Nifty Miller, the greatest carnival barker in the world, sends his son, Chris, to law school in the hope that the boy will find in professional life a more settled and prosperous life than that of the sideshow. During one of his summer vacations, Chris finds work with the carnival, and Nifty breaks off his relationship with Carrie, a hula dancer who, seeking revenge for this slight, pays another carnival girl, Lou, to vamp the innocent boy; Lou, however, genuinely falls in love with Chris. When his father finds out that they are in love, Chris defiantly announces his intention to marry the girl. Seeing his ambitious plans for his son seemingly collapse, Nifty quits the carnival and turns to drink. He later finds out that Chris has returned to law school at Lou's urging. Offered a partnership in the carnival, Nifty returns to his former life as a barker.

Director:
George Fitzmaurice	Director
Cast:
Milton Sills	as Nifty Miller
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	as Chris Miller
George Cooper	as Hap Spissel
John Erwin	as Sailor West
S. S. Simon	as Colonel Gowdy
Dorothy Mackaill	as Lou
Betty Compson	as Carrie
Sylvia Ashton	as Ma Benson
Cinematography:
Lee Garmes	Director of Photography
Writer:
Benjamin Glazer	Screenwriter
Benjamin Glazer	Adaptation
Joseph Jackson	Dial
Herman Mankiewicz	Titles
Producer:
Richard A. Rowland	Presented By
Al Rockett	Producer
Editing:
Stuart Heisler	Film Editor
Music:
Louis Silvers	Music Score
Costume-Wardrobe:
Max Rée	Costumes

Based on the play The Barker; a Play of Carnival Life in Three Acts by Kenyon Nicholson (New York, 1917).

AA-Best Actress in 1930

AA-Best Actress in 1928