DeMille wisely adopts a semi-documentary style that allows us to witness the inner workings of this massive organization and the Herculean effort required to transport, mount, and disassemble such a lavish extravaganza. The Greatest Show on Earth won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Story. Some have dubbedThe Greatest Show on Earthone of the least deserving Best Picture Oscar winners of all time (more on that below), but after watching it recently for the first time in many years, I must grudgingly admit that despite its excessive length, shameless overacting, and meandering, melodramatic screenplay, the film evokes the fervent spirit of the circus, captures the sense of child-like wonder it inspires, and keeps us engrossed throughout most of its 152-minute running time. Shop high-quality unique Greatest Show On Earth T-Shirts designed and sold by independent artists. Comments JavaScript is required to load the comments. Learn more about the benefits of being As the tale progresses, romantic entanglements, raging jealousies, and festering resentments all come to a head and threaten not only the principals, but also the entire circus infrastructure. How much The Greatest Show on Earthhelped in that regard I can't definitively say, but the movie raked in a whopping $12.8 million (an astounding sum in 1952), making it not only the year's highest-grossing movie but also the most successful Paramount Pictures production to date. If you have not seen this picture, please do so with an open mind and expect to be impressed. Hilarious in Hindsight: There's a man named Harry who works for a mob boss named Mr. Henderson. With the Big Top about to hit rock bottom, Braden hires The Great Sebastian. The phrase "the greatest showman" evokes images of a singing Hugh Jackman today, but seven decades ago the lofty title belonged to producer-director extraordinaire Cecil B. DeMille. So yes, C.B. One fan wrote a letter to DeMille on how much she enjoyed the movie and commented, "And I'm surprised how well the circus manager [Heston] worked with the real actors." Best known as the radio broadcaster for the Philadelphia Eagles after 1977, Reese was an unknown nine-year-old who happened to be at one of the filmed performances. The Greatest Show on Earthstands as a prime example of his style, vision, and - most of all - showmanship, and as one of the last remaining Best Picture winners to see a Blu-ray release, it's high time this high-flying blockbuster received the high definition treatment it has long deserved. This movie won one Oscar. All that aside, the rest of the transfer elements are impressive. And it was. The biggest budgeter for the company will be the Cecil B. DeMille spectacle The Greatest Show on Earth, which rolls January 22 in Sarasota, Florida. The real John Ringling North, president of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, is shown early in the film discussing the financial woes of operating the circus for a full-season. Really, Paramount? When Brad refuses, Holly vows to make her ring the focus of attention. ThoughThe Greatest Show on Earthis far from the greatest film on Earth, it's still worth a spin every now and then. Pictured left to right: Lane Chandler, Cornel Wilde, James Stewart, Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, John Ridgely and Gloria Grahame. A circus train is a method of conveyance for circus troupes. Smith, shown here with his son Robert, 1940. The train wreck is obviously done with models but it is so well done, it rates mention. By Flightless Saucer. It has been suggested that this film won the Best Picture award by default because many members of the Academy were reluctant to vote for the anti-Joseph McCarthy western High Noon (1952), whose screenwriter Carl Foreman had just been blacklisted. The Greatest Show on Earth stands as a prime example of his style, vision, and - most of all . During the film's spectacular trainwreck set piece, Paramount's Stage 16 was filled with animals running loose. The decision required months of preparation prior to shooting, but pays big dividends on screen. Founded in April 2006, High-Def Digest is the ultimate guide for High-Def enthusiasts who demand only the best that money can buy. [21] Premiere placed the film on its list of the 10 worst Oscar winners[22] It holds the second-lowest spot on Rotten Tomatoes' 2011 list of the 90 films to win Best Picture (ahead of only 1929's The Broadway Melody).