Merry Andrew

'Merry Andrew' is a 1958 American musical movie based on the Paula Gallio short story 'The Romance of Henry Menafee'. English teacher Andrew Larabee, interested in archaeology, discovers the burial site of an ancient statue in Sussex, only to find that a travelling circus has arrived on top of it and ends up becoming a part of the circus.

When ringmaster Antonio comes down with laryngitis, Andrew replaces him thanks to a disguise. Since a good deal of padding is needed to fit Antonio's clothes, an RAF life jacket is used. Things go wrong when it inflates, the whistles, smoke and flares that go off from havoc, especially when it makes him float up to the top of the tent before an arrow strikes the jacket, deflating it.