The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 light-hearted drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille about circus life. The film features a star studded cast led by Charlton Heston and Betty Hutton, along with many other recognizable actors in supporting roles, including James Stewart, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, and Gloria Grahame.
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, James Stewart
US Box Office: $36,000,000 ($574,200,000 Adjusted for Inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Drama
Release Date: January 10, 1952 (premiere); July 9, 1952 (wide release)
Plot Summary: Brad Braden (Charlton Heston) is the manager of a popular circus. While trying to make sure that the circus makes enough money to keep all the performers employed, Braden has to deal with the rivalry between star acrobats Holly (Betty Hutton) and Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), a mysterious clown named Buttons (James Stewart), crooked con men trying to sabotage the circus’s reputation, and his own romantic feelings for Holly.
Production: In 1948, producer David O. Selznick attempted to buy the rights to make a film about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, but wasn’t able to secure the necessary funding. This led to a bidding war for the rights between Paramount, MGM, and 20th Century Fox, which was won by Paramount. Director Cecil B. DeMille, who worked for Paramount, began working on the project. In 1950, after DeMille and a group of writers came up with the general story for the film, DeMille accompanied Ringling Circus on its tour that year to get a feel of how it operated before the script was written.
DeMille chose Charlton Heston for the role of Brad Braden after being impressed by Heston’s performance in Julius Caesar (1950). The Greatest Show on Earth was Heston’s first leading role in a big-budget major studio production. Actress Betty Hutton, who was mostly known for starring in musical films, was cast as Holly. James Stewart had always been interested in playing a clown in a movie, approached DeMille about having a part in The Greatest Show on Earth. DeMille created the role of Buttons, a clown with a mysterious past, specifically for Stewart.
Principal photography on The Greatest Show on Earth began in February of 1951 and went till June of that year. The parade scene at the end of the film and a number of the exterior shots on the circus grounds were filmed on location in Sarasota, Florida. Some of the circus scenes were filmed during real-life Ringling Circus performances in Pennsylvania and Washington DC, with the film’s cast members working alongside circus performers. Many of the interior scenes and close-up shots of the actors were filmed on set at Paramount studios. Cecil B. DeMille cared deeply about realism on set, and the cast members who played circus performers were expected to perform most of their own stunts. This included Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde who played acrobats, Hutton became quite good at the trapeze, Wilde was afraid of heights but still managed to do many of his own stunts. In total, over 1,400 circus performers worked on The Greatest Show on Earth alongside hundreds of animals and 60 railroad cars worth of circus equipment.
Fun Facts and Trivia: The Greatest Show on Earth was the first film that Steven Spielberg saw in theaters as a child. He has stated that it was one of the films that inspired him to become a film director. John Ringling North, the real-life owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the time of production, plays one of the circus’s board of directors at the start of the film. North also served as an advisor on the project.
Bing Crosby and Bob Hope make brief cameo appearances as circus spectators in one of the scenes where Dorothy Lamour’s character Phyllis is performing. They starred with Lamour in the Road To… comedy film series of the 1940s. At one point in the film it is mentioned that the circus tent is fireproof. This was specifically added at the insistence of the Ringling Circus to assure audiences that the their circus tent was safe. The big top had previously caught on fire during an infamous 1944 performance in Hartford, Connecticut that killed 167 people and injured hundreds more, and the company wanted to assure audiences that fires were no longer an issue.
Reception: The Greatest Show on Earth premiered in New York on January 10, 1952. For several months the film was given a limited road show release in major cities before it finally entered wide release on July 9. The Greatest Show on Earth quickly become a massive box office hit. The film’s popularity can be attributed to its star-studded cast, massive spectacle, and escapism. The Greatest Show on Earth was the highest grossing film of 1952 and was Paramount’s highest grossing film at the time.
The Greatest Show on Earth initially received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Bosley Crowther gave the film a positive review and complimented DeMille’s skill in directing the project. He praised the film as a “piece of entertainment that will delight movie audiences for years.” PS Harrison of Harrison’s Report praised The Greatest Show on Earth for its spectacle, and described the film as not only being DeMille’s best, but also one of the best films of all time. Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times and Sara Hamilton of Photoplay also gave the film positive reviews. Conversely, Clyde Gilmore of Maclean’s magazine gave The Greatest Show on Earth a negative review. He thought that the film was mostly boring, with only a few exhilarating moments. Virginia Graham of The Spectator and the film critics at The Times also gave the film a negative review.
Unfortunately, The Greatest Show on Earth has largely received a mixed-to-negative reaction from modern film critics. The film has received considerable backlash due to winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. As a result it has been featured on various “worst best picture winners” lists by film magazines like Empire. Time magazine also considered The Greatest Show on Earth to be an undeserved Best Picture winner. Total Film magazine claimed that The Greatest Show on Earth was an “overblown spectacle.” Mike Massie of “Gone with the Twins” attacked The Greatest Show on Earth for its spectacle and melodrama, and claimed that it was boring. The Greatest Show on Earth has conversely received some positive reviews in retrospect. Film critic James Wegg praised Jimmy Stewart’s performance. Matt Brunson of Film Frenzy gave the film a positive review, but noted that it probably didn’t deserve to win Best Picture. The Greatest Show on Earth was one of the 400 nominated films for AFI’s 1998 list of the 100 Greatest American films.
Oscars: The Greatest Show on Earth was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture (DeMille), Best Costume Design (Edith Head), Best Director (DeMille), Best Film Editing (Anne Bauchens), and Best Story (Frederic M. Frank, Theodore St. John, Frank Cavett). It won two Oscars: Best Picture and Best Story. The Greatest Show on Earth beat out films such as Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon and John Huston’s Moulin Rouge to receive the Best Picture Oscar, a decision that has since become highly controversial. The Greatest Show on Earth additionally received the Best Picture-Drama award from the Golden Globes that year.
Why You Should See It: The Greatest Show on Earth is a very underrated, and highly entertaining film. It features many strong performances from its ensemble cast, including a standout supporting role by Jimmy Stewart as Buttons. Though it has been criticized as “melodramatic,” The Greatest Show on Earth does a great job of combining DeMille spectacle, humor, and serious drama into one very entertaining and likeable package. The Greatest Show on Earth is a fantastic film, and it is one of my favorite Best Picture winners.