The Big Show (1961)

Returning after five years in prison, a trapeze aerialist (Cliff Robertson) confronts his brother (Robert Vaughn) who has taken over the family circus after the death of their father (Nehemiah Persoff). In flashback, we get the backstory of the family rivalry and how the brother went to prison. Based on the novel I'LL NEVER GO THERE ANYMORE by Jerome Weidman and directed by James B. Clark (A DOG OF FLANDERS). This is the third film version of Weidman's novel. It was filmed in 1949 under the title of HOUSE OF STRANGERS and as a western in 1954 called BROKEN LANCE. This is easily the weakest of the three. The circus background is a drag and adds nothing to the narrative. This version makes the father figure more of a bastard than the other two films and our "hero" isn't very likable either. Although top billed, Esther Williams as Robertson's love interest is a supporting role rather than a star one. With Margia Dean, David Nelson, Renate Mannhardt (the only sympathetic chacter in the movie) and Carol Christensen.