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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

October 21, 2023

For the 1987 Hong Kong comedy and its sequels, see It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Not to be confused with It's a Man's Man's Man's World.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American epic comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer with a story and screenplay by William Rose and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of comedians, is about the madcap pursuit of a suitcase full of stolen cash by a colorful group of strangers. It premiered on November 7, 1963.[3] The principal cast features Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Theatrical release poster by Jack Davis
Directed byStanley Kramer
Written by
Produced byStanley Kramer
Starring
CinematographyErnest Laszlo
Edited by
Music byErnest Gold
Production
company
Casey Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • November 7, 1963 (1963-11-07)
Running time
  • 202 min (original cut)
  • 192 min (premiere cut)
  • 161 min (theatrical cut)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9.4 million[1]
Box office$60 million[2]
Left to right: Edie Adams, Sid Caesar, Jonathan Winters, Ethel Merman, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett

The film marked the first time Kramer directed a comedy, though he had produced the comedy So This Is New York in 1948. He is best known for producing and directing, in his own words, "heavy drama" about social problems, such as The Defiant Ones, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. His first attempt at directing a comedy film paid off immensely as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World became a critical and commercial success and was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning for Best Sound Editing, and two Golden Globe Awards.

Against Kramer's wishes, the film suffered severe cuts by its distributor United Artists to give the film a shorter running time for its general release. On October 15, 2013, it was announced that the Criterion Collection had collaborated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, and film restoration expert Robert A. Harris to reconstruct and restore It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World to be as close as possible to the original 202-minute version envisioned by Kramer. It was released in a five-disc "Dual Format" Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack on January 21, 2014.[4][5]

The film featured at number 40 in the American Film Institute's list 100 Years...100 Laughs.

Plot Edit

Smiler Grogan, a recently released convict, crashes his car on California State Route 74. With his dying breath, Grogan tells a group of motorists who stop to help him about $350,000 (equivalent to $3,346,000 in 2022) buried in Santa Rosita State Park under "a big W." Failing to negotiate a satisfactory way to split the money, the four cars begin a mad dash to the park, having several mishaps along the way:

  • Melville Crump, a dentist on a second honeymoon with his wife Monica, charters a rickety biplane to Santa Rosita. While stopping in a hardware store for supplies, they get locked in the store's basement. After several attempts to break out, they blow out the wall of the basement with dynamite and hire a cab to get to the park.
  • Ding Bell and Benjy Benjamin, two friends on their way to Las Vegas, charter a small airplane. When their alcoholic pilot knocks himself out, they struggle to land the plane themselves; once on the ground, they also hire a cab to get to the park.
  • Lennie Pike, a furniture mover, collides with the car belonging to J. Russell Finch, a businessman traveling with his wife Emmeline and her mother Mrs. Marcus. While Pike looks for another vehicle, Russell persuades British Army Lieutenant Colonel J. Algernon Hawthorne to drive them to Santa Rosita. Mrs. Marcus suggests calling her son Sylvester, who lives near Santa Rosita Park, to get the money, but Russell doesn't trust him. After a nasty argument, Mrs. Marcus and Emmeline exit the car to hitch their own ride. Hawthorne crashes the car while driving through a tunnel, and he and Finch come to blows.
  • Pike stops motorist Otto Meyer for a ride and tells him about the money; the greedy Meyer decides to search for the treasure himself, and abandons Pike, convincing two service station attendants to detain him. Pike destroys the station, steals a tow truck, and picks up Mrs. Marcus and Emmeline. Mrs. Marcus calls Sylvester, but he misunderstands and drives to meet her. Eventually, the group reunites with Russell and Hawthorne, and continues to head to the park.
  • Meyer stops to help a stranded miner get back to his very rural cabin. Trying to get back to the highway, Meyer fails at crossing a deep river and his car is swept away, leading him to steal another motorist's car.

Meanwhile, Santa Rosita Police Captain Culpepper, hoping to tie up the Grogan case before his impending retirement, secretly has the motorists shadowed throughout their various adventures. After a furious argument with his wife and daughter, Culpepper learns that his pension will be a pittance and has a mental breakdown. He heads into the park as the entire group, now consisting of thirteen people, searches frantically for the "big W", which turns out to be a gathering of four palm trees. After the group digs up a suitcase full of cash, Culpepper identifies himself and informs the group that they are wanted by the police. He convinces them to turn themselves in and hope for leniency.

The motorists realize that Culpepper is not returning to the police station with them, but is stealing the money for himself. The men chase him into an abandoned building and onto a rickety fire escape, which starts to collapse under them. The briefcase containing the money falls open, scattering the cash to the wind. When Culpepper and the men all pile onto a fire department ladder sent to rescue them, their combined weight causes it to spin uncontrollably and fling them all off, leaving them heavily injured.

In the prison hospital, the men bemoan the loss of the money and blame their injuries on Culpepper, who responds that due to his lost pension (which his boss had successfully negotiated back, thus making his illegal actions unnecessary), the ruined relationship with his family, and the likelihood that the judge will probably give him the harshest sentence, he may never laugh again. Mrs. Marcus, flanked by Emmeline and Monica, enters and begins berating the men, only for her to slip on a banana peel and fall. All the men except Sylvester roar with laughter, and, after a brief hesitation, Culpepper joins in.

Cast Edit

Principal cast Edit

Supporting cast Edit

Cameo/uncredited appearances Edit

Cast notes Edit

According to Robert Davidson,[12] the role of Irwin originally was offered to Joe Besser, who was unable to participate when Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas could not give him time off from his co-starring role in The Joey Bishop Show.

Actress Eve Bruce filmed a scene as a showgirl who asks Benjy Benjamin and Ding Bell to help her apply suntan lotion. The scene was cut, and she is uncredited. Cliff Norton is listed in the opening credits but is not found in the film; Norton had a role as a detective who appears at the Rancho Conejo airport. King Donovan, playing an airport official, appeared in the Rancho Conejo scenes but was cut from the film. Don Knotts originally shot a second scene in which he tries to use a telephone in a diner. Also featured in the scene was Barbara Pepper.[7]

The first of the credited cast to die was ZaSu Pitts, who died on June 7, 1963, five months to the day before the film's release. With the death of Carl Reiner on June 29, 2020,[13] and Nicholas Georgiade on December 19, 2021,[14] Barrie Chase is the film's last surviving cast member, credited or otherwise. Mickey Rooney was the last living member of the main cast at the time of his death on April 6, 2014.[15]

Production Edit

Background Edit

In the early 1960s, screenwriter William Rose, then living in the United Kingdom, conceived the idea for a film (provisionally titled So Many Thieves, and later Something a Little Less Serious) about a comedic chase through Scotland. He sent an outline to Kramer, who agreed to produce and direct the film. The setting was shifted to America, and the working title changed to Where, but in America? then One Damn Thing After Another and then It's a Mad World, with Rose and Kramer adding additional "Mads" to the title as time progressed.[16] Kramer considered adding a fifth "mad" to the title before deciding it was redundant but noted in interviews that he later regretted it.

