Goliath, the circus strongman and the midget, Little Professor Atom, both employed by Wilson’s Wonder Circus, are accomplices of bad guy John Carter who is trying to take over the circus from its owner Jeff Wilson (apparently to use it as a front for illegal gambling). Julie Randall, Jeff’s girlfriend, performs a horse act in the circus.
Jeff has hidden $10,000 in cash, which he owes to Carter, in the cage of Gibraltar the gorilla. When Jeff goes to retrieve the money to give to Carter from Gibraltar’s cage on the circus train, Carter has Goliath and Atom knock Jeff unconscious and steal the $10,000.
Jeff’s friend and circus employee, Antonio ‘Tony’ Pirelli, summons attorney J. Cheever Loophole to investigate the situation. Loophole discovers Carter’s moll, Peerless Pauline (whose circus act consists of walking upside-down with suction cups on her shoes), is hiding the money, but she outwits him and he fails to retrieve it.
Later, Tony and Punchy search Goliath’s stateroom on the circus train for the money, but are unsuccessful. With Carter about to foreclose on the circus, Loophole discovers that Jeff’s aunt is the wealthy Mrs. Susanna Dukesbury, and he tricks her into paying $10,000 for the Wilson Wonder Circus to entertain the Newport 400, instead of a performance by French conductor Jardinet, and his symphony orchestra.
The audience is delighted with the circus; when the blustery Jardinet arrives, Loophole, who delayed the Frenchman’s arrival on the SS Normandie by implicating him in a dope ring, disposes of the conductor and his orchestra by having Tony and Punchy cut the moorings on a floating bandstand as they play Wagner’s prelude to act III of Lohengrin at the water’s edge.
Meanwhile, Carter and his henchmen try to burn down the circus, but are thwarted by Tony and Punchy, along with the only witness to the robbery: Gibraltar the gorilla, who also retrieves Jeff’s money from Carter after a big trapeze finale, which features Tony shooting Mrs. Dukesbury out of a cannon. Loophole asks if the money is all there—so Gibraltar sits down, carefully counts it, and ends the film with a high-sign.
Experience the thrills and excitement of this circus adventure by watching “At the Circus Full Movie” today. Join the characters as they navigate through twists and turns to save the circus and outsmart the villains. Don’t miss out on this classic film that will entertain audiences of all ages.