Movie Week in Review
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Review

About this Episode
This is Dave. He really enjoys going to the movies.
He's always considerate to his fellow moviegoers.
This fellow is disturbing everyone around him.
Oh look, Dave is shutting off his phone. Now
is not the time for talking or texting. Oh well,
now look at that. There's a true movie -washing
friend. Let's all be more like Dave. This is
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I mean, just help him. We must have been doing
over 80, you know. An ambulance. We better. We
ought to call an ambulance. Oh, look at that
car. How can a man sail out there? You doing
90 miles an hour? I wasn't doing it. He wasn't
standing still. I never saw such a crazy guy
in my life. Let's get down there. Come on, let's
go. We're gonna go down there. You stay in the
car. Now, Russell, be careful. Remember your
condition. Boy, the way he just sailed out there.
I said, Chaps, don't you think we ought to find
a spot of color? No, there's nobody around. Come
on, come on, count it out, count it out. What
are we waiting for? Now, wait a second. Everybody's
gonna get something, so no arguments, because
we all get an equal share. Yeah, he's right.
That's the only way to do it. Shares for everybody.
Now, how many are we? One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Fifteen!
Fifteen of us! That means fifteen equals ten!
Why, you dirty double -crosser! Why, you cut
yourself in for twice! You didn't cheat anybody
but yourself! If you don't get a share, I'm gonna
go straight to the police! The police? What's
the matter? What makes you think that the police...
What about that money? It had to come from somewhere.
We know where it come from. It was that poor
old man who died up there on the mountain this
morning. You wasn't even there, so shut up! All
right. Okay, you asked for it. I'm gonna go straight
to the police! What makes you think the police
would be interested, Mr. Meyer? Are you kidding?
Isn't it obvious? how do you think money gets
movie week in review yes that's right folks tfg
on mike here and m wire is back for now we are
on our journey to our 130th episode 130th episode
and after episode 130 steve megatron and i are
going to have an announcement for you folks but
for now we are back episode 120 here on movie
week in review from the geek cast radio network
is it's going to be a mad mad mad mad world because
we are covering the original chase for the cash
movie this ain't coming from 2001 folks this
is coming from 1963 it's a mad mad mad mad world
i am of course tf2 and mike it has been march
so it's been about three and a half four months
since m wire did our cloak and dagger coverage,
which not a lot of people agreed with us on that
one. Joining me is Doug Able from talking about
my generation. Hello, sir. Hello. Now, ladies
and gentlemen, I have to preface this and say
this podcast, you're going to be listening to
us talk about the classic film. It's a mad, mad,
mad, mad world. But One of us has seen the film
multiple times. The other person has just seen
it recently within the last week and a half.
What the fuck is wrong with you? I'm sorry. I
haven't seen it before. My parents never had
me watch it. Had I known all the people that
were in it, I probably would have sat down and
watched it. God, like as a kid, my mom would
have me watch this all the time. All the time.
I remember this movie so vividly it's not even
funny. You know, he just went sailing right out
there. Right out there. Yes, let us continue
on without all possible to thatch. I swear that
Englishman was no blank as Daffy Duck. Oh Well,
I'll tell you I watched it seeing Terry Thomas.
I went oh shit This is where Tim Curry got the
references for Wild Thornberry's character Same
guy. I'm like holy crap now. I get it You know
things like that it was I was loving the film
just watching it and going oh my god I'm making
all these pop culture references here Now one
of the reasons outside of the fact that I love
this movie One of the reasons why this is episode
120 of Mwire, instead of the Expendables, which
was supposed to be 120 of Mwire, is that my good
friends Matt and Michael over at Lalyn Records
actually sent me the two disc soundtrack score
for this film. I would have done an episode of
Mwire about this movie anyway, regardless, but
oh man, hearing the music outside of the film...
the score that they put together a few years
a number of years ago is Just amazing it really
really is For those that don't know for those
who are uneducated like Doug It's a Madman. Madman
World is a 1963 American epic comedy film produced
and directed by Stanley Kramer. It is starring
Spencer Tracy with an all -star cast about the
madcap pursuit of $350 ,000 in stolen cash by
a diverse and colorful group of strangers. The
ensemble comedy premiered on November 7th, 1963.