[23]. He later regretted this decision, considering it one of the worst mistakes in his career. According to Guinness, this movie was the top money maker of 1952 in the US and Canada. Emmet Kelly was famous for his act as the forever sad clown. However, those who decry this film's Best Picture win have failed to notice that it also won all three of its Golden Globe Award nominations: (Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, and Best Cinematography - Color). Sadly, it seems no attempt was made to erase the speckling, faint scratches, and sporadic blotches that continually mar this otherwise stellar presentation. The Greatest Show on Earth won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Story. This was no gimmick. There is a scene near the end of the movie where Brad is critically injured in the train wreck, and needs a transfusion. A string of memorable roles followed in films like San Quentin (1946), The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947), Born to Kill (1947) and the Oscar-winning circus drama from director Cecil B. DeMille, The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) in which Tierney played the villain responsible for the epic train wreck toward the film's conclusion. [19] MSNBC's Erik Lundegaard called Crash the "worst Best Picture winner since the 'dull, bloated' film The Greatest Show on Earth. 5302 saw quite a bit of service until 1940 when it went into storage while I explored the work possibilities of Chicago for two years and then off to California. Holly leads the performers in an improvised "spec" around the three rings a magnificent recovery from the disaster that ensures the circus will survive. Cecil B. DeMille was always demanding of his actors and actresses. A true restoration not only yields a sharp, balanced picture that bursts with brilliant hues, it also boasts an image that's free of any age-related wear-and-tear. Betty Hutton trained for six months to do her own trapeze work in "The Greatest Show On Earth." The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two, Best Picture and Best Story.. DeMillie had originally offered Lucille Ball the role of Angel. De Mille said that audiences took more attention to the hat than to the shoes. Sure, Heston hams it up at times, but the 28-year-old actor proves he can carry a big-budget moviea talent that would come in handy a few years later when he played Moses inThe Ten Commandmentsand the title role in the film that would win him a Best Actor Oscar,Ben-Hur. After the train wreck, Emmett Kelly is briefly seen without his "Weary Willie" makeup, which is surprising since he was a very private individual and rarely allowed himself to be photographed out of character. Now he is 23 and a graduate student at Stanford University. Sebastian is attracted to Holly, and offers her the center ring. Select PayPal Credit at checkout to have the option to pay over time. 3004. The Greatest Show on Earth Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release It's action, romance, laughs and treachery all under the big top, culminating in an. Mona Freeman: Circus spectator. Smith. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. The climactic trainwreck sequence remains one of the most revered set pieces in Hollywood history, primarily due to the emotional impact it provides, thanks to its sheer unexpectedness. The specifications of this wonderful little locomotive are: My son Robert is seen at the controls of the engine when he was 7 years old. There's also some distracting green noise around Hutton's hair during the scene when she chats with Buttons early in the film. Features five Academy Award winners Charlton Heston, Gloria Grahame, James Stewart, Bing Crosby and Edmond O'Brien, and one other Academy Award nominee, Cornel Wilde, in the acting categories. One of the last Best Picture winners to make its Blu-ray debut, The Greatest Show on Earthmight not deserve its Oscar laurels, but director Cecil B. DeMille's grandiose behind-the scenes look at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has wowed audiences for decades. 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. This movie is seen by some as an elaborate public relations gesture by Ringling Brothers. Stanley Kramer alleged that the film's Best Picture Oscar was the result of the political climate in Hollywood in 1952. [4] William Boyd appears in his usual guise of Hopalong Cassidy. T-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more, designed and sold by independent artists around the world. Hammond Circus Train Wreck; Mighty Haag Railroad Shows toured the US and Canada by rail from 1909 to 1915. The offending marks and scratches vary in intensity, but rarely vanish completely, and that's a big disappointment, especially when you compare The Greatest Show on Earthto all the antiseptically clean, all-around fantastic Golden Age transfers Warner Archive has been churning out lately. The greatest problem occurred when the large cage of monkeys was opened. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Edit The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Cecil B. DeMille Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by Victor Young . Ex-trapeze artist Burt Lancaster was considered for Cornel Wilde's role, as was Kirk Douglas. In many of her movies, the brash and brassy Hutton often can be annoying (okay, insufferable), but DeMille manages to tone her down and keep her in check most of the time. Smith's 1 inch scale Hudson as it appeared in the movie "The Greatest Show on Earth", Copyright 1952 Paramount Pictures. Smith's 1 inch scale Hudson as it appeared in the movie "The Greatest Show on Earth", Copyright 1952 Paramount Pictures. Packed with pageantry, melodrama, romance, thrills, and especially hokum, this bloated epic knocks itself out trying to entertain, and largely succeeds. The film then influenced many explanations of Midwestern "varmint" (cryptid) sightings in the 1950s . Excellent fidelity brings Victor Young's vibrant score to life, and a wide dynamic scale handles all of its highs and lows without a hint of distortion. It is discovered he has a very rare blood type (AB negative), but it just so happens that a potential donor, the Great Sebastian, is right there at the scene. He has been forced to hire world-famous aerialist (and notorious ladies man) "The Great Sebastian" for the center ring display. Lucille Ball was Cecil B. DeMille's first choice for the role of Angel, but she was pregnant with daughter Lucie, and was replaced by Gloria Grahame. During one scene Sebastian (Cornel Wilde) is hanging from the trapeze by his knees. During one of the performances, a furious Klaus threatens to have an elephant step on Angel rather than let her go to another man. Klaus sees the second train coming, and realizes that Angel is aboard. This offers an explanation as to why the marvelous Jean Hagen went home empty-handed, despite her iconic performance as the hilariously doomed Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain (1952). The Greatest Show on Earth won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Story.CREDITS:TM \u0026 Paramount (1952)Cast: Cecil B. DeMilleDirector: Cecil B. DeMilleProducers: Cecil B. DeMille, Henry WilcoxonScreenwriters: Frank Cavett, Jack Gariss, Fredric M. Frank, Theodore St. John, Barr LyndonWHO ARE WE?The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. Photo by Linda Braun. Coming off two big hit movies with Bob Hope, 1949's "Sorrowful Jones" and 1950's "Fancy Pants," Lucy felt that those films along with an appearance in this one would raise her film profile and lead her to being offered bigger roles. films. a TIME subscriber. The Greatest Show on Earth Videos (Movie) . To make the movie more realistic, DeMille demanded his cast become proficient at the various disciplines they'd be performing. WhetherThe Greatest Show on Earthdeserved its Best Picture Oscar or not, the film nevertheless won the coveted award, and that distinction alone should merit the extra care and expense necessary to make this presentation perfect and preserve this classic motion picture for future generations. In his autobiography, Charlton Heston says that when an actor arrived late on the set, as Betty Hutton had a couple of times, Cecil B De Mille blamed the make up department, publicly denouncing them for the actor's late arrival. A lovely remastered transfer is marred by a lack of cleanup and extras are slim, but such faults can't diminish the entertainment quotient of this garish and bombastic picture. While primitive and crude compared with modern special effects, the electrifying scene amazed audiences and influenced an entire generation of movie magic. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for . T he Greatest Show on Ea rth won Academy Awards . DeMille offered Cornel Wilde the part of Joshua in his next production, The Ten Commandments (1956). [12], On the film's release, Bosley Crowther in The New York Times called The Greatest Show on Earth a "lusty triumph of circus showmanship and movie skill" and a "piece of entertainment that will delight movie audiences for years":[13], Time magazine called the film a "mammoth merger of two masters of malarkey for the masses: P. T. Barnum and Cecil B. de Mille" that "fills the screen with pageants and parades [and] finds a spot for 60-odd circus acts," but its plot "does not quite hold all this pageantry together. Charlton Heston stars as Brad Braden, the beloved . The same time the gray checks came out, another part of Musk's plan went into effect: an offer to let people who paid $8 a month for a Twitter Blue subscription get a blue check showing they were . Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. Sebastian's former flames, Angel (Gloria Grahame) and Phyllis (Lamour), supply additional friction, and there's some mystery surrounding the troupe's primary clown Buttons (James Stewart), who strangely never takes off his makeup. mysterious clowns, a tough ringmaster, and a train wreck. The Greatest Show on Earth won Academy Awards for Best Picture . 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