Although well known for serious films such as Inherit the Wind and Judgment at Nuremberg (both starring Tracy), Kramer set out to make the ultimate comedy film. Filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 and presented in Cinerama (becoming one of the early single-camera Cinerama features produced), Mad World had an all-star cast, with dozens of major comedy stars from all eras of cinema appearing in it. The film followed a Hollywood trend in the 1960s of producing "epic" films as a way of wooing audiences away from television and back to movie theaters. The film's theme music was written by Ernest Gold with lyrics by Mack David. Kramer hosted a roundtable (including extensive clips) on the film with stars Caesar, Hackett and Winters as part of a special The Comedians, Stanley Kramer's Reunion with the Great Comedy Artists of Our Time broadcast in 1974 as part of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment.[17] The last reported showing of the film on major network television in America was on ABC on July 16, 1979,[18] and before that, on CBS on May 16, 1978.[19]

Filming Edit

The airport terminal scenes were filmed at the now-defunct Rancho Conejo Airport in Newbury Park, California, though the control tower shown was constructed only for filming. Other airplane sequences were filmed at the Sonoma County Airport north of Santa Rosa, California; at the Palm Springs International Airport; and in the skies above Thousand Oaks, California; Camarillo, California; and Orange County, California. In the Orange County scene, stuntman Frank Tallman flew a Beech model C-18S through a highway billboard advertising Coca-Cola. A communications mix-up resulted in the use of linen graphic sheets on the sign rather than paper, as planned. Linen, much tougher than paper, damaged the plane on impact.[citation needed] Tallman managed to fly it back to the airstrip, discovering that the leading edges of the wings had been smashed all the way back to the wing spars. Tallman considered that incident the closest he ever came to dying on film. (Both Tallman and Paul Mantz, Tallman's business partner and fellow flier on Mad World, eventually died in separate air crashes over a decade apart.)[20][21]

 
The hangar is at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport, next to the Pacific Coast Air Museum.[22]

In another scene, Tallman flew the plane through an airplane hangar at the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa.[22] Some scenes were filmed in San Diego.[23]

The fire escape and ladder miniature used in the final chase sequence is on display at the Hollywood Museum in Hollywood. Also, the Santa Rosita Fire Department's ladder truck was a 1960s Seagrave Fire Apparatus open-cab Mid-Mount Aerial Ladder.[24]

Production began on April 26, 1962, and expected to end by December 7, 1962, but took longer,[25] apparently conflicting with the notion that Tracy's trip down the zip line into the pet store on December 6, 1962, was the last scene filmed.[26] Veteran stuntman Carey Loftin was featured in the documentary, explaining some of the complexity as well as simplicity of stunts, such as the day he "kicked the bucket" as a stand-in for Durante.

Widescreen process Edit

The film was promoted as the first film made in "one-projector" Cinerama. (The original Cinerama process required three separate cameras. The three processed reels were projected by three electronically synchronized projectors onto a huge curved screen.) It originally was planned for three-camera Cinerama, and some reports state that initial filming was done using three cameras but was abandoned. One-camera Cinerama could be Super Panavision 70 or Ultra Panavision 70, which was essentially the Super Panavision 70 process with anamorphic compression at the edges of the image to give a much wider aspect ratio.[citation needed] When projected by one projector, the expanded 70mm image filled the wide Cinerama screen. Ultra Panavision 70 was used to film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Other films shot in Ultra Panavision 70 and released in Cinerama include The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Hallelujah Trail, Battle of the Bulge, and Khartoum. Super Panavision 70 films released in Cinerama include Grand Prix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Ice Station Zebra.[citation needed]

Animated credit sequence Edit

Kramer's comedy was accentuated by many things, including the opening animated credits designed by Saul Bass. The film begins with mention of Spencer Tracy, then the "in alphabetical order" mention of nine of the main cast (Berle, Caesar, Hackett, Merman, Rooney, Shawn, Silvers, Terry-Thomas, Winters), followed by hands switching these nine names two to three times over. Animation continues with paper dolls and a windup toy world spinning with several men hanging on to it and finishing with a man opening a door to the globe and getting trampled by a mad crowd. One of the animators who helped with the sequence was future Peanuts animator Bill Melendez.[citation needed]

Reception Edit

Original roadshow teaser trailer for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

The film opened at the newly built Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles on November 7, 1963. The UK premiere was on December 2, 1963, at the Coliseum Cinerama Theatre in London's West End. Distinguished by the largest number of stars to appear in a film comedy, Mad World opened to acclaim from many critics[27] and tremendous box office receipts, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1963, quickly establishing itself as one of the top 100 highest-grossing films of all time when adjusted for inflation, earning an estimated theatrical rental figure of $26 million. It grossed $46,332,858 domestically[28] and $60,000,000 worldwide,[2] on a budget of $9.4 million.[28] However, because costs were so high,[clarification needed] it earned a profit of only $1.25 million.[1]

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that the film "is everything, down to redundant, that its extravagant title suggests. It's a wonderfully crazy and colorful collection of 'chase' comedy, so crowded with plot and people that it almost splits the seams of its huge cinerama packing and its 3-hour-and-12-minute length."[29] Variety stated "There are a number of truly spectacular action sequences, and the stunts that have been performed seem incredible. The automobile capers are some of the most thrilling and daring on record, Mack Sennett notwithstanding." However, the review continued, "Certain pratfalls and sequences are unnecessarily overdone to the point where they begin to grow tedious ... but the plusses outweigh by far the minuses."[3]

Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "really bugged me ... the first few pratfalls have, perhaps their comic shock values. Thereafter the chase—and the homicidal mania—simply go on and on – countless cars are wrecked, a plane or two, an entire service station, the basement of a hardware store, fire escapes, a fire-engine tower. The only new idea, occurring well into the third hour, hinges on a surprise development in the character of a proud, plodding chief of detectives, played by Spencer Tracy—and even this proves disillusionment."[30]

Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post was mixed, writing "Yes, it is furious, fast and funny and it is also vast, vulgar and vexatious because Kramer has not given us one sympathetic character and because it is shown in Cinerama."[31] Paul Nelson wrote in Film Quarterly: "The film manages to stay on its feet for a little while and trundle self-importantly along, but it soon becomes painfully clear that its feet are flat and its wheels are square. Kramer lacks all the essentials of good comedy; he has few ideas, no cinematic or comic technique (the huge screen certainly didn't help him here: just one more technical burden), no sense of comic structure, and above all, no sense of pace."[32]

The film's great success inspired Kramer to direct and produce Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (also starring Tracy and also written by William Rose)[33] and The Secret of Santa Vittoria (also scored by Ernest Gold and co-written by Rose).[34] The movie was re-released in 1970 and earned an additional $2 million in rentals.[35]

The film holds a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 38 reviews, with an average score of 6.9/10. The consensus states: "It's long, frantic, and stuffed to the gills with comic actors and set pieces—and that's exactly its charm."[36] According to Paul Scrabo, Kramer began thinking about his success with Mad World during the 1970s, and considered bringing back many former cast members for a proposed film titled The Sheiks of Araby. William Rose was set to write the screenplay. Years later, Kramer announced a possible Mad World sequel, which was to be titled It's a Funny, Funny World.[37]

Awards and honors Edit

Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy Awards[38] Best Cinematography – Color Ernest Laszlo Nominated
Best Film Editing Frederic Knudtson, Robert C. Jones and Gene Fowler Jr. Nominated
Best Music Score – Substantially Original Ernest Gold Nominated
Best Song "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World"
Music by Ernest Gold;
Lyrics by Mack David 		Nominated
Best Sound Gordon E. Sawyer Nominated
Best Sound Effects Walter Elliott Won
American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Feature Film Frederic Knudtson, Robert C. Jones and Gene Fowler Jr. Nominated
Edgar Allan Poe Awards Best Motion Picture Screenplay William Rose and Tania Rose Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[39] Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Jonathan Winters Nominated
Laurel Awards Top Roadshow Won
Top Song "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World"
Music by Ernest Gold;
Lyrics by Mack David 		Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards[40] Best Film Nominated

The film is recognized by the American Film Institute in the following lists:

Soundtrack Edit

  • "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" (1963) – Music by Ernest Gold – Lyrics by Mack David
  • "You Satisfy My Soul" (1963) – Music by Ernest Gold – Lyrics by Mack David – Played by The Four Mads – Sung by The Shirelles
  • "Thirty-One Flavors" (1963) – Music by Ernest Gold – Lyrics by Mack David – Played by The Four Mads – Sung by The Shirelles

Home media Edit

Existing footage is in the form of original 70 mm elements of the general release version (recent restored versions shown in revival screenings are derived from these elements). A 1991 VHS and LaserDisc from MGM/UA was an extended 183-minute version of the film, with most of the reinserted footage derived from elements stored in a Los Angeles warehouse about to be demolished.[42] According to a 2002 interview with master preservationist Robert A. Harris, this extended version is not a true representation of the original roadshow cut and included footage that was not meant to be shown in any existing version.[43]

A restoration effort was made by Harris in an attempt to bring the film back as close as possible to the original roadshow release. The project to go ahead with the massive restoration project would gain approval from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (parent company of UA), although it did require a necessary budget for it to proceed.[43]

Released on January 21, 2014, originally as a two Blu-ray and three DVD set, the Criterion Collection release contains two versions of the film, a restored 4K digital film transfer of the 159-minute general release version and a new 197-minute high-definition digital transfer, reconstructed and restored by Harris using visual and audio material from the longer original "road-show" version not seen in over 50 years. Some scenes have been returned to the film for the first time, and the Blu-ray features a 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. It also features a new audio commentary from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World aficionados Mark Evanier, Michael Schlesinger, and Paul Scrabo, a new documentary on the film's visual and sound effects, an excerpt from a 1974 talk show hosted by Stanley Kramer featuring Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, and Jonathan Winters, a press interview from 1963 featuring Kramer and cast members, excerpts about the film's influence taken from the 2000 American Film Institute program 100 Years...100 Laughs, a two-part 1963 episode of Canadian TV program Telescope that follows the film's press junket and premiere, a segment from the 2012 special The Last 70mm Film Festival featuring surviving Mad World cast and crew members hosted by Billy Crystal, a selection of Stan Freberg's original TV and radio ads for the film with a new introduction by Freberg, trailers and radio spots from the 1960s/70s, and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Lou Lumenick with new illustrations by cartoonist Jack Davis, along with a map of the shooting locations by artist Dave Woodman.[5]

