Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962)

Director:

Charles Walters

Writers:

Ben Hecht (play) and
Charles MacArthur (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 December 1962 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Jump for joy it's jumbo!

Plot:

A Debt-ridden circus is saved by an well-meaning but inept publicity man Pop Wonder (Jimmy Durante).

Plot Keywords:

Carnival | Circus Elephant | Circus | Debt | Duplicity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 nominations

Cast

Doris Day	...	Kitty Wonder
Stephen Boyd	...	Sam Rawlins
Jimmy Durante	...	Anthony ('Pop') Wonder
Martha Raye	...	Lulu
Dean Jagger	...	John Noble
Joseph Waring	...	Harry
Lynn Wood	...	Tina
Charles Watts	...	Ellis
James Chandler	...	Parsons
Robert Burton	...	Madison
Wilson Wood	...	Hank
Norman Leavitt	...	Eddie
Grady Sutton	...	Driver
Ron Henon	...	Circus Performer
Billy Barty	...	Circus Performer (as Billy Barton)
Corky Cristiani	...	Circus Performer
Victor Julian	...	Circus Performer
Richard Berg	...	Circus Performer
Joe Monahan	...	Circus Performer
Adolph Dubsky	...	Circus Performer
Pat Anthony	...	Circus Performer
Janos Prohaska	...	Circus Performer
Christian Haren	...	Lennie (as Chuck Haren)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nesdon Booth	...	(uncredited)
Jack Boyle	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Sue Casey	...	Dottie (uncredited)
Fred Coby	...	Andy (uncredited)
Roy Engel	...	Reporter (uncredited)
John Hart	...	Marshall (uncredited)
Chick Hearn	...	Lennie (uncredited)
Bill Hines	...	Roustabout (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Elephant Rider (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Horseman (uncredited)
Michael Kostrick	...	Michaels (uncredited)
Ralph Lee	...	Perry (uncredited)
Otto Reichow	...	Hans (uncredited)
J. Lewis Smith	...	Dick (uncredited)
Olan Soule	...	Ticket Agent (uncredited)
Paul Wexler	...	Sharpie (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Roustabout (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Walters

Writing credits
Ben Hecht		(play) and
Charles MacArthur		(play)
Sidney Sheldon		(screenplay)

Produced by
Roger Edens	....	associate producer
Martin Melcher	....	producer
Joe Pasternak	....	producer

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Richard W. Farrell

Art Direction by
E. Preston Ames		(as Preston Ames)
George W. Davis

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace
Hugh Hunt

Costume Design by
Morton Haack

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Busby Berkeley	....	second unit director
William Shanks	....	assistant director
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor

Visual Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special visual effects
Robert R. Hoag	....	special visual effects
J. McMillan Johnson	....	special visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Johnson	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant

Music Department
Léo Arnaud	....	orchestrator
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
George E. Stoll	....	conductor (as George Stoll)
George E. Stoll	....	music supervisor (as George Stoll)
Robert Tucker	....	music arranger: vocals (as Bobby Tucker)
Robert Van Eps	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Irving Aaronson	....	assistant to producer
Al Dobritch	....	coordinator: circus acts
Billy Rose	....	stage producer
Busby Berkeley	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Arwin Productions
• Euterpe
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Turner Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Jumbo (International: English title) (informal short title)

Runtime:

123 min | 127 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:G | UK:U

Company:

Arwin Productions

Trivia:

This musical marked the end of Busby Berkeley's movie career.

Goofs:

Continuity: Jumbo is alternately using his front feet/back feet between shots when he is dancing on the circus pedestal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)

Soundtrack:

Circus On Parade

Doris and Durante are a better match than Doris and Stephen Boyd!

The usual circus fun: a determinedly old-fashioned big-top opus with animals, parades, high-wire attractions, songs by Rodgers & Hart. Doris Day is the owner of a struggling carnival; Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye are her cohorts, and Stephen Boyd is the money-man. Yes, it's hokum, but it looks wonderful (especially the storm scene under the tent during a performance). If you like squeaky-clean backlot romps, it's a favorable couple of hours. Too bad, though, the scenarists skimp on any colorful glimpses of the eccentric carny lifestyle (what drives these people so hard anyway?). And why is Doris matched up with impossibly earnest Stephen Boyd? She has much more going on with Jimmy Durante! In the '60's, Day mainly concentrated on her popular bedroom comedies, but this one broke her routine up a bit and she's delightful as always. The piqued direction is by Charles Walters, who has his work bolstered a bit by Busby Berkeley, who oversaw the circus sequences. **1/2 from ****