Old Mother Riley’s Circus – 1941 | 80 mins | Comedy | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Arthur Lucan’s trenchant Irish washerwoman exchanges the laundry for the big top in one of the better slapstick comedies in the long-running Old Mother Riley series. The cheery atmosphere is bolstered by some decent circus acts. This was one of the few OMR films that Lucan also contributed to the script.

Boisterous Irish washerwoman Mother Riley, once a famous music-hall singer named Maggie O’Hara, is now reduced to scrubbing the floors at the local Pavilion. As per usual, Mother Riley is sacked and takes on employment as a tent-hand at the financially-struggling Santley Circus. The owner, Santley, has suddenly vanished leaving the circus on the point of closure with preying bailiffs at the door. Mother Riley masquerades as a moneyed Countess interested in purchasing the circus and manages to placate the bailiff for a short time.

Meanwhile, the show must go on, and Mother Riley assumes the role of ringmaster. She also gets a big surprise when she learns that the circus star, Kitty, is really her estranged daughter. No sooner has Mother Riley put the show back on its feet, than Santley returns wishing to regain control of his now profitable circus, and sacks both Mother Riley and Kitty. The future appears bleak for the duo until they discover that Santley lost the circus in an IOU at the Odd Slipper club, when gambling with Mother Riley’s deceased husband, George.