The cast features a number of people. too many
to even count Spencer Tracy is Captain TG Culpepper
Eddie Adams is Monica Crump Sid Caesar is Melville
Crump you know the interesting thing is I know
a lot of people aren't going to enjoy the movie
I mentioned for reference here but It'd been
a number of years since I'd seen this movie When
the one I'm gonna talk about here in a minute.
I actually saw recently and in the end of Vegas
vacation, okay You have the old guy in the key
at the Kino booth and he's like I won the money
is mine I won the money the money is and I'm
like, is that Smiler Grogan? really felt like
Smiler Grogan, and I'm like, where do I know
this guy from? Where do I know this guy from?
Come to find out, it was an old Sid Caesar, an
old Melville Crump, and I'm like, oh my god,
if the older version of Sid Caesar in Vegas Vacation
said something about chairs, I would've immediately
got it right away. All right, so. I've kind of
already given you guys the overall plot. It's
a mad dash for the cash $350 ,000 buried under
a big W About that I have something I have to
mention we get to that Okay, so just we're not
even really gonna just we're not gonna discuss
at length here But we're gonna discuss some of
these but I'm just gonna run down the cast list
first principal cast Spencer Tracy as Culpepper
Edie Adams as Monica Crump Milton Berle as J
Russell Finch Sid Caesar as Melville Crump Buddy
Hackett as Benji Ethel Merman as mrs. Marcus
Dorothy Provine as Emmeline Marcus Finch Mickey
Rooney as dingy dingy Dickie Shawn as Sylvester
Marcus, Phil Silvers as Otto Meyer, Terry Thomas
as Lieutenant Colonel A. Algernon Hawthorne,
and Jonathan Winters as Lenny Pike. Wait, did
they really make him? No. They didn't make a
of mice and men reference there, did they? Yes.
Wow. You got Eddie Rochester Anderson as one
of the cab drivers you got Jim Bacchus as an
airplane owner Tyler Fitzgerald you got Barry
Chase's Sylvester Marcus's iconic dancing girlfriend
William Damaris is Alois's chief of the Santa
Rosita Police Department Jimmy Durante is Smiler
Grogan I kept looking at him as he's dying there
on the side of the mountain just going Alls I
can think of is Frosty. Peter Fonk is the other
cab driver. Paul Ford is Colonel Wilber Force.
cameo appearances we have Moray Amsterdam as
Mike Captain Culpepper's brother -in -law voice
only as from deleted scenes Phil Arnold Jack
Benny as the man driving the 1931 Cadillac Fleetwood
Paul Birch Ben Blue Joey Brown Eve Bruce Alan
Carney Chick Chandler John Clark Stanley Clements
Lloyd Corrigan Howard D Sylvia Andy Devane Selma
Diamond There's way too many to name here. Yeah,
I mean some there ones that we've got to cover
though You know, we got a Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis
Stan Freberg Don knots shows up in this the three
stooges has the I gotta love that. I mean just
some of the stuff Lenny wine rib as a police
radio voice You know just all sorts of people
that I was like I'm watching I'm going oh my
god I recognize all these people you know I'm
recognizing the voices at the very least Jim
back as I saw him and I went oh Shit, they have
mr. Magoo in here You know just little things
I I love this and You were right. I deserve to
be thrown under the bus for this. And it does
hurt that I haven't deserved to be raped over
the coals for seeing rat race before this. I
know. I know. I know. I know. Oh, comparisons
are it doesn't even compare. That's all I can
say. That race does not even compare to this.
It should be frozen and forgotten. Rat race should
have never been made. Yeah. I Think the one character
that stands out in all of this Can you guess
The one character because she is so vocal. Oh
my god Mrs. Marcus. Oh Ethel Merman as mrs. Marcus.
Oh, I was just waiting for Lucy to show up I
mean, seriously, Ethel Merman as Mrs. Marcus
is just hilarious. It really, really is. Eveline,
you won't believe what they did to me, Eveline.
