"The Lure of the Circus" (1918) starring Eddie Polo

[@aadamtx]

Thanks for the upload! If it wasn't for the introductory and other title cards, this film would have been baffling. The original 1917 serial ran 18 episodes, with each episode a two-reeler. What we have here is all that remains of all that footage. I was unfamiliar with Polo so did a little digging. Born Edward W. Wyman in Vienna to Jewish parents, he worked as a circus acrobat before migrating to films (he did some acting work in Germany also). As Eddie Polo, he was a top moneymaker due to his acrobatic skills, but his acting career essentially ended with the advent of talkies - I suspect he had a strong accent that audiences would not understand. He later worked as a director and makeup artist - his brother was also a makeup artist and died in 1961. The other fascinating actor here is the great Noble Johnson, an African American actor who was famous for being able to portray pretty much all ethnicities. A good friend of Lon Chaney, Johnson appeared in many major pictures, although often uncredited - KING KONG, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON, and LOST HORIZON. He also lived to a ripe old age, dying in 1978 just shy of 100 years old.

[@yorkmba99]

Thank you!

[@OriginalRocketJock]

Welcome back, SHoF!

[@hughzimmerman3518]

*promo sm* 😢