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Trapeze (1956)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
30 May 1956 (USA)
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Tagline:
High...High...High...Above Them All! - in excitement! - in spectacle! - in fire, flesh and fury! more
Plot:
Mike Ribble was once a great trapeze artist - and the only to have completed a triple somersault - before his accident...
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| full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Trapeze
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Circus
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Trapeze Artist
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One Word Title
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Giraffe
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Awards:
2 wins
&
1 nomination
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User Comments:
The Tricks Of The Trapeze Trade
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Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Burt Lancaster | ... | Mike Ribble |
 | Tony Curtis | ... | Tino Orsini |
 | Gina Lollobrigida | ... | Lola |
 | Katy Jurado | ... | Rosa |
| Thomas Gomez | ... | Bouglione |
| Johnny Puleo | ... | Max (dwarf) (as John Puleo) |
| Minor Watson | ... | John Ringling North |
| Gérard Landry | ... | Chikki (as Gerard Landry) |
| Jean-Pierre Kérien | ... | Otto (as Jean-Pierre Kerien) |
| Sid James | ... | Snake Charmer (as Sidney James) |
| Gimma Boys | ... | Circus family children |
| Los Arriolas | ... | Specialty Act |
| Gamil Ratib | ... | Stefan |
| Pierre Tabard | ... | Paul |
| Edward Hagopian |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording) (optical prints) |
4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints)
Certification:
Norway:16 |
USA:Approved (certificate #17783) |
UK:U |
West Germany:12 (nf) |
Finland:K-16 |
Argentina:16 |
Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Sally Marlowe was cast as Gina Lollobrigida's stunt double until Marlowe broke her nose on set. Willy Krause, a close personal friend of Burt Lancaster, was asked to fill in as Ms. Lollobrigida's stunt double. He accepted the role.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Cheers: Peterson Crusoe (#3.11)" (1984)
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Soundtrack:
Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E flat major
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FAQ
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In Trapeze Burt Lancaster finally realized an ambition to return to his roots as a circus acrobat and do a film under the big top. When he and Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida are soaring through the air, Trapeze is a thing of beauty. Unfortunately on the ground it's firmly fixed to mediocrity with a very melodramatic triangle subplot.
Lancaster plays a once promising aerial artist who perfected the triple somersault in the air. But doing it once too often shattered his career along with his leg. Lancaster now works as a rigger for Thomas Gomez's circus.
But one day when young Tony Curtis, a would be Trapeze artist comes to the circus seeking out Lancaster, Burt recognizes the talent that is there after some initial misgivings. He agrees to become Curtis's catcher and teach him the tricks of Trapeze trade.
What complicates things is goldigging Gina Lollobrigida a jack of all the circus trades who desperately wants to get to America. She's an old girl friend of Lancaster, but sees in Curtis her meal ticket. He's after all the one with the talent and the young reflexes. Lancaster's wise to her, but she does get the old hormones going in Burt.
Seeing Lancaster doing his own trapeze stunts is quite a marvel, but in fact it was his old trade. I'm sure being the producer of Trapeze helped because if this had been a studio production the bean counters in the front office would have been going out of their minds at seeing their big star risking life and limb.
Katy Jurado has a nice if somewhat undefined role as a bareback rider who also has an old time yen for Burt. Thomas Gomez is quite the schemer as the owner who naturally wants to keep the act intact and working for him and not going to a bigger show. That bigger show is Ringling Brothers,Barnum&Bailey circus in America and Minor Watson plays the real life John Ringling North.
Unfortunately for Trapeze, Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show On Earth set an impossible standard for circus pictures. Maybe if it had concentrated on the aerial and left the romance alone, Trapeze would be better thought of today.
Next year Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis teamed for Sweet Smell of Success. Now that's the film the two will be better remembered by far.