<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>
who starred in the greatest show on earth
Betty Hutton Cornel Wilde Charlton Heston James Stewart