The flea circus has lots of appearances in films. There has always been something
slightly mysterious or sinister about flea circuses and this makes for some excellent
drama. Of course often the fleas escape and this adds a comic element.
Flea Circus Films
There several flea films and animations, some old and some even older.
- Die Floh-Zirkus Joe May-Film
Co. (1916)
-
In a 6 minute abandoned film called "The
Professor" Charlie Chaplin plays the trainer in a flea circus. This film is
said to have provided the inspiration for Chaplin's other film, Limelight and
can sometimes be found on the same DVD. (1919)
-
Laurel and Hardy have to deal with fleas escaping from the circus in
Thundering Fleas
(1926)
-
It's in the Bag
is a zanny film about a Flea Circus Ring Master who inherits a fortune
(1945)
-
Death of the
Flea Circus Director
from Eric Koerfer (1973)
-
The origional STOIC Flea Show
(1992)
-
The Cardoso
Flea Circus Video by
Maria Cardoso (1997)
Coming soon the animated
Flea Show film from ACE Animation.
Fleas on Film and Television
-
There it is from
Charley
Bowers
has a flea assisting a Scottish detective and living in a match box (1928)
-
Charley
Bowers' "Educational" film
Hop Off
has 2 trained fleas on roller skates using a bald man's head as the
rink (1928)
-
Laurel and Hardy are given a flea circus and a trained chimpanzee as wages for
working for a circus in
The Chimp (1932)
- Harry Langdon and Charley Rogers starred in a low-budget comedy called House of Errors. One scene takes place in a flophouse, complete with a down-on-his-luck flea circus proprietor played by Monte Collins (1943)
-
Charlie Chaplin returns in
Limelight
which contains a short Flea training section (1954)
-
Mr Arkadin,
also known as Confidential Report is a mystery by Orson Wells where Mischa
Auer plays a Flea Circus Trainer (1955)
-
Michael Bentine from
Potty Time fame also had a flea
circus in his series It's a Square World
(BBC, 1960-64)
-
Mekhanicheskaya Blokha - The Mechanical Flea. One of many films from the
Soyuzmultifilm studios which were setup on August 20, 1936 in order to
concentrate all the best artists of the Russian animation (1964)
-
The Flea Circus from Huberts Museum in Times Square appears in the
background of one of the scenes of
Easy Rider
(1969)
-
Autobiography of a Flea was an adult film adapted from
a 19th century book of the same name. The film is narrated by an intelligent
talking flea. (1970s)
- CBS produced "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College: 20th Anniversary". This special hour long program
was hosted by Dick Van Dyke who performed a Flea Circus act (1988)
-
Fleabites
is a TV drama staring Nigel Hawthorne (1992)
- In Jurassic Park, John Hammond reminisces about his Flea Circus act and compares this to Jurassic park where he wanted it to be real not an illusion. (1993)
- The City of Lost Children contained a flea spy. (1995)
- CBBC's The Story Makers had a pet flea in the episode Small. (2007)
Flea Documentaries
Animated Films
-
Felix the Cat seeks the help of hundreds of Fleas (1923) - Ref:
Lobster Films
-
What Price Fleadom is a Tex Avery animation about a
Flea in love. (1948)
-
Win, Place and Showboat is described as a a "classic Max Fleischer cartoon
featuring some entertainment on a showboat", one of the acts was a
fire fighting Flea Circus. (28th April 1950)
- Fleas run away from the circus in Tex Avery's
Flea Circus, MGM (1954)
-
Another animated flea tale
Flea for Two about a rivalry over a girl between
a city and country flea (1955)
-
To Itch his Own
a Chuck Jones Animation about a very strong Flea (1958)
-
Fleas a Crowd is an episode of Popeye where Popeye
has a flea circus and Brutus attempts to disrupt it. The fleas a fed spinach
to save the day. (1960)
- "F" is for Flea
Circus, an animation (perhaps from
Seasame street? 1970s?)
- The Disney Studios had a guest flea "Baron
Itzy Bitzy" on their Ducktales
series. (1988)
-
Adventures of Cheating Flea. Based on a poem by Jan
Brzechwa, a humorous children's tale about a mischevious flea. Jan Brzechwa,
real name Jan Lesman was a Polish poet and author (1989)
-
A Cartoon Network show, The Moxy
Show began in 1995 was about a dog and a flea. Penn Jillette played the
voice of Flea, who later became a title character in 1998, Flea's voice was
replaced by an unknown actor in some episodes.
-
P. T. Flea's Circus in Bugs Life by
Pixar (1998)
-
Mona the
Vampire and her dog Fang tackle giant fleas
in the episode "Flea Circus of Horror" from Canadian company CINAR
animation. (2000)
-
"The Flea" regularly wrestles on Mucha Lucha on the
Cartoon Network
- Elizabeth from "Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse" accidentally buys a Flea Circus from
a Flea Market and everyone loves the new act. However Stripes quickly discovers
fleas and horses don't mix. Made by the Canadian company
Nelvana
- An Italian circus flea begs not to be squashed and tells Arthur and friends his experiences in Season 8 Episode 114 of Arthur - "Flea to Be You and Me / Kiss and Tell" from PBS Kids. (first aired December 2003)
Mini Flea Animations
For videos of live flea circuses see our links to Other
Flea Shows.
For other
insects in films