Under The Big Top (DVD)

Circus owner Sarah Post is having trouble making ends meet, but her dedicated staff won't let her throw in the towel. Things go from bad to worse when Sarah's pretty young niece, Penny, accidentally burns the circus tent to the ground. The girl more than makes up for her mistake when she grows up to be a big box-office draw as a trapeze superstar. The circus now thrives, but Penny chafes under her aunt's strict rules and runs off with her aerial partners, Ricardo and Pablo. When Sarah falls deathly ill, Penny learns that life itself is a balancing act that she has yet to master.

This 1938 production features Marjorie Main of Ma and Pa Kettle fame. Veteran actor George Cleveland would go on to play Gramps on the original Lassie TV series. Ann Nagel, who stars as Penny, later appeared in several Universal productions, including Man Made Monster, Black Friday and The Invisible Woman.

• drama