Director: James Edward Grant

Plot: When deranged former circus director Sean McClory busts out of a mental hospital, throws a stranger in front of a speeding train, and returns to his old haunting grounds at the real-life Clyde Beatty Circus, Beatty does what any sensible businessman would do when confronted with a clearly unhinged egomaniac: puts him in charge. McClory then blackmails a broken-down, alcoholic clown nicknamed "Twitchy" (Emmett Lynn) into helping him sabotage the circus and enact revenge on Beatty for laughing maniacally after McClory was nearly attacked by a lion. When accidents begin happening with unnerving frequency, the circus turns to real-life pulp mystery writer Mickey Spillane for answers.

Key scenes: When Lynn tries to bum some money, funny-talking Latino caricature Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzales remembers when Lynn used his shoe money to buy booze: "Chooze is better than chin, I tink." (Gonzalez-Gonzales' big scene involves getting beaten up by a kangaroo.) Spillane later illustrates his way with words when he tells McClory, "I bet you never could give any blood to the Red Cross: too much sawdust in it," which is hopefully a colorful way of expressing McClory's affection for circus life, not a diagnosis of a rare medical condition.

Can easily be distinguished by: Its bizarre juxtaposition of impossibly lurid third-rate detective theatrics and Sunday-at-the-circus innocence.

Sign that it was made in 1954: The film's belief that Cinemascope and the Clyde Beatty Circus were impressive enough spectacles that the filmmakers could plug non-actors into a hackneyed melodrama and audiences would still show up.

Timeless message: Think twice before hiring a murderous escaped mental patient/saboteur to run your circus, especially if he's obsessed with star attraction Marian Carr.

Memorable quotes: Once McClory's real identity is unearthed, crusty circus owner Pat O'Brien gently breaks the news to Carr by confiding, "I'm sorry, we just got the news that Dublin is a kill-happy maniac."