| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Anne Baxter | ... |
Willie
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| Steve Cochran | ... |
Joe Hammond
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| Lyle Bettger | ... |
Frank Colloni
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| George Nader | ... |
Bill Vines
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| Jay C. Flippen | ... |
Charley Grayson
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| Helene Stanley | ... |
Peggy
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Ady Berber | ... |
Groppo
(as Adi Berber)
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In search of better business, a big American carnival opens in Munich, Germany. Joe the barker befriends attractive pickpocket Willie, finds her a job, and beds her. Then high diver Frank recruits Willie as his assistant. When Frank falls for her and proposes marriage, Joe takes the opportunity to brush her off. After the marriage, Joe figures he can still exercise his sexual hold over Willie; but tragedy intervenes. Written by Rod Crawford <[email protected]>
A young girl (Anne Baxter) runs away and joins a traveling carnival troupe in Colonia (Germany), an American-owned circus in all its beautiful and sadness in the setting . She falls in love with her employer (Steve Cochran) and is hired by the ringmaster (J.C. Flippen). Later on , she is contracted by a somersault artist (Lyle Bettger), who teaches her the leap routine and soon becomes the main attraction but he has a fatal accident . Anne Baxter as an aerial acrobat dropping to swimming pool is interested in both men.
The film is a melodramatic and romantic tale with the classic triangular love story through an European tour and meshing drama with events offstage . It deals with an U.S. carnival in Colonia sets the scene for sin , sex , passion and melodrama . The movie is wrought with romance and glamour but is a simple and tragic story about a scheming young girl and the men of whom she takes advantage . This dramatic flick packs an exciting final adding the beauty-beast myth . Extraordinary cast and good performances , especially from Anne Baxter and George Nader as a journalist , both of whom are top-notch under Kurt Neumann's correct direction . Furthermore , some scenes the actors perform their own stunts . After that , George Nader stayed in Germany where had success playing Jerry Cotton , a solid entry in German crime series . Fine camera work with exquisite images in Agfacolor and superb European location by cameraman Ernest Haller . The motion picture was well directed by Kurt Neumann , known director of classic Sci-Fi (The fly , Rocketship X-M , Kronos) , besides he realized at the same time the German version titled ¨Circus of love¨ with Curt Jurgens and Eva Bartok in similar roles .