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Big Time Operators (1957)
The Smallest Show on Earth (original title)

80 min  -  Comedy  -   16 March 1962 (Finland)
6.9
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Ratings: 6.9/10 from 830 users  
Reviews: 30 user | 13 critic

A young couple inherits a debt-ridden old movie theater, appropriately nicknamed "The Flea Pit," and the three eccentric senior citizens who work there.

Director:

Basil Dearden

Writers:

William Rose (screenplay), John Eldridge (screenplay)
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Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. See more awards »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Virginia McKenna ...
Jean Spenser
Bill Travers Bill Travers ...
Matt Spenser
Margaret Rutherford Margaret Rutherford ...
Mrs. Fazackalee
Peter Sellers ...
Percy Quill
Bernard Miles Bernard Miles ...
Old Tom
Francis De Wolff Francis De Wolff ...
Albert Hardcastle
Leslie Phillips Leslie Phillips ...
Robin Carter
June Cunningham June Cunningham ...
Marlene Hogg
Sid James Sid James ...
Mr. Hogg (as Sidney James)
George Cross George Cross ...
Commissionaire
George Cormack George Cormack ...
Bell
Stringer Davis Stringer Davis ...
Emmett
Michael Corcoran Michael Corcoran ...
Taxi Driver
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Storyline

Jean and Bill are a struggling married couple with Bill trying to scrape a living as a writer. Out of the blue they receive a telegram informing them that Bill's long-lost uncle has died and left them his business - a cinema in the town of Sloughborough. They pack their bags and travel to Sloughborough expecting to sell the cinema to gain a huge inheritance, however, they discover the cinema is falling apart and is run by a comically incompetant staff who seem to have worked there forever. They set out with a plan to sell it but things don't quite go to plan. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Cinema | Movie Theater | Theater | Seniors | Rival Business  | See more »

Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

(Finland) See more »

Also Known As:

Die kleinste Schau der Welt See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Productions See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The films shown at the Bijou (all fictional and presumably filmed just for this movie) are: - Killer Riders of Wyoming - The Mystery of Hell Valley - Comin' Thro' the Rye (Silent Movie) - Devil Riders of Parched Point See more »

Goofs

Continuity: When Carter is told by the Spensers "We've seen the cinema", his glasses shift from his face to his hand in consecutive shots. See more »

Quotes

Jean: [Reacting to seeing the inside of the theater and its employees for the first time] Flea pit? More like "The Snake Pit!"
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Connections

References Knock on Wood (1954) See more »