Laugh, Clown, Laugh

Dir: Li Pingqian
Scr: Zhou Ran
Prod Co: Great Wall
Cast: Bao Fong, Shek Hwei, Kung Chiu-hsia, Shi Lei, Liang Heng
1960 | B&W | D Beta | Mandarin | 103min

Compared to the odds of winning the lottery, a steady income from the head of household is much more reliable. Bank clerk Shen is laid off but is determined to pay for his children's education as if nothing has happened. When he has pawned off his last valuable, he turns his hobby, comedy, into a profession. His conservative wife and children think entertainment is shameful, so he keeps it as secret until his eldest daughter runs into him by accident and is not only horrified but ridiculed by her boyfriend's mother. Li is an expert in tragi-comedies, managing to educate and at the same time entertain.