Rain or Shine

A woman inherits her father's struggling traveling circus, and looks to the circus's manager, Smiley (Joe Cook), to save the day when the performers conspire to strike during a performance.

Movie critics reported that when the film opened at the New York Globe, people stood up to applaud the performances. The fact that the lead actor, a comedian, performed all of these physical feats himself amazed an audience accustomed to the stars being dubbed in such scenes.

At 1:06:41, Joe Cook begins a sequence of five circus acts lasting over six minutes total, starting by walking a rolling globe.

At 1:08:09, Cook performs on a slack wire, finishing by spinning 4 hoops, on his neck, both arms, and a leg.

At 1:09:50, a clown joins Cook in a comedy teeterboard act.

At 1:10:58, Cook performs a surprisingly technical juggling act, starting with a lengthy 5 club cascade, then 3 clubs in one hand, and finishing with a brief 3 club routine including a kick-up. Frank Capra filmed this from several angles at normal and slow motion speeds to best show Cook's juggling skills.

At 1:12:07, an acrobat joins Cook, on his back, in a Risley act.

The entire movie may be seen here.