Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962)

Truly the worst movie I've ever seen in a theater

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Simply Perfect

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Doris Day never ceases to amaze me. Wonderful actress with a great voice. And I LOVE Stephen Boyd. Was there ever a more handsome, sexy actor who could really act and had such a wide range?? And Martha Ray surprised me... I didn't know she could sing. This is a feel-good film, a feast for the eyes, with wonderful songs, and great circus acts to boot. And there is actually a plot here too.I would like to watch this film again, and recommend it to any fan of musicals, or anyone who loves the circus.

Seriously, find something else to watch. Bad acting, terrible casting, even worse "music". But, go ahead, watch it sometime if you must...the folks who made it tried very hard. There's no accounting for taste. On paper, the cast looks pretty good. Except for poor Stephen Boyd who must have been really hard up for work to take a shot at this turkey. It's nice to see Durante and Doris Day tries hard...but that's not enough. The setting and style are incredibly dated and the movie just doesn't work on any level. The folks who made it should have known better but it's hard to fault them for trying. It's not even "kitschy", it's just a musical that probably shouldn't have been made...at least, not in 1962.

Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Great Songs. That's what makes this film so good. Other than that, this tale about life in the circus may seem predictable with a paper-thin plot. But, the stars boost it to a fun, non-stop rollick with elephants, high-wire acts, and clowns. There is also Stephen Boyd. But while he may seem fairly nice to look at, he doesn't quite have the star power to carry the viewer's interest his character should have, even if he really was singing "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and didn't need to be dubbed. With Doris Day singing "Little Girl Blue" and "My Romance" as highlights, this pleasing musical should keep the viewer out of trouble for well over two hours and in the world of the greatest show on earth.

As the song title states, I can sit and watch this film again and again, especially now that it's on DVD and in a glorious release! What colour, what spectacular circus scenes. Both Busby Berkley and Charles Walters make use of the Cinemascope screen. Doris Day is at her perky best and what a treat to see two such clowns as Martha Raye and Jimmy Durante in a film together. Even such a small part as John Noble, the rival circus owner, is played by a great character actor - Dean Jagger. The only small fly in the ointment is Stephen Boyd. He is not suited for musicals, in fact I could never see what people saw in him as an actor, except maybe his good looks......OK, I'll give him that, but only that. The R & H (Rogers and Hart this time) score survives and even the additions by Roger Edens work to bring the wonder and amazement of the Pop Wonder Circus to life. This was one of the last, if not THE last, major musical from MGM and it shows they still had not lost their touch!