Influence Edit

Films having a comedic search for money with an ensemble cast modeled after It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World include Scavenger Hunt (1979),[44] Million Dollar Mystery (1987)[45] and Rat Race (2001).[46][47] There are similar Indian movies like Journey Bombay to Goa: Laughter Unlimited (2007), Dhamaal (2007), Mast Maja Maadi (2008) and Total Dhamaal (2019).[48][49][50][51]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ a b Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0299230142. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Box Office Information for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine The Numbers. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Variety. November 6, 1963. p. 6. from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as 197-Min Cut". Movie-Censorship. October 25, 2013. from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)". The Criterion Collection. from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Cast & Crew". TV Guide. from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Hall, Phil (May 25, 2016). In Search of Lost Films. BearManor Media. pp. 148–150. ISBN 978-1593939380. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2020. "Virtually every lead, supporting, and bit part in the picture is filled by a well-known comic actor: the laughspinning lineup also includes Carl Reiner, Terry-Thomas, Arnold Stang, Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, and The Three Stooges, who get one of the picture's biggest laughs by standing stock still and uttering not a word."
  9. ^ "John Clarke". soapcentral.com. from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  10. ^ Walker, Brent E. (2009). "Minta Dufee". Mack Sennett's Fun Factory. McFarland & Co. p. 500. ISBN 978-0786436101. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  11. ^ McLellan, Dennis (July 2, 2006). "Lennie Weinrib, 71; Actor Voiced H.R. Pufnstuf". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020. ... and did a variety of voices for the movie comedy 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.'
  12. ^ Davidson, Robert. "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Cast Members". The Three Stooges Online Filmography. from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  13. ^ Stewart, Mike (June 30, 2020). "Carl Reiner, Beloved Creator of 'Dick Van Dyke Show,' Dies". After Hours Youngstown. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  14. ^ Mike Barnes (December 22, 2021). "Nicholas Georgiade, One of Eliot Ness' Agents on 'The Untouchables,' Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  15. ^ McCartney, Anthony (April 7, 2014). "Iconic Actor Mickey Rooney Dies at 93". The Ledger. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  16. ^ . Urban Cinephile. July 1, 2004. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
  17. ^ "Stanley Kramer Collection". UCLA Film & Television Archive. from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "'Mad World' Repeats". The Daily Item. Sumter, South Carolina. July 16, 1979. p. 6B. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  19. ^ "Television". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. May 18, 1978. p. 66. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  20. ^ Malnic, Eric; Sahagun, Louis (February 22, 1989). "Pilot Told of Bad Weather, FAA Says of Crash Killing 10". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  21. ^ Holden, Henry M. (September 1, 2004). "Paul Mantz and the Last Flight of the Phoenix". Airport Journals. from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Museum History". Pacific Coast Air Museum. from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  23. ^ . San Diego History. July 10, 2012. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  24. ^ . Hollywood Museum. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008.
  25. ^ "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World production log". December 19, 1962. from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  26. ^ . Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  27. ^ Mersereau, Don (November 11, 1963). "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, United Artists (Review)". Boxoffice.
  28. ^ a b Box Office Information for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. July 14, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  29. ^ Crowther, Bosley (November 19, 1963). "Screen: Wild Comedy About the Pursuit of Money". May 27, 2019, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times. 46.
  30. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (November 5, 1963). "'It's a Mad World' Challenge to Sanity". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 11.
  31. ^ Coe, Richard L. (February 20, 1964). "'Mad World' Is a Comedy?" The Washington Post. A28.
  32. ^ Nelson, Paul (Spring 1964). "Film Reviews: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Film Quarterly. Vol. XVII, No. 3. p. 42.
  33. ^ "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967)". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  34. ^ "The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  35. ^ "Big Rental Films of 1970", Variety, January 6, 1971 p 11
  36. ^ Film reviews for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. September 16, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  37. ^ Beck, Marilyn; Smith, Stacy Jenel (June 20, 1991). "Stanley steaming with funny ideas". New York Daily News.
  38. ^ "The 36th Academy Awards (1964) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org. from the original on November 2, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  39. ^ "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Golden Globes. from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  40. ^ Weiler, A. H. (December 31, 1963). "Film Critics Vote 'Tom Jones' Best of Year; Finney Named Top Actor for Title Role --'Hud' Honored Finney in 3d Film". The New York Times. from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  41. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs" (PDF). American Film Institute. (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  42. ^ Andrews, Robert M. (August 26, 1991). "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Obsession: Movies: An aide to Rep. Norman Mineta carries on a lonely crusade to locate all of the 56 minutes lopped from Stanley Kramer's 1963 classic". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  43. ^ a b Epstein, Ron (June 2, 2002). . Home Theater Forum. Archived from the original on April 3, 2002. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  44. ^ Michaels, Bob (December 29, 1979). "Entertainment Tough to Find In 'Scavenger Hunt' Movie". Palm Beach Post.
  45. ^ Maslin, Janet (June 12, 1987). "Film: 'Million Dollary Mystery'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  46. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (August 27, 2001). "The Joker is Wild: Mad at 'Rat Race'". People.com. from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  47. ^ George, Vijay (May 13, 2011). . The Hindu. Chennai. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014.
  48. ^ Roy, Priyanka (February 22, 2019). "Don't waste your paisa on Total Dhamaal". The Telegraph. Kolkata. from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  49. ^ Kokra, Sonali (February 24, 2019). "Six reasons why 'Total Dhamaal' is sexist, derogatory and a waste of good talent". The National. Abu Dhabi. from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  50. ^ Sen, Raja (February 22, 2019). "Total Dhamaal movie review: Yet another Ajay Devgn atrocity. 1 star". Hindustan Times. New Delhi. from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  51. ^ Ashraf, Syed Firdaus. "Dhamaal movie!". Rediff.com. from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.

