Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)

91% of users liked it
(486 ratings)

Fifteen-year-old Loretta Young is 45-year-old Lon Chaney's winsome leading lady in Laugh, Clown, Laugh. Based on the war-horse stage piece by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, the film casts Chaney as (what else?) an aging circus clown, who adopts an orphaned girl and falls in love with her when she… More Fifteen-year-old Loretta Young is 45-year-old Lon Chaney's winsome leading lady in Laugh, Clown, Laugh. Based on the war-horse stage piece by David Belasco and Tom Cushing, the film casts Chaney as (what else?) an aging circus clown, who adopts an orphaned girl and falls in love with her when she grows up. Alas-and not surprisingly-the girl loves another, prompting Chaney to perform a suicidal circus stunt, freeing her to marry the man she truly cares about (Nils Asther). Chaney had been here before, having played a similar role opposite Norma Shearer in 1924's He Who Gets Slapped. Though widely touted as Loretta Young's film debut, she had actually made earlier appearances with her sisters as a child extra. A silent film, Laugh Clown Laugh was released with a musical sound track, which highlighted the hit title song. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 8 min.
Directed By: Herbert Brenon
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: Apr 14, 1928 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The fifteen-year-old Loretta Young (only 14 at the time of shooting) is 45-year-old Lon Chaney's leading lady.

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Great acting from Cheney, but other than that, the story is predictable. It's that old story of a guy who just happens to find a young girl, raises her like a daughter and then falls in love with her when she is older. The ending was really good too. Overall, it's a… More
Great acting from Cheney, but other than that, the story is predictable. It's that old story of a guy who just happens to find a young girl, raises her like a daughter and then falls in love with her when she is older. The ending was really good too. Overall, it's a pretty good movie, but it would have been better if the story weren't so predictable.
El Hombre I

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, so along with that, horror fans may find little… More
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, so along with that, horror fans may find little here but Chaney fans will find plenty. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=laughclownlaugh.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/laughclownlaugh.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>