| The Greatest Show on Earth | |
|---|---|
Lucille Ball and Jack Palance: "Lady in Limbo". |
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| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Neil Bernstein Calvin Clements Meyer Dolinski Fenton Hobart, Jr. Paul Mason Bob Rafelson Jason Wingreen William Wood |
| Directed by | Arthur Hiller Leslie H. Martinson Vincent McEveety Jack Palance |
| Starring | Jack Palance Stuart Erwin |
| Theme music composer | Richard Rodgers |
| Opening theme | "March of the Clowns" |
| Composer(s) | Jeff Alexander |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Stanley Colbert |
| Running time | 60 mins. (approx) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 17, 1963 – April 28, 1964 |
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 April 28, 1964. It was produced by Desilu, the production company founded by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Sr..
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Palance portrayed Johnny Slate, the circus manager, who became involved in the personal lives of the circus performers.[1] Stuart Erwin played Otto King in five episodes.[2]Buck Taylor appeared in two episodes as Joe.[3]
The Greatest Show on Earth faced competition from two comedy programs on CBS: Petticoat Junction, Edgar Buchanan's burgeoning spin-off of The Beverly Hillbillies, and the long-running The Jack Benny Program. NBC aired The Richard Boone Show at the same 9 p.m. Tuesday slot.[4] The series was canceled after one season.
Guests on the program included Harry Guardino (1925–1995) in the opening episode "Lion on Fire".[5] Popular character actor J. Pat O'Malley appeared with Spring Byington in the episode "The Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There", which aired on April 14, 1964.[6]
Dwayne Hickman appeared with Annette Funicello in the March 24 episode "Rosetta". Hickman's former Dobie Gillis co-star Tuesday Weld guest starred in the episode "Silent Love, Secret Love". On October 29, the Philadelphia singer, Fabian, starred as Mac in the episode "Uncaged". Lucille Ball appeared as Kate Reynolds in the December 10 episode "Lady in Limbo"; character actor Robert F. Simon also appeared in the episode. In the series finale, Joan Blondell joined Joe E. Brown and Buster Keaton in the episode "You're All Right, Ivy".[6]
Among the other impressive guest stars were the following: Chris Alcaide, Phyllis Avery, Ruth Roman, Harold J. Stone, Brenda Vaccaro, Hugh O'Brian, Bradford Dillman, Peggy McCay, Martha Scott, James Coburn, Cliff Robertson, Frank Sutton, John Astin, Felicia Farr, Anthony Franciosa, Billy Gray, Ricardo Montalban, Michael Parks, Fay Spain, Dean Stockwell, Nina Foch, Dennis Hopper, Bill Mumy, Geraldine Brooks, Yvonne De Carlo, Dorothy Malone, John Dehner, Patricia Breslin, Ellen Burstyn, Tony Dow, Martha Hyer, Ruby Keeler, Jeremy Slate, Jack Lord, Russell Johnson, William Demarest, Edmond O'Brien, Don Ameche, Betty Hutton, Sheree North, Rory Calhoun, James Whitmore, Deborah Walley, Andrew Duggan, Agnes Moorehead, Brandon De Wilde, Joanna Cook Moore, Edgar Bergen, Barry Nelson, Arthur O'Connell, Red Buttons, Bruce Dern, Julie Newmar, Dabbs Greer, and Robert F. Simon.[6]
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Lion on Fire" | September 17, 1963 |
| 1-2 | "Silent Love, Secret Love" | September 24, 1963 |
| 1-3 | "No Middle Ground For Harry Kyle" | October 1, 1963 |
| 1-4 | "Don't Look Down, Don't Look Back" | October 8, 1963 |
| 1-5 | "Garve" | October 15, 1963 |
| 1-6 | "The Loser" | October 22, 1963 |
| 1-7 | "Uncaged" | October 29, 1963 |
| 1-8 | "The Circus Never Came To Town" | November 5, 1963 |
| 1-9 | "An Echo of Faded Velvet" | November 12, 1963 |
| 1-10 | "The Hanging Man" | November 19, 1963 |
| 1-11 | "Leaves In the Wind" | November 26, 1963 |
| 1-12 | "The Wrecker" | December 3, 1963 |
| 1-13 | "Lady in Limbo" | December 10, 1963 |
| 1-14 | "A Black Dress for Gina" | December 17, 1963 |
| 1-15 | "Where the Wire Ends" | January 7, 1964 |
| 1-16 | "Corsicans Don't Cry" | January 14, 1964 |
| 1-17 | "Big Man From Nairobi" | January 21, 1964 |
| 1-18 | "The Show Must Go On - to Orange City" | January 28, 1964 |
| 1-19 | "A Place to Belong" | February 11, 1964 |
| 1-20 | "Man In a Hole" | February 18, 1964 |
| 1-21 | "Clancy" | February 25, 1964 |
| 1-22 | "The Last of the Strongmen" | March 3, 1964 |
| 1-23 | "The Night the Monkey Died" | March 10, 1964 |
| 1-24 | "Of Blood, Sawdust, and a Bucket of Tears" | March 17, 1964 |
| 1-25 | "Rosetta" | March 24, 1964 |
| 1-26 | "The Glorious Days of the Used to Be" | March 31, 1964 |
| 1-27 | "Love the Giver" | April 7, 1964 |
| 1-28 | "This Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There" | April 14, 1964 |
| 1-29 | "There Are No Problems, Only Opportunities" | April 21, 1964 |
| 1-30 | "You're All Right, Ivy" | April 28, 1964 |