AllMovie

The "old" fogey mentioned in the title of this circus drama was actually middle-aged -- Ezra, a bookkeeper (Sam Coit), goes to the circus only to please his boss' little girl. Long ago he had taken his sweetheart, Alva (Nell Craig), to the circus and she wound up running away with the ringmaster; he hasn't wanted to see a circus ever since. But now that he's there, not only do his memories come back to haunt him, so does Alva -- she's working as a lion tamer, and still involved with the ringleader, who never married her. Life has hardened her, and she sees Ezra as an old fogey. To keep in her lover's good graces, she swindles Ezra out of ten thousand dollars that belongs to his boss. But when she hands it over to the ringmaster, she discovers that he is seeing another woman. A fight between the three of them breaks out and the other woman is accidentally shot. The ringmaster, believing he will be held for her murder, runs into the hills. While the police are looking for him he is killed by an escaped lion. The ten thousand dollars is returned to Alva who, filled with remorse, returns it to Ezra. He takes back the money but refuses to have anything more to do with her.