The 146 minute United Artists drama was the controversial telling of part of Sinclair Lewis"" 1927 satirical muckraker novel regarding the charismatically engaging, but scandalous Midwestern salesman turned evangelist preacher in he 1920s.Four of the stars, John and Lionel Barrymore (first popular in silent cinema), Wallace Beery, and Jean Hersholt, appeared in both films.To emphasize the father-son bond more strongly, about 15 minutes of overly-sentimental scenes of pathos were deleted (involving the character of the Kid""s guilt-wracked mother, her reconciliation with her husband, and some of the film""s more overt religious symbolism).They encounter "a great star act," featuring blonde, English sharpshooter Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) - headlined by the seedy carnival owner Packett (Barry Kroeger) as a hyped-up entertainer with a flamboyant past:the famous, the dangerous, the beautiful Miss Annie Laurie Starr, direct from London, England and the capitals of the Continent.He warned her: "He""s ready to pull down anybody who falls in and can""t swim." He cruelly pushed her into the water to test his belief, and meanly told her: "Better swim, Rennie, before Jason pulls you down.