External links Edit

 
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October 21, 2023
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For the 1987 Hong Kong comedy and its sequels see It s a Mad Mad Mad World Not to be confused with It s a Man s Man s Man s World It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a 1963 American epic comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer with a story and screenplay by William Rose and Tania Rose The film starring Spencer Tracy with an all star cast of comedians is about the madcap pursuit of a suitcase full of stolen cash by a colorful group of strangers It premiered on November 7 1963 3 The principal cast features Edie Adams Milton Berle Sid Caesar Buddy Hackett Ethel Merman Dorothy Provine Mickey Rooney Dick Shawn Phil Silvers Terry Thomas and Jonathan Winters It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad WorldTheatrical release poster by Jack DavisDirected byStanley KramerWritten byWilliam RoseTania RoseProduced byStanley KramerStarringSpencer Tracy Milton Berle Sid Caesar Buddy Hackett Ethel Merman Mickey Rooney Dick Shawn Phil Silvers Terry Thomas Jonathan Winters Edie Adams Dorothy ProvineCinematographyErnest LaszloEdited byFrederic KnudtsonRobert C JonesGene Fowler Jr Music byErnest GoldProductioncompanyCasey ProductionsDistributed byUnited ArtistsRelease dateNovember 7 1963 1963 11 07 Running time202 min original cut 192 min premiere cut 161 min theatrical cut CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 9 4 million 1 Box office 60 million 2 Left to right Edie Adams Sid Caesar Jonathan Winters Ethel Merman Milton Berle Mickey Rooney and Buddy HackettThe film marked the first time Kramer directed a comedy though he had produced the comedy So This Is New York in 1948 He is best known for producing and directing in his own words heavy drama about social problems such as The Defiant Ones Inherit the Wind Judgment at Nuremberg and Guess Who s Coming to Dinner His first attempt at directing a comedy film paid off immensely as It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World became a critical and commercial success and was nominated for six Academy Awards winning for Best Sound Editing and two Golden Globe Awards Against Kramer s wishes the film suffered severe cuts by its distributor United Artists to give the film a shorter running time for its general release On October 15 2013 it was announced that the Criterion Collection had collaborated with Metro Goldwyn Mayer United Artists and film restoration expert Robert A Harris to reconstruct and restore It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World to be as close as possible to the original 202 minute version envisioned by Kramer It was released in a five disc Dual Format Blu ray DVD Combo Pack on January 21 2014 4 5 The film featured at number 40 in the American Film Institute s list 100 Years 100 Laughs Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 2 1 Principal cast 2 2 Supporting cast 2 3 Cameo uncredited appearances 2 4 Cast notes 3 Production 3 1 Background 3 2 Filming 3 3 Widescreen process 3 4 Animated credit sequence 4 Reception 5 Awards and honors 6 Soundtrack 7 Home media 8 Influence 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksPlot EditSmiler Grogan a recently released convict crashes his car on California State Route 74 With his dying breath Grogan tells a group of motorists who stop to help him about 350 000 equivalent to 3 346 000 in 2022 buried in Santa Rosita State Park under a big W Failing to negotiate a satisfactory way to split the money the four cars begin a mad dash to the park having several mishaps along the way Melville Crump a dentist on a second honeymoon with his wife Monica charters a rickety biplane to Santa Rosita While stopping in a hardware store for supplies they get locked in the store s basement After several attempts to break out they blow out the wall of the basement with dynamite and hire a cab to get to the park Ding Bell and Benjy Benjamin two friends on their way to Las Vegas charter a small airplane When their alcoholic pilot knocks himself out they struggle to land the plane themselves once on the ground they also hire a cab to get to the park Lennie Pike a furniture mover collides with the car belonging to J Russell Finch a businessman traveling with his wife Emmeline and her mother Mrs Marcus While Pike looks for another vehicle Russell persuades British Army Lieutenant Colonel J Algernon Hawthorne to drive them to Santa Rosita Mrs Marcus suggests calling her son Sylvester who lives near Santa Rosita Park to get the money but Russell doesn t trust him After a nasty argument Mrs Marcus and Emmeline exit the car to hitch their own ride Hawthorne crashes the car while driving through a tunnel and he and Finch come to blows Pike stops motorist Otto Meyer for a ride and tells him about the money the greedy Meyer decides to search for the treasure himself and abandons Pike convincing two service station attendants to detain him Pike destroys the station steals a tow truck and picks up Mrs Marcus and Emmeline Mrs Marcus calls Sylvester but he misunderstands and drives to meet her Eventually the group reunites with Russell and Hawthorne and continues to head to the park Meyer stops to help a stranded miner get back to his very rural cabin Trying to get back to the highway Meyer fails at crossing a deep river and his car is swept away leading him to steal another motorist s car Meanwhile Santa Rosita Police Captain Culpepper hoping to tie up the Grogan case before his impending retirement secretly has the motorists shadowed throughout their various adventures After a furious argument with his wife and daughter Culpepper learns that his pension will be a pittance and has a mental breakdown He heads into the park as the entire group now consisting of thirteen people searches frantically for the big W which turns out to be a gathering of four palm trees After the group digs up a suitcase full of cash Culpepper identifies himself and informs the group that they are wanted by the police He convinces them to turn themselves in and hope for leniency The motorists realize that Culpepper is not returning to the police station with them but is stealing the money for himself The men chase him into an abandoned building and onto a rickety fire escape which starts to collapse under them The briefcase containing the money falls open scattering the cash to the wind When Culpepper and the men all pile onto a fire department ladder sent to rescue them their combined weight causes it to spin uncontrollably and fling them all off leaving them heavily injured In the prison hospital the men bemoan the loss of the money and blame their injuries on Culpepper who responds that due to his lost pension which his boss had successfully negotiated back thus making his illegal actions unnecessary the ruined relationship with his family and the likelihood that the judge will probably give him the harshest sentence he may never laugh again Mrs Marcus flanked by Emmeline and Monica enters and begins berating the men only for her to slip on a banana peel and fall All the men except Sylvester roar with laughter and after a brief hesitation Culpepper joins in Cast EditPrincipal cast Edit Spencer Tracy as Captain T G Culpepper Milton Berle as J Russell Finch Sid Caesar as Melville Crump Buddy Hackett as Benjy Benjamin Ethel Merman as Mrs Marcus Mickey Rooney as Ding Bell Dick Shawn as Sylvester Marcus Phil Silvers as Otto Meyer Terry Thomas as Lt Col J Algernon Hawthorne Jonathan Winters as Lennie Pike Edie Adams as Monica Crump Dorothy Provine as Emeline Marcus Finch Supporting cast Edit Eddie Rochester Anderson as a cab driver Jim Backus as airplane owner Tyler Fitzgerald Ben Blue as the vintage biplane pilot Joe E Brown as the union official giving a speech at a construction site Alan Carney as a sergeant with the Santa Rosita Police Department Chick Chandler as a policeman outside Ray amp Irwin s Garage 6 Barrie Chase as Sylvester Marcus dancing bikini clad paramour Lloyd Corrigan as the mayor of Santa Rosita William Demarest as Aloysius Chief of the Santa Rosita Police Department Andy Devine as the sheriff of Crockett County California Selma Diamond as Ginger Culpepper voice 6 Peter Falk as a cab driver Norman Fell as primary detective at the Smiler Grogan accident site Paul Ford as Col Wilberforce Stan Freberg as a deputy sheriff of Crockett County Louise Glenn as Billie Sue Culpepper voice 6 Leo Gorcey as the cab driver bringing Melville and Monica to the hardware store Sterling Holloway as the Santa Rosita Fire Department fireman Edward Everett Horton as Mr Dinkler owner of the hardware store Marvin Kaplan as service station