Behind The Makeup

They were already doing backstage dramas, and the sound era had only just begun. Powell is the heavy in this seamy tale of former circus clowns. Skelly is a successful small-time performer working in New Orleans. He saves Powell's life when the latter is literally starving to death. Powell is from a famous family of European clowns and Skelly proposes they do a two-act. Powell is above the slapstick kind of thing and wants to perform only high-class (read "unfunny") material. They try it and it bombs. Powell leaves and Skelly later finds him doing the very same act that Skelly wanted to do in the first place. Powell apologizes, loses his new partner, and he and Ske...