"Narrator: [first lines] We bring you the circus, pied piper whose magic tunes greet children of all ages, from six to 60, into a tinsel and spun-candy world of reckless beauty and mounting laughter and whirling thrills; of rhythm, excitement and grace; of blaring and daring and dance; of high-stepping horses and high-flying stars. But behind all this, the circus is a massive machine whose very life depends on discipline and motion and speed. A mechanized army on wheels, that rolls over any obstacle in its path, that meets calamity again and again, but always comes up smiling. A place where disaster and tragedy stalk the big top, haunt the backyard, and ride the circus train. Where death is constantly watching for one frayed rope, one weak link, or one trace of fear. A fierce, primitive fighting force that smashes relentlessly forward against impossible odds. That is the circus. And this is the story of the biggest of the big tops, and of the men and women who fight to make it "The Greatest Show on Earth.""

"Lyle Bettger - Klaus"

"Charlton Heston - Brad Braden"

"Listen, sugar, the only way that you can keep me warm is to wrap me up in a marriage license."

"The motion picture for everyone!"

"Midway barker: [last lines] That's all, ladies and gentlemen, that's all. Come again to the greatest show on earth. Bring the children. Bring the old folks. You can shake the sawdust off your feet, but you can't shake it outta your heart. Come again, folks. The Greatest Show on Earth. Come again."

"James Stewart - Buttons the Clown"

"Julia Faye - Birdie"

"Bob Carson - Ringmaster"

"Frank Wilcox - Circus doctor"

"Cornel Wilde - The Great Sebastian"

"Lawrence Tierney - Mr. Henderson"

"Betty Hutton - Holly"

"Henry Wilcoxon - FBI Agent Gregory"

"[while Buttons is doing first aid] Buttons! If that detective sees you doing this, he won't need fingerprints!"

"Love! Laughter! Thrills! Wonders! Suspense! Spectacle! Heart!"

"Gloria Grahame - Angel"

"Dorothy Lamour - Phyllis"

"Lillian Albertson - Buttons' mother"

"John Ridgely - Assistant Manager"

"Brad Johnson - unnamed reporter"

"John Kellogg - Harry"

"Aldo Silvani - Il Signor Giraffa, the circus owner"

"Marcella Rovere - La Vedova, the widow"

"Richard Basehart - Il Matto, the fool"

"Livia Venturini - La Suorina, the nun"

"Quiet flame, bright flame, quiet flame, night cries."

"Anthony Quinn - Zampanò"

"This is the picture YOU'VE HEARD about!"

"Already, word has come from the world's film centers - a great picture is coming...unique in its elemental story and setting...rare in the earthy, human magnificence of its portrayals."

"You want to go with Zampanò and take Rosa's place? He'll teach you a trade. You'll earn some money. And one less mouth to feed around here wouldn't be bad."

"Giulietta Masina - Gelsomina"

"[reciting his act by rote before a crowd] Here we have a piece of chain that is a quarter of an inch thick. It is made of crude iron, stronger than steel. With the simple expansion of my pectoral muscles, or chest, that is, I'll break the hook. [collecting money from the crowd] Thank you, thank you. Now, to do this feat, I must fill myself up like a tire. If a blood vessel should break, I would spit blood. For instance, in Milan a man weighing 240 pounds lost his eyesight doing this trick. That is because the optical nerves take a beating, and once you lose your eyes, you are finished. If there's any delicate person in the audience, I would advise him to look away 'cause there could be blood. [with seemingly great effort, he breaks the chain]"

"Do only what I tell you to."

"What a funny face! Are you a woman, really? Or an artichoke?"

"What if I asked you to come with me? I'll teach you to walk the tightrope, way up in the air, with all the lights on you. I have a car. We'd be traveling all the time. We'd have a world of fun. Would you like that? But no. "Nothing." You have to stay with Zampanò and perform his ridiculous stunts and let him beat you like a donkey. Such is life."

"Gelsomina, Zampanò's a good man. He'll treat you well. You'll travel the world. You'll sing and dance. And look what he gave me: 10,000 lire! I have it here, 10,000 lire! We can fix the roof and these poor things can eat. Why did your father ever leave us?"

"Widow: For three nights I've been up at 1:00am to cook. Think I'm tired? If I felt like it, I could dance all night long. Us older women are better than young girls."

"Do you remember how beautiful it was, Zampanò? Watching the rain from the window that day?"

"She's not like Rosa. But she's a good girl, poor thing. She'll do what she's told. She just came out a little strange. But, if she eats every day, maybe she'll get better."

"Come here. There should be something here to fit you. I want you to look elegant. I don't want to see you in rags. My women have always looked smart."

"Roshan Seth as Pramesh Singh"

"DeObia Oparei as Rongo"

"Joseph Gatt as Neils Skelling"

"Finley Hobbins as Joe Farrier"

"Danny DeVito as Max Medici"