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Under the Big Top (1938) More at IMDbPro »

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Under the Big Top (1938) -- A pretty young circus trapeze artist is pushed by her domineering mother to be the best aerialist in the world...
Under the Big Top (1938) -- A pretty young circus trapeze artist is pushed by her domineering mother to be the best aerialist in the world...

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   12 votes
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Down 20% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Karl Brown (screenplay)
Llewellyn Hughes (story)
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Contact:
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Release Date:
31 August 1938 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Tense drama on the trapeze 100 ft. above the sawdust... and only a split second to make a decision that meant death!
Plot:
A pretty young circus trapeze artist is pushed by her domineering mother to be the best aerialist in the world... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Reviews:
Gives trapeze artists a bad name! more (2 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Marjorie Main ... Sara Post
Anne Nagel ... Penny
Jack La Rue ... Ricardo Le Grande
Grant Richards ... Pablo Le Grande
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones ... Juba (as Snowflake)
Betty Compson ... Marie
Herbert Rawlinson ... Herman
George Cleveland ... Joe
Rolfe Sedan ... Pierre
Charlene Wyatt ... Penny - as a child
Harry Harvey ... McCarthy
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Circus Comes to Town (USA) (working title)
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Runtime:
64 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

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0 out of 4 people found the following review useful.
Gives trapeze artists a bad name!, 8 January 2006
4/10
Author: Spuzzlightyear from Vancouver

'Under The Big Top' falls under the very, very small subgenre of movies that are not only about circuses, but about acrobats! Let's see, there's Trapeze, The Greatest Show On Earth, and now this movie! This is all about a girl named Penny, who literally grows up in the circus and becomes the BEST Trapeze artist in the WORLD! Actually, when we see the act, it's nothing special, but if the movie says they are, then they must be! Anyways, she is brought up by her aunt, a stage mother if there ever was one, who dictates everything about Penny's life. When she finds out Penny's fooling around with one of the other two male trapeze artists in the act, she is not at all happy, and hey, guess what? Neither is the other male trapeze artist, who had the hots for Penny herself! So there is some great sexual tension going on there, which is fun in a wild environment such as this. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't explore that any further, instead going towards the clichéd 'Will Penny make it in time to rescue her sick Aunt?' routine. But not before finding out the spurned trapeze artist developed an alcohol problem! So so much you could have done with this wild story, but it literally, and I'm sorry for this awful pun, falls on it's face.

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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits IMDb Drama section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

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