I'd give this one six points just because it was a good vehicle for one of my favorite character actors from the 1930's - Barton McLane - to play something other than just an all out tough guy.
Barton McLane plays Cliff Ballenger, who is a great guy when he is not drunk. He's also a big cat tamer in a circus, who works tigers and lions together, although this fact is never explicitly mentioned, nor is the fact that it is very dangerous because lions and tigers do not like each other very much - Clyde Beatty did it in his heyday and was famous because he could do it.
The problem is, Cliff is mean and easily challenged when drunk, and easily gets drunk when he is jealous. And when he is drunk he does some pretty unthinkable things that endanger others, and then he overcompensates for his bad acts. So Cliff gets drunk one night, mistakes one of his good friend's statements as a challenge, and claims he can tame the meanest cat in the circus - Satan - even when he is drunk. When that friend tries to stop him, he loses his life to Satan, Cliff just loses a leg. So Cliff, once out of the hospital, decides the best way to make amends is to help his dead friend's grown daughter, to take over where he left off. It helps that with a false leg Cliff is still able to work the big cats and make pretty good money.
The girl is in jail for prostitution - she was broke, didn't want to tell anybody, and as she says "a girl's got to eat". Cliff visits her in jail, doesn't judge her, and rents her a home when she gets out. She marries him out of gratitude, but then one night Cliff brings one of his good friends home for dinner and lightning strikes between Cliff's new wife and his best friend. This is lightning they don't want to act on because they both like sober Cliff a great deal. How does this turn out? Rather predictably and even poignantly I'll say. It's one of Warner's better B efforts even though none of the other players besides Barton McLane really made it in Hollywood although everybody gave a good performance here.
Barton McLane plays Cliff Ballenger, who is a great guy when he is not drunk. He's also a big cat tamer in a circus, who works tigers and lions together, although this fact is never explicitly mentioned, nor is the fact that it is very dangerous because lions and tigers do not like each other very much - Clyde Beatty did it in his heyday and was famous because he could do it.
The problem is, Cliff is mean and easily challenged when drunk, and easily gets drunk when he is jealous. And when he is drunk he does some pretty unthinkable things that endanger others, and then he overcompensates for his bad acts. So Cliff gets drunk one night, mistakes one of his good friend's statements as a challenge, and claims he can tame the meanest cat in the circus - Satan - even when he is drunk. When that friend tries to stop him, he loses his life to Satan, Cliff just loses a leg. So Cliff, once out of the hospital, decides the best way to make amends is to help his dead friend's grown daughter, to take over where he left off. It helps that with a false leg Cliff is still able to work the big cats and make pretty good money.
The girl is in jail for prostitution - she was broke, didn't want to tell anybody, and as she says "a girl's got to eat". Cliff visits her in jail, doesn't judge her, and rents her a home when she gets out. She marries him out of gratitude, but then one night Cliff brings one of his good friends home for dinner and lightning strikes between Cliff's new wife and his best friend. This is lightning they don't want to act on because they both like sober Cliff a great deal. How does this turn out? Rather predictably and even poignantly I'll say. It's one of Warner's better B efforts even though none of the other players besides Barton McLane really made it in Hollywood although everybody gave a good performance here.
