Pop and Kitty Wonder are father-and-daughter circus hands trying to save their tiny business from rival owner John Noble, whose son, Sam has secretly joined their circus as a tightrope walker, calling himself Sam Rawlins. Kitty falls for Sam, not knowing his relationship to their enemy.
Discussion Date
December 4, 2025
Discussion Time
7:00 pm
Location
Virtual Event
on the event date, use the button below to join the discussion
movie details
starring
Starring Doris Day, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye
creative team
Directed by: Charles Walters
Music composed by: George Stoll, Lorenz Hart, Roger Edens · See more
Story by: Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht
run time
2h 7m
where to stream
YouTube ($)
Amazon.com ($)
Apple TV ($)
Film Introductions
by Bill Rudman
There are plenty of reasons to catch this one – which is a real, honest-to-goodness circus musical. It’s Doris Day’s final movie musical, and the brilliant comics Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye do their thing. Bliss!
And that’s to say nothing of the Rodgers & Hart songs, which include “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” “My Romance” and “Little Girl Blue.” More bliss!
But for those of us with a sense of history, the best reason – and I cover it in my video intro – is to learn about the original Broadway musical that MGM adapted in 1962.
It dates from 1935, as produced by (Cole Porter’s term) “little Billy Rose,” and if you think Phantom and Miss Saigon were spectacular, you need to see the photos I’ve assembled from 1935. The only theater in New York that could house this mega-musical was the Hippodrome, and Rose had the place gutted to make his vision come to theatrical life.
So see the video, stream the film and join us for the discussion. By the way, both the Broadway and Hollywood versions include, courtesy of Durante, one of best comic lines in all of musical theater. For that reason alone you don’t want to miss this one.
How the Program Works
Join the Mailing list
On the appropriate Thursday, email list subscribers will receive an email with a video introduction from Bill Rudman. This video introduction gives an inside look at what to expect before viewing the film.
Watch the Film at Home
TMTP will provide a list of sites from which that month's film can be rented or purchased.
Join the Live Discussion
The following Thursday, Bill Rudman will host a live discussion via Zoom to discuss the film in real time!