The Spieler

1928
1h 2m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Cleo inherits a carnival and announces in the newspapers that her show will be operated free of all grifters, dips, three-shell men, confidence artists, and hookers. Flash and Luke, a couple... Read allCleo inherits a carnival and announces in the newspapers that her show will be operated free of all grifters, dips, three-shell men, confidence artists, and hookers. Flash and Luke, a couple of dips, see in this policy their big chance and, passing themselves off as honest men, f... Read allCleo inherits a carnival and announces in the newspapers that her show will be operated free of all grifters, dips, three-shell men, confidence artists, and hookers. Flash and Luke, a couple of dips, see in this policy their big chance and, passing themselves off as honest men, find work in Cleo's show. Flash is greatly attracted to Cleo, but she rebuffs him when he t... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

YOUR RATING

4User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win

Photos21

+ 15

Top cast16

Edit

Alan Hale

Flash

Clyde Cook

Luke aka 'Perfesser' McIntosh

Renée Adorée

Cleo d'Alzelle

Fred Kohler

Red Moon

Fred Warren

The Baker

James Quinn

The Rabbit

Kewpie Morgan

Butch

Billie Latimer

Bearded Lady

Alfred Adeline

Bit Part
(uncredited)

Ed Brady

One of Red's Men
(uncredited)

Sterling Campbell

Last Pickpocket Victim
(uncredited)

Sidney D'Albrook

One of Red's Men
(uncredited)

Jimmy Dime

One of Red's Men
(uncredited)

Bob Perry

One of Red's Men
(uncredited)

Jack Perry

One of Red's Men
(uncredited)

Frederick Peters

Undetermined Secondary Role
(uncredited)

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Was filmed mostly silent but included a few talking sequences using the RCA Photophone System. These sequences are missing from existing prints. NY Times critic Mordaunt Hall thought the talkie parts were unnecessary but found Renée Adorée's French accent "quite captivating".

User reviews4

Review

Featured review

7/10

From Grifter to hero...

When the story begins, Flash (Alan Hale) and the Perfessor (Clyde Cook) are in jail. They apparently are crooked carnies and have been caught doing something illegal once again. When they learn that a lady is looking for HONEST carnies, Flash insists they go...figuring the woman must be easy to fool. However, what they don't realize is that Flash learns to care about Cleo (Renée Adorée)...but this will result in Red Moon (the baddie in the story) unleashing his full fury on him and the Perfessor.

This is a very good late silent film. Aside from a few badly used sound effects, it's a silent....among the last ones Hollywood made. But it's also well polished, well acted and enjoyable from start to finish.