The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) | |
| Director(s) | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Producer(s) | Cecil B. DeMille, Henry Wilcoxon (associate) |
| Top Genres | Drama, Family, Romance |
| Top Topics | Circus, Romance (Drama), Show Business |
Featured Cast:
The Greatest Show on Earth Overview:
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) was a Drama - Family Film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and produced by Cecil B. DeMille and Henry Wilcoxon.
SYNOPSIS
A dazzling, only-by-DeMille spectacle focusing on life with a traveling three-ring circus. Stewart appears in an unfamiliar guise as a clown hiding from his past (as a doctor!), and there is romance and adventure under this big top, too. Look for many guest appearances. DeMille went all out recreating the color and pageantry of the circus, even traveling with Barnum and Bailey to learn the rhythms of big-top life.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Academy Awards 1952 --- Ceremony Number 25 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Costume Design | Edith Head, Dorothy Jeakins, Miles White | Nominated |
| Best Director | Cecil B. DeMille | Nominated |
| Best Film Editing | Anne Bauchens | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Cecil B. DeMille, Producer | Won |
| Best Writing | Fredric M. Frank, Theodore St. John, Frank Cavett | Won |
BlogHub Articles:
The Greatest Show on Earth ( 1952 )
By The Metzinger Sisters on Nov 19, 2016 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversFor Cecil B. DeMille there was no such thing as a regular feature film...it always had to be a spectacle. Circus films were a dime a dozen in the 1930s, but none of them really captured that thrill of seeing a circus in person. A circus was meant to be a spectacle, and the circus itself had to tak... Read full article
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
By Beatrice on Sep 16, 2015 From Flickers in TimeThe Greatest Show on Earth Directed by Cecil B. De Mille Written by Written by Fredric M. Frank, Barr? Lyndon, and Theodore St. John; story by Frank, St. John, and Frank Cavett 1952/USA Paramount Pictures First viewing/Netflix rental I will cut this movie some slack for the circus acts and Jimmy ... Read full article
Classic Films in Focus: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952)
By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 21, 2012 From Virtual ViragoCritics often deride The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) as one of the worst Best Picture winners in Oscar history, but Cecil B. DeMille’s elaborate circus spectacle deserves a better reputation among classic movie fans. Yes, High Noon is the better film, but the blame for choosing the safer pic... Read full article
Classic Films in Focus: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952)
By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 21, 2012 From Virtual ViragoCritics often deride The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) as one of the worst Best Picture winners in Oscar history, but Cecil B. DeMille’s elaborate circus spectacle deserves a better reputation among classic movie fans. Yes, High Noon is the better film, but the blame for choosing the safer pic... Read full article
Classic Films in Focus: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952)
By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 21, 2012 From Virtual ViragoCritics often deride The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) as one of the worst Best Picture winners in Oscar history, but Cecil B. DeMille’s elaborate circus spectacle deserves a better reputation among classic movie fans. Yes, High Noon is the better film, but the blame for choosing the safer pic... Read full article
See all The Greatest Show on Earth articles
Quotes from
Sebastian: [Sebastian, speaking French] Qu'est-ce qu'al y a?
Holly: Let me go. Sebastian.
Angel: Never try to take anything from an elephant.
Holly: Sebastian, do something!
Sebastian: A lion I fight for you, a tiger! But the red-headed wildcat with an elephant, no.
[then he chuckled, with a big grin]
Holly: You make this two-tailed jackass put me down.
[Ruth let go of Holly, in front of Brad]
Klaus: You always have a smile for that high-flying peacock.
Angel: Well, what do you want me to do, cry over him?
Klaus: Your legs are too thin, your hair is too red, you have lips like a cat. You're no good. You give me too much trouble.
Angel: Flattery rolls right off me.
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Facts about
During the film's spectacular set piece sequence of the train wreck, the Paramount sound Stage 16 was filled with animals running around loose. The greatest problem occurred when the large cage of monkeys was opened. The simians were so frightened of the lions and tigers that they panicked and fled the building, ending up in the adjoining Hollywood Cemetary. According to Cecil B. DeMille biographer Charles Higham, it proved almost impossible to retrieve them.
Scenes of this motion picture were filmed at the actual winter quarters of the Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, Florida. Additional scenes were also filmed at an actual circus performance in which the film's actors participated in the Grand Hippodrome Parade with the regular circus performers. If you look very closely at the bottom left-hand portion of the screen during a brief long-shot of the Grand Parade, you can see Cecil B. DeMille's camera unit in a corner of the Hippodrome where the parade takes a turn around the ring, along with Mr. DeMille himself standing next to the camera.
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