Film Reviews

Posted: Thu., Dec. 31, 1953, 11:00pm PT

3 Ring Circus

Paramount. Director Joseph Pevney; Producer Hal B. Wallis; Screenplay Don McGuire; Camera Loyal Griggs; Editor Warren Low; Music Walter Scharf; Art Director Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen
Dean Martin Jerry Lewis Joanne Dru Zsa Zsa Gabor Elsa Lanchester Wallace Ford
Circus background of this expensively-mounted Hal Wallis production gives Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis slick opportunity to disport themselves along familiar lines.

The script projects comics straight from army uniform to the circus, where Lewis reports as a lion tamer's assistant in the hope he'll get to be a clown. Martin tags along, catching the eye of the beautiful but temperamental trapeze artist (Zsa Zsa Gabor), who makes him her 'assistant'. He takes over circus owner Joanne Dru's place when she leaves the circus - she's in love and keeps fighting with him - but all is later happiness again.

Comics as a team are somewhat less zany than in previous productions. Dru and Gabor supply plenty of flash and femme splendor. Wallace Ford is tops as the barking but sympathetic circus manager.

(Color) Widescreen. Extract of a review from 1954. Running time: 103 MIN.

Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

SharePrint VarietyVariety RSS feedsBookmark

Get Variety:

Variety AppsVariety DigitalNewsletters

Variety Luxury Real Estate