Laugh, Clown, Laugh

"What did he hide behind his painted smile?"

1928 1h 14m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 40

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A despairing clown suffering a broken heart and a self-indulgent count who uncontrollably laughs learn to help each other with their problems, but both fall in love with the same young woman.

“What did he hide behind his painted smile?”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Lon Chaney
Tito Beppi
Bernard Siegel
Simon
Loretta Young
Simonetta
Cissy Fitzgerald
Giancinta
Nils Asther
Count Luigi Ravelli
Gwen Lee
Lucretia
Robert Brower
Stage Manager (uncredited)
Julie DeValora
Nurse (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Herbert Brenon
Writers: Elizabeth Meehan, Tom Cushing, David Belasco
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

98 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Herbert Brenon, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by H. Scott Salinas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marie Halvey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lon Chaney and Bernard Siegel and Loretta Young carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "What did he hide behind his painted smile?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Herbert Brenon directs. James Wong Howe behind the camera. H. Scott Salinas scores. Marie Halvey cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
398 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Herbert Brenon, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by H. Scott Salinas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Marie Halvey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Lon Chaney and Bernard Siegel and Loretta Young carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "What did he hide behind his painted smile?".
9IMDB entry: tt0019074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 18 themes, including "marriage proposal", "sadness", "clown", "count".