Oh my god. Sylvester, you're not listening. Why
aren't you listening to me, Sylvester? I'm coming,
mama. I'm coming. Oh, man. Oh, god. And I have
to say, I think... the everyman character out
of this whole thing the one that most people
will relate to on the male side is probably is
probably milton burl as as russell finch i mean
he's this downtrodden married guy who's basically
you know totally over born by bored by his mother
-in -law um he's he's one of those reserved guys
that he doesn't want to really speak up and and
defend himself because He just I don't he just
feels like whatever happens to him is gonna happen
to him So you got Captain Culpepper and Culpepper
has been chasing this criminal Smiler Grogan
and Smiler Grogan the hid as I've already said
$350 ,000 now you gotta think though when was
this supposedly taking place? I mean this was
what? uh... this year uh... released in sixty
three but returning what is the year that actually
the movie takes the actual movie takes place
in i don't know had to have been the fifties
well not the fifties maybe the forties i don't
know well it was definitely after the fifties
to their drive around You know, it's definitely
late 50s early 60s because of the stuff they're
driving around the the Bug the Volkswagen bug
didn't hit the US soil until like 60 or something
like that. So yeah Okay, so let's just say it's
the 60s. Yeah and For a film that's based in
the 60s It's like normally I don't like a lot
of the old films. I really think that you know
the only old films that I really really enjoy
outside of the three stooges of course are this
and the thin man movies but this is just like
it's just a laugh a minute it really is because
you have all these different people you get Jonathan
Winters as Pike Jonathan friggin Winters the
guy who played a million different scooby -doo
villains. I mean, yeah, you know the voice of
I Just love this movie as each of their adventures
here you got Benny and dinghy in the plane you
get you get The crumbs in the plane the old plane
at first and that that didn't that was like rocketeer
kind of stuff right? Oh, yeah Yeah, I don't know
if this plane's gonna hold together folks They're
climbing into it. She's like stepping on the
wing and the wings like busting off. I'm like
uh And what was it the bee that was in the plane
and he's like bashing it. Yeah And he's you know,
hey, hey, you're breaking my plane So They're
all after this money, and the four of them, or
the eight of them, or whatever, the original
four cars that show up to Smiler's accident,
the men go down, see what's going on with him,
and blah, blah, blah, blah, he tells them about
the money, bear it into her big W, and they get
up to their wives, and they're all talking, and
everything else, and you know, Spencer down Sid
Caesar's character is like, okay. Well, we'll
do for she, you know We'll do this many shares
this many shit. He does all the sharing stuff
and it's like wow Where's Facebook when you really
need it, right? So and then they all decide to
drive calmly down Santa Rosita and then that's
really when it becomes a race because Pike tries
to Get one over on everybody Which didn't work
and then they all say, okay, you know, it's well
actually actually Benji says this Okay, so we're
all agreed. It's every man including the old
bag for himself So we've got that going on and
as the movie progresses we have all these different
people coming in and honestly the best Rivalry
in the entire movie for me. Is Pike. And Meyer.
Pike in my oh, my God, Mr. Meyer. Oh, that guy.
I stopped to think for a second, I'm like, wait,
because I'm recognizing him by the face and I'm
not by the name necessarily. All I could think
of when I saw him was, hey, that's Phil Silvers.
That's, you know, I'm. God what what's his name
with his character that he did? When he was a
sergeant in the military I forget what it was
Bilko sergeant Bilko. Oh, yeah sergeant Milko
Yeah, so Phil Silver's and Jonathan Winters characters
Otto Meyer and and Lenny Lenny Pike their rivalry
throughout the entire thing is Just so hilarious
those poor guys oh my god he's going crazy he's
he's got an axe oh my god the guys at the at
the um at the gas place oh hey you okay take
this car oh it's okay kid i'm just gonna borrow
it you know and and and uh phil silver's care
it's like you know when when he has his his car
originally he's like hey kid is there another
way out of here well don't just sit there kid
show me is there another there Down there? Come
on mister, it's shallow, it's not that deep.
