Advertised as an "all star" film, Swing High is hardly that: The biggest name in the picture, both in terms of popularity and sheer marquee space, was Helen Twelvetrees. A variation of the 1926 German classic Variety, the film casts Twelvetrees and Dorothy Burgess as sisters Maryan and Trixie, a team of circus aerialists. When the two girls have a falling out over the affections of handsome Gerry (Fred Scott), it looks as though one of them will be taking a fall for real. This does eventually happen, but it ends up an act of fate rather than malice. It's amazing that the dramatic portion of the film is given any space at all, what with five musical numbers and the interminable comic antics of diminutive Daphne Pollard and phlegmatic Stepin Fetchit. Mack Sennett-graduates Chester Conklin and Ben Turpin make fleeting appearances, as do several genuine circus performers.
