Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962)
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48% of users liked it
(2,012 ratings)
Inasmuch as the spectacular Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart Broadway musical Jumbo was written in 1935, this 1962 film version can't help but seem a little quaint. Still, the film features the original production's star Jimmy Durante, energetically recreating his stage role as circus owner… More Inasmuch as the spectacular Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart Broadway musical Jumbo was written in 1935, this 1962 film version can't help but seem a little quaint. Still, the film features the original production's star Jimmy Durante, energetically recreating his stage role as circus owner Pop Wonder; it is Durante's bravura performance that saves the film from dullness. Threatened with foreclosure, Pop Wonder and his pretty daughter Kitty (Doris Day) put their fates in the hands of go-getter Sam Rawlins (Stephen Boyd). What they don't know is that Sam is the son of Pop's biggest rival (Dean Jagger), and he's been sent to undermine the Wonder Circus. It goes without saying that Sam turns the tables on his dad, thereby saving the day and winning Kitty's hand. Martha Raye shows up as Lulu, a fortune teller who can't figure out what's going to happen next (funny, we can). And of course there's Jumbo the elephant, who figures into the film's funniest scene (as well as one of Jimmy Durante's most celebrated punchlines). Old MGM musical hands Charles Walters and Busby Berkeley share directing chores, but somehow the film hasn't the panache of their earlier work. Happily, most of the Rodgers-Hart songs are retained, including "My Romance" and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"-not to mention a few Rodgers-Hart tunes borrowed from other show, e.g. "This Can't Be Love". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Charles Walters
- Written By
- Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, Sidney Sheldon
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1962 Wide
- Studio
- MGM Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
nowhere near classic status
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Doris Day
as Kitty Wonder
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Stephen Boyd
as Sam Rawlins
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Jimmy Durante
as Pop Wonder
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Martha Raye
as Lulu
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Dean Jagger
as John Noble
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Joseph Waring
as Harry
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Lynn Wood
as Tina
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Charles Watts
as Ellis
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James Chandler
as Parsons
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Robert Burton
as Madison
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Wilson Wood
as Hank
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Norman Leavitt
as Eddie
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Billy Barty
as Joey
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Jack Boyle
as Reporter
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Sue Casey
as Dottie
- Roy Engel
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Ralph Lee
as Perry
- Janos Prohaska
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Otto Reichow
as Hans
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Grady Sutton
as Driver
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Sydney the Elephant
as Jumbo
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Paul Wexler
as Sharpie
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Robert B. Williams
as Deputy
- Pat Anthony
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John Hart
as Marshal
