AllMovie

MGM star William Haines was at the peak of his popularity when he starred in Excess Baggage. Haines plays Eddie Kane, a juggler-acrobat whose specialty is a dangerous high-wire act. While playing small-time vaudeville, he marries aspiring actress Elsa McCoy (Josephine Dunn). She goes on to fame and fortune in Hollywood, while he's still stuck playing tank-town engagements. When Elsa starts an affair with sleek matinee idol Val D'Errico (Ricardo Cortez), Eddie begins to lose his nerve on stage, suffering a spectacular fall from the high wire. Eventually, Eddie and Elsa are reunited, she having realized that he's the only thing in life she truly cares about. A silent film, Excess Baggage was released with a synchronized score and sound effects; the Frances Marion-Ralph Spence screenplay was adapted from a play by John Wesley McGowan.