The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
62%RT Audience Score: 54%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Greatest Show on Earth is melodramatic, short on plot, excessively lengthy and bogged down with clichés, but not without a certain innocent charm
The Greatest Show on Earth is a spectacle to behold, with all the glitz and glamour of the circus brought to life on the big screen. While the plot may not be the strongest, the real star of the show is the incredible footage of the circus itself, from death-defying stunts to adorable animal acts. And let’s not forget Buttons the Clown, who steals the show with his hilarious antics and never-ending makeup. All in all, it’s a fun and entertaining ride that’s sure to leave you feeling like a kid again.
Production Company(ies)
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Sarasota, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
Year of Release
1952
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:2h 32m
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Language(s):English, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 10, 1952 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 6, 2004
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, James Stewart, directed by Cecil B DeMille, written by Fredric M Frank, Theodore St John, Frank Cavett, Fredric M Frank, Barré Lyndon, Theodore St John, drama, romance, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Times (UK) Staff, Edwin Schallert, Bob Thomas, David Hanna, Herb Golden, James Wegg, P.S Harrison, MPAA rating, produced by Cecil B DeMille, Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus, life behind the scenes, love and jealousy, circus, train wreck, melodramatic, innocent charm, extravagant, three-ring circus, passionate scenes, spectacle, documentary footage, Hollyactors, involved plot, comic relief, Buttons the Clown, makeup
Worldwide gross: $36,000,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $4,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Charlton Heston – Marc Braden
Cornel Wilde – The Great Sebastien
Dorothy Lamour – Phyllis
Gloria Grahame – Angel
James Stewart – Buttons
Director(s)
Cecil B. DeMille
Writer(s)
Fredric M Frank, Theodore St. John, Frank Cavett, Fredric M Frank, Barré Lyndon, Theodore St. John
Producer(s)
Cecil B. DeMille
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (21)
Curious it is that, in spite of all the scenes. blaringly, glaringly effective which belong specifically to the sawdust ring, both Mr. de Mille and The Greatest Show on Earth are most themselves in the scene of the railway disaster.
April 1, 2021
Times (UK) Staff
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
De Mille provides the maximum of entertainment in his production, not to speak of glamour, and above all the spirit that forever lurks under the big top.
April 1, 2021
Edwin Schallert
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
There is also a troupe of Hollyactors who act out an involved plot calculated to extend the long duration of the picture.
February 19, 2019
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
No merger in the theatrical world has ever come off more stunningly than this meeting of two giants of entertainment – the Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Circus and Cecil B. DeMille.
January 11, 2019
David Hanna
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s plot does not quite hold all this pageantry together, but De Mille’s scripters and actors enter into the thing in the proper flamboyant spirit.
February 18, 2009
TIME Staff
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This is the circus with more entertainment, more thrills, more spangles and as much Big Top atmosphere as RB-B&B itself can offer. It’s a smash certainty for high-wire grosses.
January 28, 2008
Herb Golden
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Most of the comic relief (so very Shakespeare without the telling lines) is Buttons the Clown, who never takes off his makeup… James Stewart has fun with the role.
December 29, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
James Wegg
JWR
One of the greatest entertainment values to hit the screen in years.
July 13, 2021
Howard McClay
Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles)
the subplots are regularly interrupted by DeMille’s extensive documentary footage of the circus, which would work much better if it were substantially shorter and therefore more clearly integrated into the drama
June 17, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
Did it deserve to win Best Picture? Absolutely not. Does it deserve the designation of worst Best Picture Oscar winner? Absolutely not.
April 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
The Greatest Show on Earth is certainly one of DeMille’s grandest undertakings but dubbed one of the worst of all the Oscar Best Picture winners, it isn’t his best.
April 2, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
The Greatest Show on Earth, in Technicolor, is great, not only in name but also in fact; it is the best picture that Mr. DeMille has ever made and one of the few best in the history of the motion picture business.
April 1, 2021
P.S. Harrison
Harrison’s Reports…
Plot
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!
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of The Greatest Show on Earth includes Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, and James Stewart in clown garb.
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