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The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)

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The Greatest Show on Earth
Jack Palance as Johnny Slate
GenreDrama
Written byNeil Bernstein
Calvin Clements
Meyer Dolinski
Fenton Hobart, Jr.
Paul Mason
Bob Rafelson
Jason Wingreen
William Wood
Directed byArthur Hiller
Leslie H. Martinson
Vincent McEveety
Jack Palance
StarringJack Palance
Stuart Erwin
Theme music composerRichard Rodgers
Opening theme"March of the Clowns"
ComposerJeff Alexander
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes30
Production
ProducerStanley Colbert
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time48 mins.
Production companiesCody Productions
Desilu Productions
Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 17, 1963 (1963-09-17) –
April 28, 1964 (1964-04-28)

The Greatest Show on Earth is an American drama series starring Jack Palance about the American circus, which aired on ABC from September 17, 1963, to September 8, 1964.[1][2] It was produced by Desilu, the production company founded by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Sr.[citation needed]

Plot

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The show was based on the 1952 film of the same name.[1] Palance portrayed Johnny Slate, the boss of a circus. Stu Erwin played Otto King, whose money financed the circus. Episodes focused on various kinds of perfromers from week to week, with Slate trying to maintain peace among the different groups.[2]

Guest stars

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Guest star Lucille Ball whose company Desilu Productions produced the series), and Jack Palance in the episode "Lady in Limbo"

Episodes

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No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Lion on Fire"September 17, 1963 (1963-09-17)
2"Silent Love, Secret Love"September 24, 1963 (1963-09-24)
3"No Middle Ground For Harry Kyle"October 1, 1963 (1963-10-01)
4"Don't Look Down, Don't Look Back"October 8, 1963 (1963-10-08)
5"Garve"October 15, 1963 (1963-10-15)
6"The Loser"October 22, 1963 (1963-10-22)
7"Uncaged"October 29, 1963 (1963-10-29)
8"The Circus Never Came To Town"November 5, 1963 (1963-11-05)
9"An Echo of Faded Velvet"November 12, 1963 (1963-11-12)
10"The Hanging Man"November 19, 1963 (1963-11-19)
11"Leaves In the Wind"November 26, 1963 (1963-11-26)
12"The Wrecker"December 3, 1963 (1963-12-03)
13"Lady in Limbo"December 10, 1963 (1963-12-10)
14"A Black Dress for Gina"December 17, 1963 (1963-12-17)
15"Where the Wire Ends"January 7, 1964 (1964-01-07)
16"Corsicans Don't Cry"January 14, 1964 (1964-01-14)
17"Big Man From Nairobi"January 21, 1964 (1964-01-21)
18"The Show Must Go On – To Orange City"January 28, 1964 (1964-01-28)
19"A Place to Belong"February 11, 1964 (1964-02-11)
20"Man In a Hole"February 18, 1964 (1964-02-18)
21"Clancy"February 25, 1964 (1964-02-25)
22"The Last of the Strongmen"March 3, 1964 (1964-03-03)
23"The Night the Monkey Died"March 10, 1964 (1964-03-10)
24"Of Blood, Sawdust, and a Bucket of Tears"March 17, 1964 (1964-03-17)
25"Rosetta"March 24, 1964 (1964-03-24)
26"The Glorious Days of the Used to Be"March 31, 1964 (1964-03-31)
27"Love the Giver"April 7, 1964 (1964-04-07)
28"This Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There"April 14, 1964 (1964-04-14)
29"There Are No Problems, Only Opportunities"April 21, 1964 (1964-04-21)
30"You're All Right, Ivy"April 28, 1964 (1964-04-28)

Production

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Stanley Colbert was the producer.[1] Don Richardson was the director, and William Wood was the writer.[7] Members of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed regularly on the show.[2] Sponsored by Kaiser, American Tobacco, and Alberto-Culver,[8] the program was Desilu's first color series.[9]

The Greatest Show on Earth faced competition from two comedy programs on CBS: Petticoat Junction and The Jack Benny Program. NBC aired The Richard Boone Show at the same 9 p.m. Tuesday slot.[7] The series was canceled after one season.

Critical response

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The trade publication Sponsor said that although The Greatest Show on Earth had "great dramatic possibilities", it was "really a simple adventure yarn if you strip the three rings away".[10]

A review of the premiere episode in the trade publication Variety said that the circus aspect was secondary "while a somewhat unbelievable drama hogged the center ring spotlight".[11] The review added that the episode's acting was implausible, with "hardly a person present one would readily identify as a circus character".[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 343. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ a b c Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 560. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Kennedy, Matthew (September 28, 2009). Joan Blondell: A Life between Takes. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-62674-432-5. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Peros, Mike (August 19, 2020). José Ferrer: Success and Survival. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-4968-3017-3. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Lynch, Sylvia D. (March 22, 2018). Jack Lord: An Acting Life. McFarland. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-4766-6627-3. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Sculthorpe, Derek (June 22, 2022). Ruth Roman: A Career Portrait. McFarland. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-4766-4630-5. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  8. ^ "Sponsor-Scope". Sponsor. March 4, 1963. p. 22. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "(untitled brief)". Sponsor. March 4, 1963. p. 64. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "Tuesday". Sponsor. October 28, 1963. p. 44. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Greatest Show on Earth". Variety. September 25, 1963. p. 35. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
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