A fairly ambitious Pathe musical from 1930, set in a traveling circus of the 1880s, this one's no neglected masterpiece, but it does show how quickly the talkies were learning to tell stories with, and through, song. A barely-singing Helen Twelvetrees is the put-upon heroine, wooed by nice-but-weak Fred Scott, and threatened by an unscrupulous Dorothy Burgess, who played this kind of part over and over, and well. The emphasis is on how the circus is a real community, an extended family, with good guys and bad guys, and on the strong woman/weak man pairing, and Helen's Cap'n Andy-like protector. I'm guessing Pathe had Show Boat in mind quite a lot when they made this. The songs aren't Kern quality, but they're OK, and there's at least a passing relationship between some of them and the plot. It's more than capably directed by Joseph Santley, nicely shot, and has some fun supporting players, including Stepin Fetchit, who's alternately delightful and cringe-inducing. There's an exciting if predictable climax, and Scott, who later became both a singing cowboy and an opera star, while goofy-looking, partners well with the delicate Ms. Twelvetrees. Among forgotten musicals of 1930, and there are many, this is one of the more impressive.

There's jealousy amongst the lovely trapeze ladies in this circus musical melodrama which is very similar in nature to the same year's "Dangerous Curves", starring Clara Bow, Richard Arlen and Kay Francis. Romantic duets and Negro spirituals (as they were called back then) interrupt the drama every five minutes in this story of the vixen (Dorothy Burgess) who threatens to come between circus sweethearts Helen Twelvetrees and Fred Scott, as well as the mystery of who has been embezzling from the coffers. While the romantic duets may threaten your ability to stay awake, a production number (with the black servants putting together the circus tent while singing) is spectacularly staged. I found Stepin Fetchit's slow drawl difficult to understand at times (and slightly off-putting) but other character performers were rich in characterization. The finale where the villain is confronted is spectacularly suspenseful and makes up for the slow spots. But for a low budget film this early in the sound era, it is surprisingly lavish and overstocked with extras in the key circus scenes.

Pathe had so much faith in it's two newest signings (Helen Twelvetrees and Fred Scott) that 4 months after introducing them in "The Grand Parade" they were re-teamed in a circus story with songs "Swing High". Helen more than went on to justify the faith the studio had in her but Scott eventually ended up as a singing cowboy, he had a lusty singing voice but no "special something". The supporting cast was mainly made up of old timers (Dot Farley, George Fawcett, Chester Conklin and Ben Turpin) and a couple of youngsters who the year before probably thought their ship had come in. Sally Starr was an MGM discovery, talked about as a pocket sized version of Clara Bow. In January 1930 she was giving interviews about her method of cracking the big time - early to bed, no night clubbing until after she's a big star but unfortunately it didn't work because by May she was struggling in the supporting players of "Swing High". Roumanian born Nick Stuart was given even less to do but the year before he had leads!!!The story was set in 1880 and was all about the life and loves of a troupe of travelling circus players of whom the star is aerialist Maryan (Twelvetrees). Garry (Scott) is a singer in a medicine man show and his rendition of "My Guitar and You" brings him and Maryan together and also convinces her that the two shows should combine. With the joy of being around Garry (he agrees and thinks "There's Happiness Over the Hill") comes change and heartache. Maryan's trapeze partner, Ruth (Starr) and Billy (Stuart) are keen to marry and leave the show so enter vampy Miss Trixie (Dorothy Burgess). She catches the eye of Major Tiny (Little Billy), the circus midget, and is very scathing to him - until she sees his bank book!! She spins the old yarn about a sick grandmother and before you know it he has given her all his savings and serenaded her with a particularly creepy song "Do You Think I Can Grow On You". Their strange "affair" is reminiscent of the much more sinister pairing in "Freaks" (1932).Gary has a vice - he is a gambler and when Maryan is off recuperating from a fall (he has just sung her another dreary love song "It Must Be Love", in his very fruity baritone, there are close-ups of Helen biting her lips, trying to hold back the tears - she must have wanted to scream!!) - he goes to the dogs. When the circus payroll goes missing he is the chief suspect and there are more thrills in the last 15 minutes when Maryan overhears a conversation and wrangles a confession from the real thief the only way she knows how, up on the high wire!!!The performance of Stepin Fetchit may be cringeworthy but he was one of the first black actors to gain a foothold in Hollywood. He had perfected the character of the slow moving, slow speaking servant, always a slave to the whims of the white folk, from his stage days but in later years was vilified for his caricatures. On the other hand an unbilled Clarence Muse (who enhanced every film he appeared in) had the best moment in the movie with his spirited spiritual "Shoo the Hoodoo Away".

GREETINGS & SALUTATIONS! "Swing High," (1930) is about a circus aerialist who fights to keep her lover out of the hands of a scheming woman. It stars Chester Conklin, Stepin Fetchit, Helen Twelvetrees, and Ben Turpin. However, it is Stepin Fetchit who breathes life into this musical. Stepin Fetchit was born Lincoln Theodore Monroe Albert Perry in Key West, Florida sometime between 1892 and 1902; the son of a cigar maker. He left home in 1914 to pursue a show business career, joining the Royal American Shows plantation revues. Years later he is said to have taken his stage name from a Baltimore racehorse that had inspired him to write a routine for himself and his stage partner of the time, Ed Lee. They billed themselves as "Step 'n' Fetchit: Two Dancing Fools from Dixie." After splitting with his partner, Fetchit kept the name for himself as he spent long, arduous years in the vaudeville circuit. He provided comic relief in many films during the Depression years. Respectfully yours, Sarge Booker