It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

William Rose (story) &
Tania Rose (story)

Release Date:

7 November 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

If ever this mad, mad, mad, mad world needed "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world" it's now! (1970 re-release)

Plot:

The dying words of a thief spark a madcap cross-country rush to find some treasure.

Plot Keywords:

Race | Desert | Bicycle | Chase | Road

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Capt. C. G. Culpepper
Milton Berle	...	J. Russell Finch
Sid Caesar	...	Melville Crump, DDS
Buddy Hackett	...	Benjy Benjamin
Ethel Merman	...	Mrs. Marcus
Mickey Rooney	...	Ding 'Dingy' Bell
Dick Shawn	...	Sylvester Marcus
Phil Silvers	...	Otto Meyer
Terry-Thomas	...	Lt.Col. J. Algernon Hawthorne
Jonathan Winters	...	Lennie Pike
Edie Adams	...	Monica Crump
Dorothy Provine	...	Emeline Marcus-Finch
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Second cab driver
Jim Backus	...	Tyler Fitzgerald
Ben Blue	...	Biplane pilot

Also Known As:

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

USA:154 min (edited version) | USA:192 min (original version) | USA:174 min (restored video version) | 182 min (Laserdisc version) (extended re-edit)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (35mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)

Certification:

USA:G (1970) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 (edited version) | Portugal:M/6 (re-rating) (uncut) | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Australia:G | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Finland:K-8 | Spain:T | UK:U | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Casey Productions

Trivia:

The billboard that the twin-engine Beechcraft flies through was made of thin balsa wood, except for a thicker frame for support. Stunt pilot Frank Tallman had to fly the aircraft directly through the center of the billboard or the thicker frame would shear off a wing. Since the shattered wood would clog and stop both engines, the billboard was built just east of the Orange County Airport (now the John Wayne Airport. After flying through the billboard, Tallman simply lowered the landing gear and safely touched down on the runway.

Goofs:

Continuity: Although both Emeline's husband Russell and her mother Mrs. Marcus pronounce her name EMMA-LINE, her brother Sylvester pronounces it EMMA-LEEN when talking with his mother on the phone.

Quotes:

J. Russell Finch: Hey, did you see th-the way he went SAILING right out there?

Movie Connections:

References "The Jack Benny Program" (1950)

Soundtrack:

Thirty-one flavors

Greatest comedy of all time, period.

I never planned to write a review for this movie, until I took a stroll through the user comments, and was shocked at all the people who think it is.... God help us... overrated. No way. If anything, it is UNDERrated. I see people complaining about the endless shouting, the over the top slapstick, the brashness, the loudness, the length. I can only conclude that these people are a bunch of humorless dorks.

First of all, you can't just sit down to watch a three hour movie without knowing what you're in for. This is not your typical comedy--this is an EPIC comedy, the first of its kind, that inspired other such epics as "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" and "The Great Race" (which happens to be my favorite comedy--in fact, I'd like to say it's the better movie, but props go to this one for inventing the genre). And I can't speak for everyone else, but this movie leaves me laughing from start to finish.

Yes, it is very long, but it NEVER has a dull moment. Even if the amazing car stunts aren't particularly funny, you can't tell me they aren't wildly entertaining. I have yet to see an action movie with better car chases than these. And yes, the slapstick is ridiculously over the top, although I can't see how that's a problem (the gas station scene is one of the funniest in movie history, in my opinion). But underneath all the slapstick and shouting, holding the whole movie together, is that incredibly cynical message. It is a movie about kind, decent folks turning into law-breaking lunatics and ruining their lives for the sake of money. The subplot with Spencer Tracey realizing his entire life has been a waste, and then ruining what life he has left, is one of the most tragic story lines I have seen. But it's also pretty darn funny.

All the critics need to lighten up and see this for the absurd, delirious, hysterical farce it is.

10/10 stars.