Hoopla! features Clara Bow, the “It” Girl of the Twenties, grown to full-blown, beautiful maturity, vivacious and openly sensual as a carny in this remake of The Barker, which was to be her last film role. William K. Everson explains: “Seeming something of an anachronism at the time, and beset by personal problems, (Clara Bow) was rapidly being shunted into the background by the new sex symbol, Jean Harlow.... (But) certainly there's nothing here to suggest a fading talent; quite the contrary, it's sad and ironic that the final shot in the film - a shimmering full-screen close-up of a radiantly happy Clara who has just achieved, in the plot, both marital happiness and stardom - should be her last film scene ever. But at that, it's a great shot to go out on! With its ménage-à-trois climax, the film is morally a little odd in its solution, but no more so than many other pre-Code movies.... Hoopla! stands the test of time rather well and indicates that with care and the right properties, Clara Bow could have continued as a major star in the sound period too.”