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Catalog/Drama/The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth poster
A
Excellent
MASTER SCORE 74.9 / 100
1952·Drama / Family / Romance·2h 32m

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

“The Heartbeat Story of Circus People, Filmed with the Cooperation of Ringling Bros. - Barnum and Bailey Circus!”

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.

Above the Line
Cecil B. DeMille·DirectorTheodore St. John·ScreenplayFredric M. Frank·ScreenplayGeorge Barnes·Director of PhotographyVictor Young·Original Music ComposerAnne Bauchens·Editor
Cast
Betty Hutton·HollyCornel Wilde·The Great SebastianCharlton Heston·Brad BradenDorothy Lamour·PhyllisGloria Grahame·AngelJames Stewart·ButtonsHenry Wilcoxon·FBI Agent GregoryLyle Bettger·KlausLawrence Tierney·Mr. HendersonEmmett Kelly·Himself
Full Crew
(28 credits)
Directing· 3
Cecil B. DeMille·DirectorEdward Salven·Assistant DirectorArthur Rosson·Second Unit Director
Writing· 6
Theodore St. John·ScreenplayFredric M. Frank·ScreenplayFrank Cavett·StoryBarré Lyndon·ScreenplayFredric M. Frank·StoryTheodore St. John·Story
Camera· 3
George Barnes·Director of PhotographyJ. Peverell Marley·Additional PhotographyW. Wallace Kelley·Additional Photography
Editing· 1
Anne Bauchens·Editor
Sound & Music· 3
Victor Young·Original Music ComposerHarry Lindgren·Sound RecordistJohn Cope·Sound Recordist
Art & Design· 7
Walter H. Tyler·Art DirectionDorothy Jeakins·Costume DesignHal Pereira·Art DirectionEdith Head·Costume DesignWally Westmore·Makeup SupervisorSam Comer·Set DecorationRay Moyer·Set Decoration
Production· 2
Cecil B. DeMille·ProducerHenry Wilcoxon·Associate Producer
Other Departments· 3
Polly Burson·StuntsJack Gariss·Additional WritingJohn Ringling North·Technical Advisor
By the Numbers
74.9
OF 100
Master Score
6.5
OF 10
IMDb
49%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
$36M
ROI 800%
Worldwide Gross
2
5 NOMS
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

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Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind The Greatest Show on Earth's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#D62A2A
#FFFFFF
#F0E8D1
Mood
Exciting, Grand, Lively
Composition
Layered
Era
1950s
Visual Style
Illustrated

“The poster for 'The Greatest Show on Earth' features a red background with a large white title at the top. Below the title, a circus scene unfolds with various ”

dramafamilyromance
Key Elements
ElephantsAcrobatsClownsBatonActor Portraits
Atmosphere
Vibrant
Color Mood
Warm
Setting
None Visible
Design Score
7/10
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THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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THREE WAYS DEEPER

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AUT
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