The water swallowed his car like the garbage
scowl on the Death Star. Ladies and gentlemen,
if you want a character driven a very diverse
character driven film watch this movie because
all these characters personalities are so different
from each other and it is a laugh riot The thing
I liked about that since you're mentioning the
characters different care. Mm -hmm The one thing
I did like is that none of them seem to They
were all conflicting in a way, but they all seem
to work so well together in this despondent,
you know, hey, we got to get here. We got to
do this. I can't stand you, but I'm still going
to go down and get the money. All that type of
thing. You know, people were making these these
weird alliances to go down. You know, one of
my favorites is when we see just even though
it's only a flash is when Phil Silver's. gets
out of the river and he flags down Don Knotts
and goes off being a CIA agent. See, I'm not
supposed to tell you anything, but I'm going
to break the rules. I'm going to tell you who
I am. This is like he's going on. I'm just like,
oh, my God, this is this is pure Phil Silver's
just watching. It was genius watching it. And
Don Knotts, of course, is being the typical,
oh, you know, he's so scared of every little
thing. I wish they would have. Name I wish I
wish his character his character name would have
been Barney Fife I really do because he really
was Barney in this movie. Yeah, he really was
So the police chief we got to talk about Spencer
Tracy as as captain Culpepper And Captain Culpepper
is a cop that is just really... He's ready to
just jump off the bridge and not deal with any
of it anymore. He wants that money so he can
get away from his job, his wife, his daughter.
He just wants to get away from it all. That it
was kind of like okay. I thought at first you
know when I first saw it and he's going after
him I'm like okay He's just you know he's gonna
be the good cop and he's gonna stop You know
he's gonna. He's gonna find the money, and that's
gonna be the end of it, and he's gonna get all
the glory No, he wanted the gold too. Yeah So
we've got that and Can see why the guy wants
to get away from it all because oh my god his
wife Ginger and his daughter Billy sue Where
he's just hold the scene where he's just holding
the two phones together and they're yelling at
her like can that even work? Seriously, okay
folks. I get it. Everyone has cell phones now
I understand that but I mean seriously you just
travel back to the 1980s when we had real Phones,
okay. Well that would that actually work Holding
two phones up and letting the two because obviously
didn't have to be on two different phone lines
But I I don't know it just well yes, and no here's
the thing is that the way that he was holding
it up They wouldn't have been able to hear each
other Yeah, if he had turned one phone so it
was upside down and right side up on the other
one then they would really hear and have a conversation
go between the two that would have been it but
I Just watched it. I'm like okay. Okay. I get
it. I've done that Moving on you know just let
me it was a Comedy comedy moment of them arguing
back and forth and screaming, and he's just like
oh god. You could see it in his face I really
don't want to be listening to this Yeah He just
didn't want to be there at all His mind was already
on the beach in Hawaii with 350 million or 350
,000 excuse me everybody thousand yeah So they're
all chasing this money down they all have different
adventures You know you got Benny and and dingy
in the plane and they're there with Tyler What's
Tyler Fitzgerald and Tyler Fitzgerald is a drunk
pilot Tyler Fitzgerald just you know wants to
have an old -fashioned You know, oh Yes, what's
the matter you can't make old -fashioned the
way old -fashioned should be made get out of
my way I'll do it. Just just hold the stick there.
Just hold it straight as I can fly a plane Anybody
can fly a plane Mr. Howell you were hilarious
in this film See you got them and then you get
the the Colonel after he gets after Tyler Fitzgerald
gets knocked out you get the colonel trying to
talk them down and all is I can think of Every
time that plane buzzed that tower is all as I
can think of his fucking top gun You know, that's
all I can think of is fucking top gun All right,
then we're gonna get you down from there But
first I have to tell you this before we even
do anything else We're gonna do this and then
we're gonna do this and then we're gonna do this.
But before I tell you that Okay! Meanwhile, Carl
Reiner's over on the other side going, really?
Really? Is this how we're going? Yep. So you
got that. You got the Hawthorne character with
the finches and Mrs. Marcus. You got that. And
where did they get that crappy blue car? I'm
sorry! Even if this is the 60s, they made better
cars than that thing. Oh my god And What was
the deal with him being a cactus collective?
I know a lot of people nowadays a lot of geeks
collect a few strange things but eight Cactus
collector? What? I'm going to stop you right
there and tell you that my sister -in -law has
a succulent addiction. Succulents or cacti, you
know, all those things. Yeah, they're weird people.
