A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.
Director:
Stars:
Awards:
- 2 wins & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Reviews:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Wallace Ford | ... |
Phroso
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| Leila Hyams | ... |
Venus
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| Olga Baclanova | ... |
Cleopatra
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| Roscoe Ates | ... |
Roscoe
(as Rosco Ates)
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| Henry Victor | ... |
Hercules
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| Harry Earles | ... |
Hans
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| Daisy Earles | ... |
Frieda
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| Rose Dione | ... |
Madame Tetrallini
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| Daisy Hilton | ... |
Siamese Twin
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| Violet Hilton | ... |
Siamese Twin
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| Schlitze | ... |
Pin Head
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| Josephine Joseph | ... |
Half Woman-Half Man
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| Johnny Eck | ... |
Half Boy
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| Frances O'Connor | ... |
Armless Girl
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| Peter Robinson | ... |
Human Skeleton
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| Olga Roderick | ... |
Bearded Lady
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| Koo Koo | ... |
By Herself
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| Prince Randian | ... |
The Living Torso
(as Rardion)
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| Martha Morris | ... |
Armless Girl
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| Elvira Snow | ... |
Pinhead
(as Zip)
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| Jenny Lee Snow | ... |
Pinhead
(as Pip)
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| Elizabeth Green | ... |
Bird Girl
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| Angelo Rossitto | ... |
Angeleno
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| Edward Brophy | ... |
Rollo Brother
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| Matt McHugh | ... |
Rollo Brother
(as Mat McHugh)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| John Aasen | ... |
Giant (uncredited)
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| Ernie Adams | ... |
Sideshow Patron (uncredited)
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Demetrius Alexis | ... |
Mr. Rogers (uncredited)
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| Hooper Atchley | ... |
Doctor (uncredited)
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| Jerry Austin | ... |
Knife-Throwing Dwarf (uncredited)
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| Sidney Bracey | ... |
Hans' Butler (uncredited)
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| Mathilde Comont | ... |
Madame Bartet (uncredited)
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| Albert Conti | ... |
M. Duval the Landowner (uncredited)
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| Tiny Doll | ... |
(uncredited)
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| Edith | ... |
Crawling Girl (uncredited)
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| Murray Kinnell | ... |
Freakshow Barker (uncredited)
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| Constantine Romanoff | ... |
Man Bringing Frieda's Horse (uncredited)
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Michael Visaroff | ... |
Jean the Gamekeeper (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Tod Browning | ||
Written by
| Clarence Aaron 'Tod' Robbins | ... | (suggested by story: "Spurs") (as Tod Robbins) |
| Willis Goldbeck | ... | (screenplay) & |
| Leon Gordon | ... | (screenplay) |
| Al Boasberg | ... | (additional dialogue) (uncredited) |
| Charles MacArthur | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Edgar Allan Woolf | ... | (additional dialogue) (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Tod Browning | ... | producer (uncredited) |
| Dwain Esper | ... | producer (uncredited) (reissue) |
| Harry Rapf | ... | producer (uncredited) |
| Hildegarde Stadie | ... | producer (uncredited) (reissue) |
| Irving Thalberg | ... | producer (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
| Merritt B. Gerstad | ... | (uncredited) (photographed by) |
Editing by
| Basil Wrangell | ... | (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| Cedric Gibbons | ... | (uncredited) |
| Merrill Pye | ... | (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Harry Sharrock | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| William Ryan | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
| Will Sheldon | ... | third assistant director (uncredited) |
| Errol Taggart | ... | first assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| G.A. Burns | ... | sound recording engineer (uncredited) |
| Douglas Shearer | ... | recording director (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| David S. Horsley | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Oliver T. Marsh | ... | additional photographer (uncredited) |
| Paul Vogel | ... | additional photographer (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Will Sheldon | ... | script supervisor (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1932) (United States) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1932) (Austria) (theatrical)
- Excelsior Pictures Corp. (1949) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release) (as "Nature's Mistakes")
- Antony Balch Films (1963) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Joseph Brenner Associates (JBA) (1970) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Antenne 2 (A2) (1975) (France) (tv) (French subtitles)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1976) (Australia) (theatrical) (reissue)
- Hollywood House Video (1980) (Australia) (video)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1986) (United States) (VHS)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1995) (Finland) (tv)
- Cable Hogue Co. (1996) (Japan) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Turner Entertainment (1998) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (United States) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- Magnus Opus (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Tornado Film (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
- HBO Max (2020) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- Pidax Film (2022) (Germany) (DVD)
- Fantasia Film (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Galba Films (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1933) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- The Criterion Collection (2023) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- The Criterion Collection (2023) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (acknowledgement)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Circus trapeze artist Cleopatra takes an interest in Hans, a midget who works in the circus sideshow, but she is only interested in the money he will be inheriting; she's involved in an affair with another circus performer, Hercules. Hans's fiancée does her best to convince him that he is being used but to no avail. At their wedding party, a drunken Cleopatra tells the sideshow freaks just what she thinks of them. Together, the freaks decide to make her one of their own. Written by garykmcd |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The story of the love life of the sideshow. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $310,607 (estimated) |
| Cumulative Worldwide Gross | $743,380 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The on-screen romance between Hans and Frieda was very subdued because the roles were being played by real life brother and sister Harry Earles and Daisy Earles. See more » |
| Goofs | In the first shot after the "Wedding Feast" title card, we see Violet Hilton & Daisy Hilton playing soprano saxophones, but we only hear a harmonica being played. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into Le contrôle de l'univers (1999). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Gruesome Tales See more » |
| Quotes |
Freaks:
We accept you, one of us! Gooble Gobble! See more » |