The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

The dramatic lives of trapeze artists, a clown, and an elephant trainer are told against a background of circus spectacle.

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Fredric M. Frank (screenplay), Barré Lyndon (screenplay)

Stars:

James Stewart, Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton

Won 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Betty Hutton	...	Holly
Cornel Wilde	...	The Great Sebastian
Charlton Heston	...	Brad Braden
Dorothy Lamour	...	Phyllis
Gloria Grahame	...	Angel
Henry Wilcoxon	...	FBI Agent Gregory
Lyle Bettger	...	Klaus
Lawrence Tierney	...	Mr. Henderson
Emmett Kelly	...	Emmett Kelly
Cucciola	...	Cucciola
Antoinette Concello	...	Antoinette Concello
John Ringling North	...	John Ringling North
Tuffy Genders	...	Tuffy Genders
John Kellogg	...	Harry
John Ridgely	...	Assistant Manager

Storyline

To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground. Subplots involve the secret past of Buttons the Clown and the efforts of racketeers to move in on the game concessions. Let the show begin!

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Plot Keywords:

circus | trapeze | trapeze artist | clown | elephant trainer | 

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Taglines:

Incomparable! Incredible!

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

May 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth

Filming Locations:

Cedar City, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$36,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

152 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lucille Ball was Cecil B. DeMille's first choice for the role of Angel, but she was pregnant with daughter Lucie, and was replaced by Gloria Grahame. Paulette Goddard also campaigned strongly for the role but was turned down owing to her reluctance to perform stunt scenes.

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Goofs

When Klaus is seen waving to stop the second section as the engine speeds towards him, the right Cylinder on the Locomotive are discharging steam. When Klaus' car is hit by the locomotive, there is no steam in sight. As a side note, the left Cylinder cock is not discharging steam, in fact both would very quickly alternate on and off.

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Quotes

Holly: [singing] When things go wrong, and life's no song, and you're flat on your back, that doesn't mean you have to lie there: be a jumping jack!
Buttons: [singing] Keep on the hop, and if you flop, and everything looks black, stand on your head and holler "hi there!" Be a jumping jack!
Holly: When things go up, they must come down, and also visa verse. If things look bad, don't fret and frown - they could be ten times worse!
Buttons: Your train of luck, it may get stuck if something's on the track; give a good jump and ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: 2010 Tournament of Champions Semifinal 1 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Rock-a-Bye Baby
(1886) (uncredited)
Written by Effie I. Canning
In the score after "A Picnic in the Park"

User Reviews

Great show and story

I know that some people are down on this movie, but I absolutely LOVE it. It has great ideals and good (not great) acting. It tells a story about the circus in a pseudo-documentary. The story has love, action, and humor. Three things that are missing from much of today's movie. I also love the color and the dramatic "feel" of the film for that era. It's a wonderful, wonderful, piece of 'Americana'.