What can I say? My sister -in -law right up there
with them, and I'm about ready to get hit in
the back of the head. I don't care. So you got
that going on you got you know, Mrs. Mark is
trying to get a hold of her son Emma Lynn's brother
Sylvester What am I thinking Sylvester? He lives
right, you know right down the street from Santa
Rosita He could just go there and get it and
they're all be done So we got that going on and
so that Sylvester is by far the weirdest character
in this whole movie Think it was a lot of the
drugs that he was doing here something and possibly
but between him and his girlfriend Just wow that
scene So you got all that going on and we get
into there like the kind of I don't want to call
it a rat race because that's just an insult to
me, but You got the whole race going on with
everybody involved now, and everybody's making
their way down to Santa Rosita. We eventually
get two cab drivers involved, and one of the
cab drivers is none other than Columbo. That
was probably one of the best seasons he's driving
down there. He just starts going, what do you
suppose that this is going on with? And of course,
all I can think is Maurice LaMarche doing Peter
Falk and having that eye, and I was watching
this and going... Holy shit, it's Maurice LaMarche
all over again. If they I hope to God. OK, sure.
They tried to remake the plot of this movie with
Rat Race in 2001. But I hope to God they never
try to reboot or remake this film. But if they
do, and Maurice LaMarche is, you know, still
with us. I mean, you know, I don't wish any ill
will towards the man. But I'm saying, like, let's
say 10 years from now, they decide to remake
this. Hopefully they never will. But. Maurice
LaMarche is the man that needs to play a cab
driver. Yes, because he can so do the Peter Falk
And if they ever anyway, um, so Everybody starts
getting to Santa Rosita Park after they get out
of their situations, you had Benji and Dinghy
up in the plane, you had the Finches and all
that chasing around with Sylvester, you had Pike
chasing Meyer, you had the Crumps stuck in the
hardware store basement. Setting off the fireworks.
Fireworks, yeah. So you got that So they all
start arriving and really the first to arrive
are the Crumps and Benji and dinghy and There's
a scene before everybody else shows up. There's
a scene where they meet up and and and Melville
is like You go the way we came. We'll go the
way you came. No, wait. Wait. No. Yeah, that's
right. That's right and That's the scene where
you see the two cab drivers where the the black
guys like What the heck is going on? Columbo's
like, I don't know. They said something about
something being under a big W. And you see it
right behind the cab drivers. I get to a point
in the movie where everybody's running around.
Everybody's there. Everybody's running around.
Emmaline had stayed in the car. Milton Berle's
character's wife stayed in the car. Didn't want
anything to do with it. She didn't want anything
to do with the money. She gets out to go get
a drink of water. She gets this drink of water
and all of a sudden She sees the big W and this
is where Culpepper comes in and He says, you
know, he starts talking to mrs. Finch and calls
her mrs. Finch and whatever else she goes on
what oh it could be mine could be mine and right
around this time is when everybody figures it
out and She's like, oh, well, it was a nice dream
while it lasted Well, what did you want to say
about the big W? Okay, so for those who haven't
seen it I'm gonna spoil this part of it the W
is Four palm trees all kind of splayed so that
it looks like a giant W. They're all kind of
growing in different ways Okay Right outside
of the in -and -out burger in Santee where I've
grown up They have two palm trees that they have
tied together And others so that it forms a giant
W Every time now after seeing this film. I'm
like oh shit. There's $350 ,000 buried there
You know I that's all I could think of what I
saw that scene was shit. There's $350 ,000 buried
in Santee and at the at the in and out So if
you're in Santee, please don't start digging
up the street So so they all find it and they
all go digging Go digging digging digging and
by this time Marcus Sylvester Marcus the brother
This is Marcus's son. He um He's without a shirt.
He's got his shirt off. He's like get out man.
You're bugging me man. You're bugging me get
out So everybody clears out of the hole. Sylvester
is the only one doing any of the work and he
hits something metal. They bring it up and it
sure enough is $350 ,000. And this is where Phil
Silvers as Otto Meyer comes in. He's like, all
right, one share for everybody. He starts counting.
