Classic Films in Focus: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952)

Critics 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 picture over that politically charged Western belongs to the Academy voters of 1952, not to DeMille or the very compelling actors who star in The Greatest Show on Earth. While the movie does favor the grandeur and leisurely pace of another era of filmmaking, The Greatest Show on Earth remains well worth watching for admirers of its many stars and anyone who feels nostalgic for the big top’s glory days.

Charlton Heston leads a star-studded cast as Brad Braden, the tough, no-nonsense manager of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The circus has fallen on hard times, but Brad takes a chance on a troublesome trapeze artist, The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), to bring in the crowds. Sebastian has a past with elephant trainer Angel (Gloria Grahame), but he quickly fixes his attentions on Brad’s girl, an ambitious trapeze artist named Holly (Betty Hutton). Other members of the circus family have their own problems, including gentle Buttons (Jimmy Stewart), a clown who hides his mysterious past beneath a painted smile.

The movie alternates between several distinct but overlapping plots, interspersed with documentary-style depictions of real circus life. The romantic entanglements of Brad, Holly, Sebastian, and Angel lead to various disasters, both inside the ring and out, culminating in a catastrophic train wreck that threatens to ruin the circus completely. The wreck is an amazing set piece, with animals running loose, injured people stumbling about, and plenty of smoke and chaos, but the scenes that come before it offer just as many thrills, especially with so many stars performing real circus stunts. Hutton, Wilde, and Grahame do impressive work, although dozens of the performers we see are real circus stars, including Emmett Kelly, Cucciola, The Alzanas, and The Flying Concellos. Their performances often suspend the progress of the narrative, but they provide a grand sense of the circus as a whole.

The Greatest Show on Earth has its flaws. It runs long, Hutton’s musical numbers don’t really work, and the romantic swapping of the protagonists seems arbitrary, especially at the end. Stewart, however, is in great form, and Hutton and Wilde have some fantastic scenes in which they try to upstage one another. People who love circuses will find plenty to admire, and kids will love it if they are old enough to sit still for the whole thing. Bonus goodies include cameo appearances by stars like Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, as well as Hopalong Cassidy star William Boyd.

The Greatest Show on Earth also won the Oscar for Best Writing, with five nominations in all. If you want to see more of Cecil B. DeMille’s big shows, try The Sign of the Cross (1932), Cleopatra (1934), and The Ten Commandments (1956). Look for Charlton Heston in other early roles in Dark City (1950), Touch of Evil (1958), and Ben-Hur (1959). Betty Hutton stars in The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944) and Annie Get Your Gun (1950), while Cornel Wilde is remembered today for Leave Her to Heaven (1945) and The Naked Prey (1966), which he also directed. See more of Gloria Grahame in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), In a Lonely Place (1950), and The Big Heat (1953). Jimmy Stewart’s other roles from this period include Winchester ’73 (1950), Harvey (1950), and Bend of the River (1952).

Classic Circus Movies

Most children love the circus; there's something magical about seeing the performers there in the ring, moving in their own world of spotlights and sawdust. Classic movies have visited that world many times, and some of Hollywood's most iconic stars have run away to join the circus on the silver screen. Here are just a few of the classic movies that represent the excitement, humor, and even danger of life beneath the big top.

 For kids and adults:

The Circus (1928) - Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp joins the circus in this silent comedy, with predictably chaotic results. Chaplin's turn on the high wire while being tormented by a group of mischievous monkeys is a particularly great scene, and, as usual, there is plenty of physical comedy with the Tramp in flight from various authority figures. Like most Chaplin films, the story mixes comedy and melodrama, and the sadder notes of the Tramp's adventure might upset very young viewers.

At the Circus (1939) - The Marx Brothers could make any situation seem like a three ring circus, but in this film Harpo and Chico really are members of a traveling circus troupe, while Groucho plays an eccentric lawyer summoned to help the owner of the circus hang on to his business. Groucho's performance of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" is a highlight of the movie, although At the Circus ranks fairly low on the list of Marx Brothers films, especially compared with favorites like Duck Soup (1933) and A Day at the Races (1937).

Dumbo (1941) - Like Chaplin's Tramp and Harpo Marx, Dumbo is a silent comedian, but this sentimental tale of the little elephant with the big ears remains one of Disney's most compelling pictures. "Baby Mine" won't leave a dry eye in the house, while "Casey Junior" and "Pink Elephants" are bouncy, jovial numbers sure to capture the attention of both children and adults.

For adults:

Freaks (1932) - Tod Browning's cult classic of circus horror follows the crimes and eventual punishment of a conniving big top beauty (Olga Baclanova) and her strong man lover, who intend to fleece an innocent performer (Harry Earles) of his wealth. Browning achieves a disturbing level of realism by employing actual sideshow performers in his film, which blurs the line between fiction and reality. Not for the faint of heart, Freaks has gained a tremendous following over the years as one of Hollywood's most shocking classic films, but Browning is probably more widely remembered as the director of the 1931 Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi as the vampiric count.

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Nightmare Alley (1947) - Swashbuckling icon Tyrone Power assumes a darker role in this noir story of a carnie who dreams big. The part represented an intentional effort by Power to break out of typecasting as a heroic leading man, although films like The Mark of Zorro (1940) had made him a star. Edmund Goulding, who had helmed the Bette Davis vehicles Dark Victory (1939) and The Old Maid (1939), directs; he also worked with Power on The Razor's Edge (1946).

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - Director Cecil B. DeMille presents the lives of big top performers in this huge, star-studded spectacle. Winner of Best Picture in 1953, the film stars Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, and more, including real life circus clown Emmett Kelly, whom most people today will recognize as the "Sad Clown" of countless art prints and velvet paintings. You'll also find Jimmy Stewart playing the role of another clown. Despite its Oscar success, the film is seldom seen today, but as of August 2012 you can watch it for free on Amazon Instant Video with a Prime membership.