4/5 She's gonna do the trick with the horse!
  by Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth)
SPANGLES is loosely based on the life of Australian-born May Wirth (1894-1978), who is considered the greatest bareback horse rider in circus history. May began her riding career at age 10, and was famous for doing forward somersaults on a moving horse. Performing was not without hazards, however. In April 1913, while appearing in Brooklyn, NY, Wirth sustained serious injuries after being thrown from her favorite Arabian, Juno and dragged around the ring four times. May retired in 1937, and settled in Sarasota, Florida, where her name was added to the Circus Hall of Fame in 1964.

Adapted by actress Leah Baird from Nellie Revell's novel, SPANGLES is the story of a circus performer (Nixon) who falls in love with a wanted man (O'Malley) currently using the circus as a hideout. The show's owner (Bosworth) threatens that unless she marries him (the owner), he'll have her boyfriend arrested.


SPANGLES is a TeleVista product. They also have available THE LITTLE AMERICAN, starring Mary Pickford and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It's a propagandistic WWI melodrama about the survivor of a U-boat attack who witnesses German atrocities in Europe.


Spangles (silent-1926) - Marian Nixon/Pat O'Malley/Hobart Bosworth/Gladys Brockwell/Jay Emmett/James Conly/Grace Gordon

ACTOR TRIVIA--

Five foot tall Marian Nixon ('Spangles' Delancy) portrays a character based on a real circus rider who was only 4' 11".

Pat O'Malley (Dick Radley) was a circus man prior to becoming an actor.

Hobart Bosworth ('Big Bill' Bowman) appeared in 287 films and directed 56 more. While making Frank Capra's DIRIGIBLE (1931), Bosworth tried to fight the heat by putting a piece of dry ice in his mouth. He ended up losing several teeth and part of his jaw.

Gladys Brockwell (Mademoiselle Dazie) died in July 1929 from a one car accident. The vehicle, driven by her boyfriend, went over an embankment and plunged 75 feet. Brockwell was pinned under the wreck and died from complications due to head trauma.

Charles Becker (Dwarf) played The Mayor of Munchkin City in THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939).

Actual circus performers in the cast: Nellie Lane (Fat Woman), Tiny Ward (Giant) and Herbert Shelly (Skeleton).