District Attorney Thatcher Colt (Adolphe Menjou) heads out of town for a brief vacation, accompanied by his secretary (Ruthelma Stevens), but they don’t find the upstate New York town of Gilead particularly restful. A small circus comes to town, with a love triangle at the center of its prominent acts, and murder follows. Dwight Frye shines in another role as a madman, and Donald Cook does a decent job with his part as an aerialist, as does Greta Nissen as the titular “circus queen,” and Menjou and Stevens provide the viewer with a pleasant duo of detectives. There’s little in the way of mystery, but the movie nonetheless holds the viewer’s interest for its short running time.

  Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 315 for 2021.