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      Laugh, Clown, Laugh

      1928 1h 5m Romance Drama List
      Reviews 93% Audience Score 500+ Ratings A clown named Tito Beppi (Lon Chaney) adopts orphaned Simonetta (Loretta Young), and they begin to travel and perform in the circus together. As Simonetta grows into a beautiful young woman, Tito eventually falls in love with her. Though the girl actually has eyes for the young and noble Count Ravelli (Nils Asther), she pretends to want the kindly clown because she is unwilling to break his heart. When Tito realizes that he stands in the way of her happiness, things turn tragic. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Robert E. Sherwood LIFE Screen actors who impersonate clowns are usually such bum comedians... Tito, the hero of Laugh, Clown, Laugh, is another of those movie mountebanks who are convincingly tragic but never in the least bit funny. Oct 4, 2021 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The fifteen-year-old Loretta Young (only 14 at the time of shooting) is 45-year-old Lon Chaney's leading lady. Rated: B Oct 25, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Terry S Worth watching to experience the beauty and natural talent of emerging star Loretta Young. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/02/22 Full Review Audience Member The best romance movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member How can you go wrong with a Lon Chaney circus picture? Lon plays a kind hearted circus clown who adopts an abandoned child. The film then picks up years later and the child has now grown into a young woman. Things get complicated (and a tad creepy to modern eyes) when the young woman, played by a 15-year-old Loretta Young, falls in love with a rich man and Lon wants to tell her that he loves her, but doesn't want to complicate her love of the rich man by making her feel obligated to stay with him. Chaney is great playing tragic figures and is wonderful here. And I've never been a huge fan of Loretta Young, but even at 15, she definitely exhibits star quality. Overall, this one isn't a classic, but it's a solid and entertaining melodrama that I can honestly say I didn't know how it would end. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a real tearjerker. Based on the Pagliacci tale of a clown who is broken hearted that the object of his affection refuses his romantic overtures Lon Chaney delivers a performance that emotes without words. An amazing performance that turns a run of the mill movie into a real gem. Highly recomended. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member amazing chaney performance-again! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member This is one of Chaney's best. He's phenomenal in projecting emotion from one second to the next portraying a clown who must suppress his love for his adopted daughter who is now a grown woman. The tragic story is very moving. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Laugh, Clown, Laugh

      Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A clown named Tito Beppi (Lon Chaney) adopts orphaned Simonetta (Loretta Young), and they begin to travel and perform in the circus together. As Simonetta grows into a beautiful young woman, Tito eventually falls in love with her. Though the girl actually has eyes for the young and noble Count Ravelli (Nils Asther), she pretends to want the kindly clown because she is unwilling to break his heart. When Tito realizes that he stands in the way of her happiness, things turn tragic.
      Director
      Herbert Brenon
      Screenwriter
      Elizabeth Meehan, Joseph Farnham, Elizabeth Meehan
      Production Co
      Metro Goldwyn Mayer
      Genre
      Romance, Drama
      Runtime
      1h 5m