Review of Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) by Girl-Melody L — 30 Jan 2013

I've seen this movie 3 times on Turner Classic Movies and enjoyed it each time. Great acting, comedy, dancing and singing by the 4 principals. Jimmy Durante steals much of the show with his lines ("Elephant? What elephant") delivered while standing in front of a huge pachyderm.

He also displays all the skills those old vaudeville players had: singing, dancing, comedy, even acting well as a circus clown. Doris Day was wonderful too especially in her touching rendition of "Little Girl Blue".

A nice surprise was Steven Boyd (of Ben Hur fame) who is not only virile and manly here but surprisingly in good voice (it seems his own) and is good in the dancing skits too. And Martha Raye and Jimmy Durante seem an ideal couple (and get married here too).

The story isn't much (boy meets girl basically) but the loving touches the movie establishes with the circus, the performances in that circus by Day and Durante and Boyd and Raye) really make this movie.

Unlike many musicals (see "Meet me in St. Louis") this one hasn't lost any of its charm. And the sound and color is first rate. A real eye opener and sorry that the 'critics' cannot see gold when it is in front of them.