It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

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

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

William Rose (story), Tania Rose (story)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Tracy	...	Capt. T. G. Culpepper
Milton Berle	...	J. Russell Finch
Sid Caesar	...	Melville Crump
Buddy Hackett	...	Benjy Benjamin
Ethel Merman	...	Mrs. Marcus
Mickey Rooney	...	Ding Bell
Dick Shawn	...	Sylvester Marcus
Phil Silvers	...	Otto Meyer
Terry-Thomas	...	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

Storyline

The story begins during a massive traffic jam, caused by reckless driver Smiler Grogan, who, before kicking the bucket, cryptically tells the assembled drivers that he's buried a fortune in stolen loot, under the Big W. All of the motorists set out to find the fortune.

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Plot Keywords:

road movie | dying words | california | run off the road | car floating in a river | 

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Taglines:

It's the biggest entertainment ever to hit the Cinerama screen! (Poster).

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 1963 (UK)

Also Known As:

It's a Mad World

Filming Locations:

Revue Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,400,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$46,300,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,000,000, 31 December 1970

Company Credits

Production Co:

Casey Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min (edited) 174 min (restored video) 182 min (extended re-edit) (Laserdisc) 192 min (original) 205 min (roadshow) 197 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the final scene at the hospital all members had various injuries. Peter Falk's character has a patch over his right eye. Falk lost his right eye as a child due to a tumor and has had a glass eye ever since.

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Goofs

The actions of the dogs with Culpepper are "looped", repeated forwards and backwards exactly.

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Quotes

Third Cab Driver: They're up to something funny, you hear what I'm telling you? Now, did you see the blonde I brought? All covered with paint and her dressed ripped. Now what was that all about?
Second cab driver: Yeah. And what about the picks and shovels?

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are a sequence of gags all related to a globe of the world.

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Connections

Referenced in Anpadh (1978)

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Soundtracks

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
(1963) (uncredited)
Music by Ernest Gold
Lyrics by Mack David
Sung by an offscreen chorus during the Overture
Variations in the score throughout the film

User Reviews

Just push the button marked BOOZE!

What can I say? It's an epic adventure and comedy rolled into one! It's been my #1 all-time favorite film since childhood, which says a lot. I was surprised to find out how underrated it is. Critics always talk about how it stars so many famous comedians. The novelty overshadows the movie itself. Like I said, I saw this at a very young age, and didn't know who all these actors were. This is the movie that introduced me to them.

It also gets downplayed, being labeled as "slapstick." But that's cutting it short. There's a lot of subtleness in there too. The performances are outstanding. I've never seen a movie that has so many memorable characters all in one.

Each of them go on their own adventure, inter-cutting along the way, as they each have to overcome their own obstacles and meet other characters on their journey. It's like several movies all intertwined together, and most of it happens in real time. The 2 1/2 hour run time feels appropriate and passes like nothing. Every second is entertaining, which is the greatest accomplishment for a motion picture to achieve.

The film resonates with me on a deeper level. All these characters met on the side of the road. They were just ordinary hard working people who had nothing in common, except for one dream. That unreachable fantasy. They all wanted the money so bad. They weren't happy with their lives. They wanted a change, and they would do anything to beat each other. They're overcome by greed which becomes their overlying problem.

Fantastic movie! Full of hilarious moments, and a great story!