co owner Irwin Buster Keaton as Jimmy the Crook Don Knotts as the nervous motorist Charles Lane as the airport manager Mike Mazurki as the miner bringing medicine to his wife Charles McGraw as Lt Mathews of the Santa Rosita Police Department Cliff Norton as reporter scene deleted 7 ZaSu Pitts as Gertie the Santa Rosita Police Department Central Division s switchboard operator Carl Reiner as the Rancho Conejo airport tower controller Madlyn Rhue as secretary Schwartz of the Santa Rosita Police Department Roy Roberts as policeman outside Irwin amp Ray s Garage Arnold Stang as service station co owner Ray Nick Stewart as the migrant truck driver forced off the road The Three Stooges Moe Howard Larry Fine and Curly Joe DeRita as Rancho Conejo Airport firemen Sammee Tong as a laundryman Jesse White as a Rancho Conejo air traffic controller Jimmy Durante as Smiler Grogan Cameo uncredited appearances Edit Jack Benny as man driving car in desert 6 8 Paul Birch as a patrolman 6 John Clarke as a Santa Rosita Police Department helicopter pilot 9 Stanley Clements as a reporter 6 Minta Durfee as a woman in the crowd 10 Roy Engel as a patrolman 6 James Flavin as a crossroads patrolman scene deleted from general release version Nicholas Georgiade as detective at crash site 6 Stacy Harris as police radio voice unit F 7 voice only and as a detective outside of Mr Dinkler s hardware store citation needed Don C Harvey as helicopter observer 6 Allen Jenkins as a police officer 6 Robert Karnes as Sammy a Crockett County deputy following the ambulance Tom Kennedy as traffic cop 6 Harry Lauter as radio operator 6 Ben Lessy as George the steward 6 Bobo Lewis as pilot s wife 6 Jerry Lewis as man driving over hat 6 8 Tyler McVey as a police radio voice voice only Barbara Pepper as waitress scene deleted 6 Eddie Rosson as miner s young son 5 Eddie Ryder as tower radioman 6 Jean Sewell as woman in migrant truck 5 Doodles Weaver as hardware store employee 6 Lennie Weinrib as a police radio voice and as a fireman voice only 11 Cast notes Edit According to Robert Davidson 12 the role of Irwin originally was offered to Joe Besser who was unable to participate when Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas could not give him time off from his co starring role in The Joey Bishop Show Actress Eve Bruce filmed a scene as a showgirl who asks Benjy Benjamin and Ding Bell to help her apply suntan lotion The scene was cut and she is uncredited Cliff Norton is listed in the opening credits but is not found in the film Norton had a role as a detective who appears at the Rancho Conejo airport King Donovan playing an airport official appeared in the Rancho Conejo scenes but was cut from the film Don Knotts originally shot a second scene in which he tries to use a telephone in a diner Also featured in the scene was Barbara Pepper 7 The first of the credited cast to die was ZaSu Pitts who died on June 7 1963 five months to the day before the film s release With the death of Carl Reiner on June 29 2020 13 and Nicholas Georgiade on December 19 2021 14 Barrie Chase is the film s last surviving cast member credited or otherwise Mickey Rooney was the last living member of the main cast at the time of his death on April 6 2014 15 Production EditBackground Edit In the early 1960s screenwriter William Rose then living in the United Kingdom conceived the idea for a film provisionally titled So Many Thieves and later Something a Little Less Serious about a comedic chase through Scotland He sent an outline to Kramer who agreed to produce and direct the film The setting was shifted to America and the working title changed to Where but in America then One Damn Thing After Another and then It s a Mad World with Rose and Kramer adding additional Mads to the title as time progressed 16 Kramer considered adding a fifth mad to the title before deciding it was redundant but noted in interviews that he later regretted it Although well known for serious films such as Inherit the Wind and Judgment at Nuremberg both starring Tracy Kramer set out to make the ultimate comedy film Filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 and presented in Cinerama becoming one of the early single camera Cinerama features produced Mad World had an all star cast with dozens of major comedy stars from all eras of cinema appearing in it The film followed a Hollywood trend in the 1960s of producing epic films as a way of wooing audiences away from television and back to movie theaters The film s theme music was written by Ernest Gold with lyrics by Mack David Kramer hosted a roundtable including extensive clips on the film with stars Caesar Hackett and Winters as part of a special The Comedians Stanley Kramer s Reunion with the Great Comedy Artists of Our Time broadcast in 1974 as part of ABC s Wide World of Entertainment 17 The last reported showing of the film on major network television in America was on ABC on July 16 1979 18 and before that on CBS on May 16 1978 19 Filming Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message The airport terminal scenes were filmed at the now defunct Rancho Conejo Airport in Newbury Park California though the control tower shown was constructed only for filming Other airplane sequences were filmed at the Sonoma County Airport north of Santa Rosa California at the Palm Springs International Airport and in the skies above Thousand Oaks California Camarillo California and Orange County California In the Orange County scene stuntman Frank Tallman flew a Beech model C 18S through a highway billboard advertising Coca Cola A communications mix up resulted in the use of linen graphic sheets on the sign rather than paper as planned Linen much tougher than paper damaged the plane on impact citation needed Tallman managed to fly it back to the airstrip discovering that the leading edges of the wings had been smashed all the way back to the wing spars Tallman considered that incident the closest he ever came to dying on film Both Tallman and Paul Mantz Tallman s business partner and fellow flier on Mad World eventually died in separate air crashes over a decade apart 20 21 nbsp The hangar is at the Charles M Schulz Sonoma County Airport next to the Pacific Coast Air Museum 22 In another scene Tallman flew the plane through an airplane hangar at the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa 22 Some scenes were filmed in San Diego 23 The fire escape and ladder miniature used in the final chase sequence is on display at the Hollywood Museum in Hollywood Also the Santa Rosita Fire Department s ladder truck was a 1960s Seagrave Fire Apparatus open cab Mid Mount Aerial Ladder 24 Production began on April 26 1962 and expected to end by December 7 1962 but took longer 25 apparently conflicting with the notion that Tracy s trip down the zip line into the pet store on December 6 1962 was the last scene filmed 26 Veteran stuntman Carey Loftin was featured in the documentary explaining some of the complexity as well as simplicity of stunts such as the day he kicked the bucket as a stand in for Durante Widescreen process Edit The film was promoted as the first film made in one projector Cinerama The original Cinerama process required three separate cameras The three processed reels were projected by three electronically synchronized projectors onto a huge curved screen It originally was planned for three camera Cinerama and some reports state that initial filming was done using three cameras but was abandoned One camera Cinerama could be Super Panavision 70 or Ultra Panavision 70 which was essentially the Super Panavision 70 process with anamorphic compression at the edges of the image to give a much wider aspect ratio citation needed When projected by one projector the expanded 70mm image filled the wide Cinerama screen Ultra Panavision 70 was used to film It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Other films shot in Ultra Panavision 70 and released in Cinerama include The Greatest Story Ever Told The Hallelujah Trail Battle of the Bulge and Khartoum Super Panavision 70 films released in Cinerama include Grand Prix 2001 A Space Odyssey and Ice Station Zebra citation needed Animated credit sequence Edit Kramer s comedy was accentuated by many things including the opening animated credits designed by Saul Bass The film begins with mention of Spencer Tracy then the in alphabetical order mention of nine of the main cast Berle Caesar Hackett Merman Rooney Shawn Silvers Terry Thomas Winters followed by hands switching these nine names two to three times over Animation continues with paper dolls and a windup toy world spinning with several men hanging on to it and finishing with a man opening a door to the globe and getting trampled by a mad crowd