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3 Ring Circus is a film comedy starring Martin and Lewis
Martin and Lewis

Martin and Lewis were an United States of America comedy team, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. The pair first met in 1944; their debut as a duo occurred at Atlantic City, New Jersey's 500 Club on July 24/25, 1946....
. The movie was filmed from February 17 - March 31, 1954 and released on December 25, 1954
1954 in film

The year 1954 in film involved some significant events....
 by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
.

Nelson (Dean Martin
Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an United States singer, film actor and comedian of Italians descent. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s....
) and Jerry Hotchkiss (Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
) have just gotten out of the army. Hotchkiss decides to use the G.I. Bill of Rights
G.I. Bill of Rights

The G.I. Bill provided for college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans as well as one year of unemployment compensation....
 to become a lion tamer. He gets a job with the Clyde Brent Circus (in reality the Clyde Beatty Circus
Clyde Beatty

Clyde Beatty joined the circus as a cage cleaner as a teen and became famous as a Lion taming and Animal training. He also was a circus impresario who owned his own show that later merged with the Cole Bros....
), whose owner, Jill Brent (Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru

Joanne Dru was an United States film and television actor known for films such as Red River and All the King's Men. She was the elder sister of Peter Marshall , best known for hosting Hollywood Squares....
) is in financial difficulties, and Nelson tags along.

Hotchkiss, while learning the lion trade, also does odd jobs at the circus, including filling in for the Human Cannonball.






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3 Ring Circus is a film comedy starring Martin and Lewis
Martin and Lewis

Martin and Lewis were an United States of America comedy team, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. The pair first met in 1944; their debut as a duo occurred at Atlantic City, New Jersey's 500 Club on July 24/25, 1946....
. The movie was filmed from February 17 - March 31, 1954 and released on December 25, 1954
1954 in film

The year 1954 in film involved some significant events....
 by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
.

Plot

Pete Nelson (Dean Martin
Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an United States singer, film actor and comedian of Italians descent. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s....
) and Jerry Hotchkiss (Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
) have just gotten out of the army. Hotchkiss decides to use the G.I. Bill of Rights
G.I. Bill of Rights

The G.I. Bill provided for college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans as well as one year of unemployment compensation....
 to become a lion tamer. He gets a job with the Clyde Brent Circus (in reality the Clyde Beatty Circus
Clyde Beatty

Clyde Beatty joined the circus as a cage cleaner as a teen and became famous as a Lion taming and Animal training. He also was a circus impresario who owned his own show that later merged with the Cole Bros....
), whose owner, Jill Brent (Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru

Joanne Dru was an United States film and television actor known for films such as Red River and All the King's Men. She was the elder sister of Peter Marshall , best known for hosting Hollywood Squares....
) is in financial difficulties, and Nelson tags along.

Hotchkiss, while learning the lion trade, also does odd jobs at the circus, including filling in for the Human Cannonball. However, his real dream is to become a circus clown.

Nelson, meanwhile, is shown a romantic interest by Saadia, Queen of the Trapeze (Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor

Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian people-born American actress and socialite....
), and quickly gets a job as her assistant. Brent, who has also shown interest in Nelson, becomes jealous. Hotchkiss, after finding Puffo the Clown (Gene Sheldon
Gene Sheldon

Gene Sheldon was an American comic actor influenced by Harpo Marx's slapstick to specialize in pantomime acting as his career. Born Eugene Hume in Columbus, Ohio, he is best remembered as the mute servant Bernardo on Walt Disney's live-action television series Zorro ....
) in a drunken state, finally realizes his dream and fills in for the intoxicated clown. He takes the name Jerrico the Wonder Clown and becomes the new star of the circus. In the end, Nelson and Brent get together, and the circus is in better shape than ever thanks to the new star.

Cast

Dean Martin
Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an United States singer, film actor and comedian of Italians descent. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s....
 ... Peter 'Pete' Nelson
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
 ... Jerome F. 'Jerry' Hotchkiss
Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru

Joanne Dru was an United States film and television actor known for films such as Red River and All the King's Men. She was the elder sister of Peter Marshall , best known for hosting Hollywood Squares....
 ... Jill Brent
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor

Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian people-born American actress and socialite....
 ... Saadia
Wallace Ford
Wallace Ford

Wallace Ford was an England-born United States movie and television actor who, with his friendly appearance and stocky build later in life, appeared in a number of movie westerns and B-movies....
 ... Sam Morley
Sig Ruman
Sig Ruman

Sig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his comedy portrayals of pompous villains.Born in Hamburg, he studied electrical engineering before serving with the German Empire Germany army during the First World War....
 ... Colonel Fritz Schlitz, Lion Tamer
Gene Sheldon ... Puffo the Clown
Nick Cravat
Nick Cravat

Nick Cravat was an USA film actor. Life-long friend and trapeze partner of Burt Lancaster, they performed as "Lang and Cravat". He co-starred with Lancaster in nine films all together, of which The Crimson Pirate and The Flame and the Arrow are the best-known....
 ... Timmy
Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Lanchester

Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was an Academy Awards-nominated England character actor who became a naturalized American citizen in 1950 along with her husband, actor Charles Laughton....
 ... The Bearded Lady
Douglas Fowley ... Circus Payroll Man
Sue Casey ... Circus Snake Charmer
Mary Orozco ... Circus Fat Lady (billed as Mary L. Orozco)
Frederick E. Wolfe ... Circus Giant
Philip Van Zandt ... Shell Game Operator (billed as Phil Van Zandt)
Ralph Peters ... Circus Chef

Production notes

Jerricoposter

Technical information

The film was Martin and Lewis
Martin and Lewis

Martin and Lewis were an United States of America comedy team, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. The pair first met in 1944; their debut as a duo occurred at Atlantic City, New Jersey's 500 Club on July 24/25, 1946....
' first film in VistaVision
VistaVision

VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm film format which was created by Paramount Pictures in 1954 and based on the Glamorama and Superama widescreen systems....
, and a clip from the film was shown in the promotional short film Paramount Presents VistaVision.

Alternate versions

An edited version was released by Paramount in 1978 entitled Jerrico The Wonder Clown and shown at children's matinees.

DVD release

Due to unspecified reasons, this film remains the only Martin and Lewis film without a home release.

External links