<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $4 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $36 million </Td> </Tr> <P> The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 American drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot in Technicolor, and released by Paramount Pictures . Set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the film stars Betty Hutton and Cornel Wilde as trapeze artists competing for the center ring, and Charlton Heston as the circus manager running the show . James Stewart also stars in a supporting role as a mysterious clown who never removes his make - up, even between shows, while Dorothy Lamour and Gloria Grahame also play supporting roles . </P> <P> In addition to the film actors, the real Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus' 1951 troupe appears in the film, with its complement of 1400 people, hundreds of animals, and 60 carloads of equipment and tents . The actors learned their respective circus roles and participated in the acts . The film's storyline is supported by lavish production values, actual circus acts, and documentary, behind - the - rings looks at the massive logistics effort which made big top circuses possible . </P>

Who starred in the greatest show on earth