One of the animators who helped with the sequence was future Peanuts animator Bill Melendez citation needed Reception Edit source source source source source source source Original roadshow teaser trailer for It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad WorldThe film opened at the newly built Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles on November 7 1963 The UK premiere was on December 2 1963 at the Coliseum Cinerama Theatre in London s West End Distinguished by the largest number of stars to appear in a film comedy Mad World opened to acclaim from many critics 27 and tremendous box office receipts becoming the third highest grossing film of 1963 quickly establishing itself as one of the top 100 highest grossing films of all time when adjusted for inflation earning an estimated theatrical rental figure of 26 million It grossed 46 332 858 domestically 28 and 60 000 000 worldwide 2 on a budget of 9 4 million 28 However because costs were so high clarification needed it earned a profit of only 1 25 million 1 Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that the film is everything down to redundant that its extravagant title suggests It s a wonderfully crazy and colorful collection of chase comedy so crowded with plot and people that it almost splits the seams of its huge cinerama packing and its 3 hour and 12 minute length 29 Variety stated There are a number of truly spectacular action sequences and the stunts that have been performed seem incredible The automobile capers are some of the most thrilling and daring on record Mack Sennett notwithstanding However the review continued Certain pratfalls and sequences are unnecessarily overdone to the point where they begin to grow tedious but the plusses outweigh by far the minuses 3 Philip K Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film really bugged me the first few pratfalls have perhaps their comic shock values Thereafter the chase and the homicidal mania simply go on and on countless cars are wrecked a plane or two an entire service station the basement of a hardware store fire escapes a fire engine tower The only new idea occurring well into the third hour hinges on a surprise development in the character of a proud plodding chief of detectives played by Spencer Tracy and even this proves disillusionment 30 Richard L Coe of The Washington Post was mixed writing Yes it is furious fast and funny and it is also vast vulgar and vexatious because Kramer has not given us one sympathetic character and because it is shown in Cinerama 31 Paul Nelson wrote in Film Quarterly The film manages to stay on its feet for a little while and trundle self importantly along but it soon becomes painfully clear that its feet are flat and its wheels are square Kramer lacks all the essentials of good comedy he has few ideas no cinematic or comic technique the huge screen certainly didn t help him here just one more technical burden no sense of comic structure and above all no sense of pace 32 The film s great success inspired Kramer to direct and produce Guess Who s Coming to Dinner also starring Tracy and also written by William Rose 33 and The Secret of Santa Vittoria also scored by Ernest Gold and co written by Rose 34 The movie was re released in 1970 and earned an additional 2 million in rentals 35 The film holds a 71 approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 reviews with an average score of 6 9 10 The consensus states It s long frantic and stuffed to the gills with comic actors and set pieces and that s exactly its charm 36 According to Paul Scrabo Kramer began thinking about his success with Mad World during the 1970s and considered bringing back many former cast members for a proposed film titled The Sheiks of Araby William Rose was set to write the screenplay Years later Kramer announced a possible Mad World sequel which was to be titled It s a Funny Funny World 37 Awards and honors EditAward Category Nominee s ResultAcademy Awards 38 Best Cinematography Color Ernest Laszlo NominatedBest Film Editing Frederic Knudtson Robert C Jones and Gene Fowler Jr NominatedBest Music Score Substantially Original Ernest Gold NominatedBest Song It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Music by Ernest Gold Lyrics by Mack David NominatedBest Sound Gordon E Sawyer NominatedBest Sound Effects Walter Elliott WonAmerican Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Feature Film Frederic Knudtson Robert C Jones and Gene Fowler Jr NominatedEdgar Allan Poe Awards Best Motion Picture Screenplay William Rose and Tania Rose NominatedGolden Globe Awards 39 Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy NominatedBest Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Jonathan Winters NominatedLaurel Awards Top Roadshow WonTop Song It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Music by Ernest Gold Lyrics by Mack David WonNew York Film Critics Circle Awards 40 Best Film NominatedThe film is recognized by the American Film Institute in the following lists 2000 AFI s 100 Years 100 Laughs 40 41 Soundtrack Edit It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 1963 Music by Ernest Gold Lyrics by Mack David You Satisfy My Soul 1963 Music by Ernest Gold Lyrics by Mack David Played by The Four Mads Sung by The Shirelles Thirty One Flavors 1963 Music by Ernest Gold Lyrics by Mack David Played by The Four Mads Sung by The ShirellesHome media EditExisting footage is in the form of original 70 mm elements of the general release version recent restored versions shown in revival screenings are derived from these elements A 1991 VHS and LaserDisc from MGM UA was an extended 183 minute version of the film with most of the reinserted footage derived from elements stored in a Los Angeles warehouse about to be demolished 42 According to a 2002 interview with master preservationist Robert A Harris this extended version is not a true representation of the original roadshow cut and included footage that was not meant to be shown in any existing version 43 A restoration effort was made by Harris in an attempt to bring the film back as close as possible to the original roadshow release The project to go ahead with the massive restoration project would gain approval from Metro Goldwyn Mayer parent company of UA although it did require a necessary budget for it to proceed 43 Released on January 21 2014 originally as a two Blu ray and three DVD set the Criterion Collection release contains two versions of the film a restored 4K digital film transfer of the 159 minute general release version and a new 197 minute high definition digital transfer reconstructed and restored by Harris using visual and audio material from the longer original road show version not seen in over 50 years Some scenes have been returned to the film for the first time and the Blu ray features a 5 1 surround DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack It also features a new audio commentary from It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World aficionados Mark Evanier Michael Schlesinger and Paul Scrabo a new documentary on the film s visual and sound effects an excerpt from a 1974 talk show hosted by Stanley Kramer featuring Sid Caesar Buddy Hackett and Jonathan Winters a press interview from 1963 featuring Kramer and cast members excerpts about the film s influence taken from the 2000 American Film Institute program 100 Years 100 Laughs a two part 1963 episode of Canadian TV program Telescope that follows the film s press junket and premiere a segment from the 2012 special The Last 70mm Film Festival featuring surviving Mad World cast and crew members hosted by Billy Crystal a selection of Stan Freberg s original TV and radio ads for the film with a new introduction by Freberg trailers and radio spots from the 1960s 70s and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Lou Lumenick with new illustrations by cartoonist Jack Davis along with a map of the shooting locations by artist Dave Woodman 5 Influence EditFilms having a comedic search for money with an ensemble cast modeled after It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World include Scavenger Hunt 1979 44 Million Dollar Mystery 1987 45 and Rat Race 2001 46 47 There are similar Indian movies like Journey Bombay to Goa Laughter Unlimited 2007 Dhamaal 2007 Mast Maja Maadi 2008 and Total Dhamaal 2019 48 49 50 51 See also EditList of American films of 1963References Edit a b Balio Tino 2009 United Artists The Company That Changed the Film Industry University of Wisconsin Press p 146 ISBN 978 0299230142 Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved October 18 2020 a b Box Office Information for It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Archived July 