It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

A man (Jimmy Durante) driving recklessly down a mountain road sails off the cliff. He just went sailing right out there. People from cars that he passed climb down to check out the accident. With his dying moments he tells the group of money buried in a park in Santa Rosa, California, underneath a giant W. I wonder if they can all work together to retrieve the loot? The police take a keen interest.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World brings together some of the best comedy talent of the day in an ensemble cast that is unrivaled. Popular TV comics of the day, old Hollywood legends, up and coming talents, and character actors. This level of talent could never happen again.

And if you think I’m exaggerating, the five people who visit the crash site were played by Milton Burl, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, and Jonathan Winters. Waiting in the cars are Ethel Merman, Edie Adams, and Dorothy Provine. Ok, Dorothy isn’t all that famous, but she starred in That Darn Cat! That’s not nothing.

Spencer Tracy is the tired police chief monitoring the people’s movements, and Phil Silvers, Dick Shawn, and Terry-Thomas have large, memorable roles. But a complete list of cameos and character rolls would be impractical, but I will at least to mention Buster Keaton and the Three Stooges (with Joe DeRita). It would almost be easier to list the exceptions.

The film is wall to wall stunts and gags. There were about one hundred stuntmen working in Hollywood at that time and about 80 worked on this film. It was essentially filmed twice: once with the stuntmen dressed as the stars (sometimes in blackface), and again with the stars themselves. When Hackett saw the stunt footage, he asked “What do you need us for?”

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a long film. IMDb says three and a half hours, but my TCM recording was just short of 3. Apparently a couple scenes were cut before the premiere. I remember loving it as a kid before I knew who most of the cast was, and was curious to know how well it held up. Amazingly well, it turns out. I watched until the intermission then finished the film on a second day.

Which begs the question, how many pure comedies have an intermission? I can’t think of another. But Mad World does not drag. It’s a case study on how to use a large ensemble cast properly. Also, how to use stunts effectively. And better yet, the stunts supported the comedy, not just tacked on.

There are too many side stories about the production and potential casting choices to go into here, but Don Rickles was slighted by not being included. When I saw Rickles in concert a few years ago, he mentioned this. AMRU 4.5.