THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952)
Cecil B. DeMille toured for three years with the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus to film the Best Picture of 1952, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. With an all star cast which includes Jimmy Stewart, Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston in his first major role, Dorothy Lamour and Oscar winner Gloria Grahame, DeMille shows all the joy, heartbreak and majesty that goes on underneath the big top. The film climaxes with a spectacular train wreck that has to be seen to be believed. The stars did their own stunts from Hutton and Wildes trapeze act, to Grahames near brush with death at the hoof of an elephant and Jimmy Stewart makes a vivid impression as a clown who never takes off his make-up for a very particular reason. It all goes into making DeMilles Baby exactly what the title says it is - The Greatest Show On Earth!