Tribute to Charlton Heston #1 (From Jerry Digney)

GSOE_PROGRAM, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. With the recent passing of Charlton Heston, the last living star of DeMille's "Greatest Show on Earth," good time to reflect on what a history making endeavor this was; at a cost of $4 million, the movie has grossed over $36 million to date and won two Oscars; About 10+ years ago, I wrote an in depth feature article on the making of the movie for BANDWAGON. It was a great opportunity to access the DeMille family archives as well as a treasure trove of material at the Motion Picture Academy library. Along with access to actress Dorothy Lamour and Charlton Heston, I also spoke with others like Doug Morris (who was then living near me in L.A.), who was the lighting supervisor on the GSOE in the early 1950s--he told me that by the early 50s, the show had a fairly elaborate lighting system but because the film cameras required so much more light, DeMille's crew brought in a bunch of extra light towers and generators to further illuminate an already "radiant" production--radiant because Miles White was designing all the beautiful costumes and floats and Morris was lighting the show, even then introducing colored gels for certain presentations in the rings and on the track. Many of the location shots were done during a long run in Philadelphia--for anyone curious as to how the BIG SHOW looked under canvas, this movie is probably the best ever record in color of what the circus presentation looked like in all its sprawling, sawdust splendor.