The Constant Woman Explained

The Constant Woman
Director:Victor Schertzinger
Producer:Victor Schertzinger (producer)
Starring:Conrad Nagel
Leila Hyams
Claire Windsor
Cinematography:Arthur Edeson
Editing:Rose Loewinger
Distributor:Sono Art-World Wide Pictures
Runtime:76 minutes (American original release)
70 minutes (American reissue)
Country:United States

The Constant Woman (1933), also known as Auction in Souls and Hell in a Circus, is an American Pre-Code film directed by Victor Schertzinger. It is based on the 1913 Eugene O'Neill play Recklessness.

Plot

Marlene Underwood is a star circus performer, whose husband Walt buys the circus while their son Jimmie worships everything his mother does. Marlene leaves them both to go join a larger show, then is killed in a fire, resulting in Walt going into a downward spiral of alcohol and sorrow.

A woman called Lou helps restore Walt's faith in human nature, but she is resented by young Jimmie, who feels she is trying to take his mother's place. Walt gets back on his feet, but now must try to stop Jimmie from joining the circus himself.

Cast