rigging, costumes... - Where did you learn to fly?

My mother taught me.

Pop says everything new, down to the horses on the carousel.

- How old is that dream? - A few years.

I thought so.

Where would you be without dreams?

- You just wait and see. - Don't count on me.

I may not be around to drink in all this beauty.

- Are you going to leave? - I'm a sunshiner, remember?

- I like to keep on the move. - Well, people do change, you know.

- People do change. - Yeah.

Did you get a better offer?

The Noble show, maybe?

Well, I'm gonna tell you something. You'll hate them.

- Wanna know what's wrong with them? - No, tell me.

- They're only in it for the money. - Yeah.

- I can't say the same for the Wonder Circus. - That's right.

The way you run this outfit is an invitation for someone to walk in and take over.

Looks pretty good, huh?

You have a very successful love life.

- I see a proposal soon. - Hiya, chief.

He's mad about you.

- Oh, you lucky, girl, you. - Who?

Look at that love line.

Dirt. Morning, Anthony. I knew I couldn't be that lucky.

You're luckier than you think. I got something for you, poopsie.

- It wouldn't be a wedding ring? - Wedding ring?

Lulu, I'm gonna give you the world. Come on.

Thanks. I'd rather have a ring.

For years you've been asking for an act under the big top, right?

- Yeah. - Well, you got it.

- You wouldn't fool me, would you? - Yeah. Yeah.

- You mean, an act of my own? - Yeah, yeah.

Oh, Anthony, I'm so excited. Well, what do I do?

Bye!

- What's the matter with you? - Nothing yet, and that's the way I like it.

Are you out of your mind? I'm offering you a chance of a lifetime.

The golden opportunity to be shot out of a cannon.

Where's your gratitude?

Where my heart is. In my throat.

- Okay. - Okay.

Forget it.

I guess you just ain't circus, Lulu.

No sawdust in your veins.

I'll perform the trick myself.

Give me that.

Don't tell me I ain't circus.

I'm just as full of sawdust as anybody.

And nobody's gonna do my trick except me.

Even if it is only once.

- Good girl. - Good girl.

Oh, Anthony, are you sure it's safe?

Would I do anything to hurt you?

I'm gonna make you a star.

A shooting star. How high do I go?

Thirty-four feet, 10 and three-quarter inches.

I figured it out mathematically.

- And where do I land? - Right over there.

- Yeah. Right over... - Like a babe in a downy crib.

Boys, move that crib three feet back!

What goes up, must come down.

You sure you're right about your arithmetic?

- What marks did you get in school? - Will you please stop worrying? Please?

This is scientific.

A smidgen to the left, boys.

- Put yourself in my hands. - Okay, Anthony. Anything you say, dear.

That's it. No, no. You gotta get in backwards.

- Backwards! - Yes. This is scientific.

This is gonna be great for you.

- Really great. - Yeah, okay, okay.

- Are you all right? - Yeah. Good luck, Anthony.

Thank you.

Hey. What am I doing in a cannon?

Don't lose faith, Lulu. Think of your name in lights.

- What happened to my lifeline? - It's just stuck.

Don't breathe.

A snip to the right.

No, I mean the left.

Now, this may mean the difference of success and calamity.

Ready out there, boys?

Here comes Lulu.

Lulu, Lulu, you're going on a trip.

Anthony, dear.

I've changed my mind.

Help.

Lulu?

I disintegrated her.

Lulu, speak to me.

I can't figure out what went wrong. Maybe I didn't use enough gunpowder.

She had enough in her hair to hold her own Fourth of July.

And next time you try it, use a dummy.

He already did.

I apologized, didn't I? What more can I do?

- Pop? - Come in, Sam, but don't light any matches.

I heard you shot Lulu out of a cannon.

That's a lie. Due to a small miscalculation, she slid out backwards.

- You all right, Lulu? - She's as sound as a bell. Tell him.

Ding-dong.

What did I tell you?

You know better than to fool with gunpowder.

You could've blown her out of the big top. Don't try that again.

- All right, all right. - Yeah, and it's all right with me too.

There's enough trouble without looking for it.

We've got a busted generator...

...a torn main top and a lion with a toothache.

A perfectly normal day.

- I like that boy. - I saw him first.

There you are. Completely non-inflammable.

- Okay. Thanks, Kitten. - Pop?

The toot box on the carousel won't play a note.

- Hear that, Kitten? - I heard it.

- Perfectly normal day. - You know what I think, Lu?

Whatever it is, no.

I can't see anything wrong.

You can't see nothing because you ain't no toot-box expert.

- And neither am I. - Well...

I think you better go get Sam. Maybe he could...

- Hi, Sam. - Watch it.

- Think you could fix this thing? - Well, I can try.

