The Smallest Show on Earth

Apr 9, 1957

1h 23m

★ 6.6

The Funniest Show on Earth!

Overview

Jean and Bill are a married couple trying to scrape a living. Out of the blue they receive a telegram informing them Bill's long-lost uncle has died and left them his business—a cinema in the town of Sloughborough. Unfortunately they can't sell it for the fortune they hoped as they discover it is falling down and almost worthless.

Genres

Comedy

Production Companies

Hallmark Productions

The Smallest Show on Earth Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Jean Spenser

Virginia McKenna

Matt Spenser

Bill Travers

Mrs. Fazackalee

Margaret Rutherford

Percy Quill

Peter Sellers

Old Tom

Bernard Miles

Albert Hardcastle

Francis de Wolff

Robin Carter

Leslie Phillips

Marlene Hogg

June Cunningham

Mr. Hogg

Sid James

Commissionaire

George Cross

Bell

George Cormack

Emmett

Stringer Davis

Various experiences of childhood are seen in several sequences that take place in the small town of Thiers, France. Vignettes include a boy's awakening interest in girls, couples double-dating at the movies, brothers giving their friend a haircut, a boy dealing with an abusive home life, a baby and a cat sitting by an open window, a child telling a dirty joke, and a boy who develops a crush on his friend's mother.

5.2

The Bachelor

Nov 5, 1999

Jimmie is seeing his single friends get married one by one. He isn't too worried until his girlfriend Anne catches the bouquet at his friend Marco's wedding. Suddenly, his wild mustang days are numbered. He finally decides to propose to her, but he sticks his foot in his mouth and botches the proposal. Being insulted by the defeatist proposal, Anne leaves town on an assignment. After she's gone, he finds out that his recently-deceased grandfather's will stipulates that he gets nothing of a multi-million dollar fortune unless he's married by 6:05pm on his 30th birthday: tomorrow! Not being able to find Anne, Jimmie begins backtracking through his past girlfriends to find a wife.

5.9

Mr. Deeds

Jun 28, 2002

When Longfellow Deeds, a small-town pizzeria owner and poet, inherits $40 billion from his deceased uncle, he quickly begins rolling in a different kind of dough. Moving to the big city, Deeds finds himself besieged by opportunists all gunning for their piece of the pie. Babe, a television tabloid reporter, poses as an innocent small-town girl to do an exposé on Deeds.

5.3

Twelve Plus One

Oct 7, 1969

Mario, a young philanderer, receives 13 antique chairs in a bad state by inheritance and decides to sell off them to get some money. Afterwards he gets to know that one of them contains documents worth a lot of money. So he begins an adventurous trip to regain possession of the chair. On the way he meets many strange people who would like to help or to swindle him.

7.1

The Addams Family

Nov 22, 1991

When a man claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester reappears after 25 years lost, the family plans a celebration to wake the dead. But the kids barely have time to warm up the electric chair before Morticia begins to suspect Fester is fraud when he can't recall any of the details of Fester's life.

7.0

Benny & Joon

Apr 16, 1993

A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.

3.6

Bonsoir

Jan 19, 1994

Having first lost his wife then his job as a tweed tailor, Alex Ponttin has devised a novel way to keep himself in touch with society. He admits himself into people's homes, by pretending to be a relative or an official, and persuading his victims to give him a night's free board: He finds at first a lunch at the horrible couple Dumont, where a thief follows him for a robbery. Alex spent an evening in front of TV at Marie, mother of seven children. He runs from Marie to find an evening and a new bed at the home of charming but shy lesbian Caroline and her funny lover Gloria. To save her inheritance, Caroline - accused for her homosexuality by her horrible sister Catherine - tells her aunt Amélie, that Gloria is her secretary and Alex her lover. So Alex has to present himself nude in Caroline's bed. He saves Carolines inheritance. The police officers investigating the case are so terminally stupid that Alex has little chance of being arrested.

6.1

Ismail Yassine in the House of Ghosts

Jan 1, 1951

Ismail Yassin and his relatives have to spend a month living in a haunted house in order to collect their inheritance.

7.8

Day for Night

May 24, 1973

A committed film director struggles to complete his movie while coping with a myriad of crises, personal and professional, among the cast and crew.

7.5

Barton Fink

Aug 1, 1991

A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.

7.2

Living in Oblivion

Jul 21, 1995

Nick is the director of a low-budget indie film. He tries to keep everything together as his production is plagued with an insecure actress, a megalomaniac star, a pretentious, beret-wearing director of photography, and lousy catering.

5.8

Bailey's Billion$

Aug 5, 2005

Sweet and savvy talking golden retriever, Bailey, is one doggone lucky pooch when his devoted owner, Constance Pennington, leaves him her entire billion-dollar fortune. Bailey is lucky, that is, until he becomes the target of an elaborately-designed dognap scheme hatched by Constance's nasty nephew Caspar and his money-hungry wife Dolores. The despicable duo's wicked plan is to ultimately gain custody of the canine so they can get their greedy paws on his inheritance. Unfortunately for them, there's a thing or two they don't know about Bailey. Not only does he have great street smarts, he has great pals too. Bailey's loyal guardian Ted, kind-hearted animal advocate Marge, her daughter Sam, and a clever border collie named Tessa set out on a hilarious madcap adventure to free their four-legged friend and put the nasty dognappers out of business-for good!

6.1

Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece

Dec 6, 1961

After the death of Captain Thémistocle Paparanic, Captain Haddock's old friend, he inherits a ship called the Golden Fleece. Once Tintin and the captain arrive in Istanbul, where the ship is anchored, they meet Mr. Karabine, a businessman who stubbornly insists on buying it even though it is in a dilapidated state.

3.1

National Lampoon's Gold Diggers

Jun 15, 2003

Calvin and Leonard, two broke losers, are arrested for trying to rob rich old sisters Doris and Betty. The women have a change of heart, drop the charges and invite the the boys over to their mansion. Calvin decides he and Leonard should marry the women, and, when they soon die, live off the inheritance. The ladies, however, have run into their own financial troubles and wed the boys with plans of murdering them for insurance money.

4.4

Lucky Stiff

Oct 8, 2014

An English shoe salesman inherits 6 million dollars from a recently deceased uncle he has never met before, on the condition that he takes the uncle's corpse on a trip to Monte Carlo.

6.5

Mexican Bus Ride

Jun 25, 1952

Newlywed Oliverio receives disturbing news that his mother is on her deathbed. He travels to a remote part of Mexico to fetch a lawyer who can sort out her will. Leaving his wife behind, he embarks on a bus ride that’s interrupted by an increasingly absurd series of episodes, including an impromptu birthday celebration; a one-legged man writhing in the mud; come-ons from an insatiable small-town belle, Raquel; and Oliverio’s frequent, Freudian nightmares.

4.6

Fire, Ice & Dynamite

Oct 18, 1990

Action-comedy about a wealthy man who fakes suicide for the amusement of watching his family and creditors compete for his wealth. Many cameo appearances!

7.0

Playboy of Paris

Oct 18, 1930

Yvonne, daughter of Philibert, a Paris cafe owner, is in love with dreamy, blundering Albert, a waiter, though he pays little attention to her. Philibert plans to marry his daughter to a wealthy Parisian, but upon learning that Albert is to come into a large inheritance, he conspires to place him under a longterm contract, confident that he willingly will pay a forfeit to break it.