The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 American drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot in Technicolor and released by Paramount Pictures. Set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the film stars Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde as trapeze artists competing for the center ring and Charlton Heston as the circus manager. James Stewart also stars as a mysterious clown who never removes his makeup, and Dorothy Lamour and Gloria Grahame also play supporting roles.
| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille
|
||
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille
|
||
| Written by |
|
||
| Screenplay by |
 screenplay by
|
||
| Story by |
story by
|
||
| Based on |
based on
|
||
| Starring | |||
| Narrated by | |||
| Music by | |||
| Cinematography | |||
| Edited by | |||
| Animation by |
animation by
|
||
| Layouts by |
layouts by
|
||
| Backgrounds by |
backgrounds by
|
||
| Color process |
color process
|
||
| Production company |
production company
|
||
| Distributed by | |||
| Release date |
|
||
| Running time | 152 minutes
|
||
| Country | United States
|
||
| Language | English
|
||
| Budget | $4 million
|
||
| Box office | $36 million
|
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
| Type | |||
| Class |
|
||
| Theme |
|
||
| Tone |
|
||
| Mood |
|
![James Stewart - Yours Retro Magazine Pictorial [United Kingdom] (November 2022)](http://img3.bdbphotos.com/images/130x130/h/b/hboluv5b0pvbbo0v.jpg?skj2io4l)
![Betty Hutton - Silver Screen Magazine Pictorial [United States] (June 1951)](http://img3.bdbphotos.com/images/130x130/j/g/jg5sgpj3239ms3j.jpg?skj2io4l)
- Cecil B. DeMille was always demanding of his actors and actresses. He insisted that everyone truly learn to perform the circus stunts they were supposed to be performing. This meant that Betty Hutton really learned the trapeze and Gloria Grahame had to let an elephant rest its foot an inch from her face. Cornel Wilde probably had it the worst since he was portraying a high-wire artist. He was seriously afraid of heights in real life.
- Lucille Ball was Cecil B. DeMille's first choice for "Angel", but she became pregnant 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.
- Cameo: (Bob Hope) Circus spectator
- Cameo: (Diana Lynn) Circus spectator
- Cameo: (Bing Crosby) Circus spectator
More...
This page is the FamousFix profile for The Greatest Show on Earth. Content on this page is contributed by editors who belong to our editorial community. We welcome your contributions... so please create an account if you would like to collaborate with other editor's in helping to shape this website.
On the The Greatest Show on Earth page you will be able to add and update factual information, post media and connect this topic to other topics on the website. This website does skew towards famous actors, musicians, models and sports stars, however we would like to expand that to include many other interesting topics.