The Big Show

The Big Show, the only feature-length motion picture produced by the Miller Brothers, is a behind-the-scenes melodrama set within their show. The story: Bill, a war veteran who has been defrauded by his brother, rescues Ruth, the elephant girl, and joins the company. Secretly engaged to Bill’s “bad brother” Norman—allegedly an oil millionaire—Ruth rebuffs her rescuer’s affection. Her elephant, however, knows a villain when he smells one and eventually gives Norman his just deserts. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with the National Film Preservation Foundation New Zealand Project in 2012.

Directed by George Terwilliger, The Big Show leans on a strong ensemble — John Lowell, Evangeline Russell, F. Serrano Keating — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1926.