The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
Cecil B. DeMille's three-ring schmaltzfest stars Charlton Heston as a granite-jawed circus manager lording over a menagerie of trapeze artists, lion tamers, and one sad-eyed clown named Buttons (Jimmy Stewart). DeMille had a rep as Tinseltown's king of pomp and excess, and here he does that rep proud. Show is big and bright and busy, and there isn't an honest moment in it. It's dated, hokey nonsense. Yet it somehow managed to beat High Noon.
Image Credit: Everett Collection
Most Overrated Best Picture Winners
And the Oscar goes to... WHAT? Chris Nashawaty offers 16 instances that prove the real best picture doesn't always claim the title.
Advertisement
Movie Calendar
- May 3
- May 10
- May 17
- May 24
- May 31
- June 7
- June 14
- June 21
- June 28
- July 5
- July 12
- July 19
- July 25
- July 26
- July 31
- August 2
- August 9
- August 16
- August 23
- August 30
- * Dates subject to change
Today!
People
-
- Catherine Zeta-Jones Returns Home from Treatment for Bipolar II Disorder
- Justin Bartha Engaged to Lia Smith
- Kelly Rowland & Paulina Rubio Officially Join The X Factor
- Dancing with the Stars: The Best Tweets from the Season Finale
- Children Pulled from Rubble After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
- Keira Knightley and James Righton Are Back in London After a Honeymoon in Corsica
- More from People.com
Advertisement
More EW.com