You're very chipper this morning, Mr. Rawlins.

Any special reason? Or are you just tired of being a grouch?

I feel okay.

- What's that you're whistling? - A song.

- Well, I thought it might be. What song? - "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World."

Sam?

Sam?

I'm going into town, and I thought maybe...

- It's a beautiful day and l... - I can't. I'm working.

Hand me that screwdriver, will you?

Here. Here.

- Here. - Thanks.

You better take an umbrella. It might rain.

And there I was, covered with mud, and all he did was laugh.

- You don't have to be so sore about it. - I'm sore at myself.

- Did you ever throw yourself at a man? - Yeah.

Lots of times. And, boy, was my aim bad.

Everybody stay in your seats!

Hold it! Everything's gonna be all right!

Everybody stay in your seats!

Help us, please.

Come on, I need some help.

Hurry up. Come on. Get them down! Get them down!

- Come on, come on! Get them down! - They won't unfold!

Get the catch net, quick.

Hold on. Hold on.

- Get us down! - We can't. The ropes are fouled.

We're getting a catch net.

All right, come on, guys, get it in here. Get it in here.

Okay, fellas, come on. Straighten it out.

All right, girls, you'll have to jump, one at a time.

I'm all right. Get the others first.

Joan. Come on.

All right, Joan. All right.

All right, Mary.

Mary.

- All right, Lulu. - Here I come!

- The net's broken. - The net's busted.

That's all right, Lulu.

- What happened? - Easy now. Slide out.

- Here, now, all right. - Lift it up, fellas.

Easy, boys. Easy.

- You all right, Lulu? - Yeah.

- Are you all right, Bud? - We got trouble here.

Hold on, I'm coming up.

Can you make it?

I can't reach. You'll have to jump.

Take it easy.

Next time.

Now!

Good girl. Throw up a rope!

- Get her to her tent. - You all right?

- To her wagon. - Sam, we're in trouble over here!

Sam! Come on!

- You all right, Pop? - Do I look all right?

What a way to end a brilliant career.

- Where's the big crane? - Busted.

- Don't worry, Pop, we'll get you out. - Everything's busted.

Don't pull so hard, it hurts.

- Where is he? Let me through. - Get this pole off of me.

Let me through. Oh, Anthony. Anthony.

Don't cry, honey. My number had to come up sometime.

You can't die. You just can't die.

- Lu? - What?

Will you see that they bury me in full clown makeup?

- With a big smile painted on my face? - Oh, Anthony. I love you, Anthony.

- There, there. - I love you.

I love you too, Lulu. You know my one regret?

- What? What? - That we never got married.

Honestly?

And, you know, if I had it to do all over again...

...we'd get married tomorrow. - Come on, boys. Get it up.

- Oh, Anthony. - Get it up.

That's the most beautiful proposal a girl ever had.

- Pick it up. Pick it up. Steady. Steady. - Please, Anthony.

Steady.

- Let me down. Let me down from here. - You all right, Pop?

Not a scratch. I was just a little numb.

- My husband! - Particularly in the head.

I talked in my delirium.

- And we're gonna get married tomorrow. - That's right.

And all it took was a small hurricane. Everything is gonna be all right.

Yes, darling.

Come on, give me a hand with this canvas.

Oh, Sam, I was scared.

For the first time in my life, I was really scared.

For the first time in my life, so was I.

I thought I was going to lose you, Kitty.

Oh, Sam.

- We have so much to talk about. - Some of it will have to wait, I'm afraid.

I'm catching the 2:00 train out of here.

It's not what you think.

There's something... Some business I have to clear up.

I'll be back tomorrow, I promise.

- You trust me, don't you? - Oh, yes, I do.

And, Sam, I want you to know something.

I'll never be any trouble to you, or tie you down.

You can go where you want, and when you want.

I wouldn't mind at all being a sunshiner's wife.

That sounds very much like a proposal, Miss Wonder.

I guess I meant it that way.

If you don't mind, I'm sort of old-fashioned. I'll do the proposing, all right?

- All right. - Kitty...

- Yes, Sam. ...will you marry me?

What's the matter with you pushers? You gotta drop everything you pick up?

I always figured when I got around to this, I'd pick a nice romantic setting.

Moonlit night, soft summer breeze, and somewhere a night bird chirping.

Get a look at this.

Bridge washed out below the junction, mister.

Won't be a train out of here before tonight.

Thank you.

To tell you the honest truth, I don't know whether this will fly 100 miles.

- Why don't you walk? It'd be a lot safer. - Because I'm crazy. Let's go.

It's your neck.

Contact!

Richards, where's my father?

Why are you here? Anything wrong?

Everything's wrong. The whole deal is off. Now, where is he?

