The Circus Kid

Orphan Darro, a natural acrobat, runs away to the circus and joins the troupe which includes rival lion tamer Brown, a once-was, and Nelson, the rising star, who are both competing for bareback rider Costello's affection. A lion escapes and almost kills Nelson, but the beast is fought off bare-handed by Brown, who dies a hero but not before blessing the union between Nelson and Costello. Maudlin, mawkish, but a few good animal scenes. This is basically a silent film with a talkie prolog and snippets of conversation throughout.