14 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Numbers Retrieved September 5 2013 a b It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Variety November 6 1963 p 6 Archived from the original on October 31 2020 Retrieved March 8 2020 It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World as 197 Min Cut Movie Censorship October 25 2013 Archived from the original on December 1 2017 Retrieved October 25 2013 a b c d It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 1963 The Criterion Collection Archived from the original on April 1 2019 Retrieved October 25 2013 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r It s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Cast amp Crew TV Guide Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Retrieved March 19 2020 a b Hall Phil May 25 2016 In Search of Lost Films BearManor Media pp 148 150 ISBN 978 1593939380 Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved October 18 2020 a b It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Archived from the original on May 23 2019 Retrieved March 19 2020 Virtually every lead supporting and bit part in the picture is filled by a well known comic actor the laughspinning lineup also includes Carl Reiner Terry Thomas Arnold Stang Buster Keaton Jack Benny Jerry Lewis and The Three Stooges who get one of the picture s biggest laughs by standing stock still and uttering not a word John Clarke soapcentral com Archived from the original on April 10 2016 Retrieved April 11 2017 Walker Brent E 2009 Minta Dufee Mack Sennett s Fun Factory McFarland amp Co p 500 ISBN 978 0786436101 Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved October 18 2020 McLellan Dennis July 2 2006 Lennie Weinrib 71 Actor Voiced H R Pufnstuf Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on March 19 2020 Retrieved March 19 2020 and did a variety of voices for the movie comedy It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Davidson Robert It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Cast Members The Three Stooges Online Filmography Archived from the original on February 12 2019 Retrieved March 10 2012 Stewart Mike June 30 2020 Carl Reiner Beloved Creator of Dick Van Dyke Show Dies After Hours Youngstown Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved August 23 2020 Mike Barnes December 22 2021 Nicholas Georgiade One of Eliot Ness Agents on The Untouchables Dies at 88 The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved December 24 2021 McCartney Anthony April 7 2014 Iconic Actor Mickey Rooney Dies at 93 The Ledger Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved August 23 2020 Behind the Mad ness It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Urban Cinephile July 1 2004 Archived from the original on November 18 2018 Retrieved September 2 2009 Stanley Kramer Collection UCLA Film amp Television Archive Archived from the original on June 11 2019 Retrieved March 8 2020 Mad World Repeats The Daily Item Sumter South Carolina July 16 1979 p 6B Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved January 16 2016 Television Jet Johnson Publishing Company May 18 1978 p 66 Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved March 8 2020 Malnic Eric Sahagun Louis February 22 1989 Pilot Told of Bad Weather FAA Says of Crash Killing 10 Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Retrieved July 20 2017 Holden Henry M September 1 2004 Paul Mantz and the Last Flight of the Phoenix Airport Journals Archived from the original on July 30 2017 Retrieved July 20 2017 a b Museum History Pacific Coast Air Museum Archived from the original on January 31 2020 Retrieved October 9 2014 FILMING SAN DIEGO San Diego History Center San Diego History July 10 2012 Archived from the original on July 10 2012 Retrieved December 9 2022 Collections amp Exhibits Hollywood Museum Archived from the original on September 15 2008 It s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World production log December 19 1962 Archived from the original on August 3 2016 Retrieved March 9 2013 Modern photos of locations in 1963 movie It s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Archived from the original on October 11 2010 Retrieved May 31 2010 Mersereau Don November 11 1963 It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World United Artists Review Boxoffice a b Box Office Information for It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Archived July 14 2019 at the Wayback Machine Box Office Mojo Retrieved September 5 2013 Crowther Bosley November 19 1963 Screen Wild Comedy About the Pursuit of Money Archived May 27 2019 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times 46 Scheuer Philip K November 5 1963 It s a Mad World Challenge to Sanity Los Angeles Times Part IV p 11 Coe Richard L February 20 1964 Mad World Is a Comedy The Washington Post A28 Nelson Paul Spring 1964 Film Reviews It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Film Quarterly Vol XVII No 3 p 42 Guess Who s Coming To Dinner 1967 Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on February 4 2014 Retrieved April 29 2014 The Secret of Santa Vittoria 1969 Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on May 2 2014 Retrieved April 29 2014 Big Rental Films of 1970 Variety January 6 1971 p 11 Film reviews for It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Archived September 16 2020 at the Wayback Machine Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved September 5 2013 Beck Marilyn Smith Stacy Jenel June 20 1991 Stanley steaming with funny ideas New York Daily News The 36th Academy Awards 1964 Nominees and Winners Oscars org Archived from the original on November 2 2017 Retrieved August 23 2011 It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Golden Globes Archived from the original on August 2 2017 Retrieved August 1 2017 Weiler A H December 31 1963 Film Critics Vote Tom Jones Best of Year Finney Named Top Actor for Title Role Hud Honored Finney in 3d Film The New York Times Archived from the original on August 19 2020 Retrieved December 29 2017 AFI s 100 Years 100 Laughs PDF American Film Institute Archived PDF from the original on March 16 2013 Retrieved August 6 2016 Andrews Robert M August 26 1991 It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Obsession Movies An aide to Rep Norman Mineta carries on a lonely crusade to locate all of the 56 minutes lopped from Stanley Kramer s 1963 classic Los Angeles Times ISSN 0458 3035 Archived from the original on February 20 2017 Retrieved February 19 2017 a b Epstein Ron June 2 2002 It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoration Home Theater Forum Archived from the original on April 3 2002 Retrieved May 19 2013 Michaels Bob December 29 1979 Entertainment Tough to Find In Scavenger Hunt Movie Palm Beach Post Maslin Janet June 12 1987 Film Million Dollary Mystery The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 5 2017 Retrieved August 23 2020 Silverman Stephen M August 27 2001 The Joker is Wild Mad at Rat Race People com Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved August 23 2020 George Vijay May 13 2011 Exploring genres The Hindu Chennai Archived from the original on January 2 2014 Roy Priyanka February 22 2019 Don t waste your paisa on Total Dhamaal The Telegraph Kolkata Archived from the original on April 20 2020 Retrieved March 8 2020 Kokra Sonali February 24 2019 Six reasons why Total Dhamaal is sexist derogatory and a waste of good talent The National Abu Dhabi Archived from the original on October 23 2019 Retrieved March 8 2020 Sen Raja February 22 2019 Total Dhamaal movie review Yet another Ajay Devgn atrocity 1 star Hindustan Times New Delhi Archived from the original on October 23 2019 Retrieved March 8 2020 Ashraf Syed Firdaus Dhamaal movie Rediff com Archived from the original on October 23 2019 Retrieved October 23 2019 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at the American Film Institute Catalog nbsp It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at IMDb nbsp It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at the TCM Movie Database nbsp It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at AllMovie nbsp It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at Rotten Tomatoes nbsp It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Nothing Succeeds Like Excess an essay by Lou Lumenick at the Criterion Collection Article documenting Robert Harris attempt to restore It s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at the Wayback Machine archived April 3 2002 Writer Mark Evanier discusses his favorite movie Still a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Retrieved from 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