- In Vinedale, taking over the Wonder Circus. - Taking over...?

Where's Lulu?

- Pop, she'll be here. - Is the minister here?

- You spoke with him. He's right there. - What'd I say?

You sure I'm supposed to look like this?

- You look beautiful. - I feel like an undertaker at my own funeral.

- Where's Sam? I don't see Sam. - Sam will be here. Don't worry.

I suppose you and him will be doing this pretty soon, huh?

- You'll have to ask Sam about that. - Just don't be nervous about it, that's all.

Look at the time already. Half past something.

- You don't think Lulu's...? - Here she comes.

Well, look at that.

- Look at that girl. A vision! - Isn't she pretty?

And all this time, I thought she looked like George Washington.

Hey, put that back. What do you think you're...?

- What are you doing to my circus? - Nothing. I'm taking down my circus.

What kind of a joke is this?

Mr. Wonder, I have here $30,000 worth of bills against the Wonder Circus.

- What? - You can't have it. We don't owe a cent.

- Where did you get these? - That is not the point.

They've been signed over to John Noble Enterprises for collection.

- I'm collecting. - This is the foreclosure notice.

- You can't do this. - But you can't take my circus away.

I'm Pop Wonder.

Where's Sam?

- Sam? - Sam?

- Yes, yes. He ought to be here. - What would he have to do with you?

Well, he's my son.

I'm sorry it had to be done this way...

...but would you like me to make the announcement to your crew?

No. No, I'll make it myself.

Tell them they'll all have jobs with my show.

And that goes for you too, Mr. Wonder.

Yeah.

It's not so bad for me, all I lost was a circus.

But you, Kitten, how could he do this to you?

It was easy. She was in love with him.

- Pop, what's going on? - Pop?

- Listen. Listen. - Quiet, everybody. Quiet.

The groom's gonna make a speech.

I got some real good news for you.

You know we've had a little trouble making ends meet.

Sometimes they meet in the middle, sometimes they don't meet at all.

Well, today, through a stroke of business genius, I got...

I got John Noble to buy out the Pop Wonder Circus.

Wait a minute. He's got jobs for all of you.

- What about you, Pop? - Me?

I'm taking my share and settling down on a little farm I got my eagle eye on.

Besides, I'm getting sort of old to be a clown.

I don't feel so funny anymore.

Pop, you got a minute?

How about Jumbo? Does he go along with this deal?

Jumbo. Why, that poor pachyderm would die without me.

I gotta get him out of here. Fast.

But even if you do, where you gonna hide him?

Hide him?

I got a friend in Detroit with a basement.

Easy now, old boy. Just make yourself inconspicuous-like.

Just walk natural, as if you were out for a stroll. Not a word.

- Not a word. - Hold it!

Hold it right there! Where are you going with that elephant?

What elephant?

- Come on, men. - Come on, Jumbo.

Yes, sir, mister. Someday people are gonna be flying all over in these things.

Clear across the continent, clear across the world.

Someday.

But not tonight.

- All right, Jumbo. - Let's go, Jumbo.

Jumbo, hey. Come on, Jumbo, get up in there.

Oh, no, no, no!

No, no...

It's all right, Jumb.

Everything's gonna be fine.

You just have to do what they tell you, that's all.

And then you won't get hurt.

We don't want you to get hurt, baby.

Are you gonna be a good boy?

I love you, Jumb.

I love you.

And I'm gonna miss you, Jumb.

Now, come on. Now, be a big boy...

...and get in there. Now, come on, Jumbo.

Don't you touch him.

Good morning, Mr. Bones.

Good morning, Mr. Tambo. Look at that lovely sun.

- Isn't it a scrumptious day for starving? - Indubitably. But I got a problem.

- And what's that? - I hate to starve on an empty stomach.

You know, we gotta earn some money, Mr. Bones.

And how do we do that?

- Well, if I had some ham I'd play Hamlet. - Lf I had some eggs I'd join you.

That's a knee-slapper.

And you know something? If we had a tree we could have a trio.

Yeah. Yeah. But where can we find a tree?

You idiots.

Kitty.

- Wait a minute! - Take your hands off me!

- Listen! Please listen! - I listened to you once...

...and you stole a circus. Did you forget something?

- I want to explain! - Let go of me!

Put them up!

Pop, stop it. Stop it, Pop. He's not worth it.

Don't hit him, Anthony. Let me hit him.

Lu!

Now why don't you get out of here and go back to your father?

I left my father.

I know how you feel.

There isn't anything you can say to me I haven't said to myself.

Please. I want to come back.

I need you.

I need all of you.

From the looks of things around here, you need me.

You call this two-bit carnival a circus?

This isn't even a broken-down sideshow.

Jumbo!