It starts with himself. One, two, three, four,
14, 15. Counts himself twice. And this is where
Pike just goes off. I love Jonathan Winters.
I really love Jonathan Winters in this movie.
This is where Culpepper reveals himself and basically
says, well, all those cars are stolen. You're
all going to have to get in the cabs. And I'm
sorry. There is no cab. No cab anywhere in the
world that could fit seven and eight people,
because there are a total of 15, supposedly 14,
15 people in this whole thing by the end of the
movie. There's no cab in the world that could
fit seven people. You obviously have never ridden
in a checkered cab. It's possible, but it's...
Yeah, it'd be crowded, but it's possible. You're
right. You know, so all these people climb into
all, you know, both these cabs and they end up
chasing Captain Culpepper because he's gonna,
he's basically called off all the police. He's
going to sneak off with the money and just pull
it out on everybody. And throughout this whole
thing, he wanted a bigger pension and wanted
more benefits. And the chief of police Aloysius
is going to try to get it for him. And the way
he does this is he tries to blackmail the mayor.
ends up being where he's not gonna get his pension
he's not gonna get this swear on an arrest warrant
for a Captain Culpepper and They end up chasing
him to this abandoned building For so odd reason
every time I see this movie I'm like there are
bats in there Belfry I'm just waiting for Batman
to show up out of all things but That would be
so awesome have every one of these characters
in one of the windows is Batman and Robin and
Batgirl climb up the side of the anyway Oh, that
would be so cool anyway So they chase him up
to the roof and he Is gonna go over the roof
and he's trying to hold on to the case while
trying to get down the fire escape and the fire
escape Let's just say it's not in the best shape
as it should be Everybody starts hitting him
and everything else and the money just the briefcase
with the money just plops right open in three
hundred and fifty thousand dollars Dumps onto
the city of Santa Rosita, California The money
is gone Kind of reminds me a cocktail the luck
is gone the brain is shot, but the liquor we
still anyway So the money is gone and they're
all trying to get down and all trying to get
the money and Somebody yells a fireman or a policeman
or somebody hey you get off though that that's
not safe It's unstable blah blah blah they bring
in the fire trucks and the ladders and whatever
else in the ladder They all try to get on the
ladder. Yeah And the ladder ends up overloading
And it ends up flinging all of them in various
directions. We end the movie with all of them
in the hospital. Every single one of them. Except
for somehow... I don't know how this happened.
This is some big trick of the universe. I don't
know how it happened, but somehow the only ones
that did not get injured were... Oh, I know why,
because they didn't go up there. that's right
that's the women didn't answer okay yeah none
of the women got injured so it was all the men
that got injured so not all of the in total 15
16 characters it was just all the men So all
the men are injured and all the women come in
in nurses outfits of all fuck how the hell did
they? Don't get me wrong folks. I love this movie
I'm really trying not to nitpick certain things
about this movie But it's like how the hell did
they all get nurses uniforms at the end of the
day? It's like wow So they come in Ethel Merman
Mrs. Marcus basically, you know How you ten idiots
screwed this up? I have no idea blah blah blah
and we go on and we hear Pike, not Pike, Culpepper
saying about how his wife is divorcing him, his
daughter is suing him. Daughter wants to change
her name. Change her name and all this and all
that and you know you ten idiots might you know
even get off light and he said I just give one
One thing to have one good laugh, and as Mrs.
Marcus comes in and gets ready to leave, I forget
who it was. Was it Benji or Dingy? Somebody threw
a banana peel before she came in. Yeah. She slips
on the banana peel. And that's what gave everybody
their one good laugh. And the only one that is
kind of laughing slash crying is obviously her
son, Sylvester. Mama! It's like, oh my god, Sylvester.
So semester, I don't know There was something
really kind of just I Don't even want to say
it cuz it'll ruin the film for people. No, I
won't go there. Just what I'll say it's the film
is 52 years old if people haven't seen it by
now Well, I don't want to put that weird Edible
spin on it. That's all it just It seemed like
him and his relationship with his mother was
a little incestuous. That's all Just I was like
But yeah, so Having never seen the movie before
Yeah, it's your overall opinion on the film I
really liked it it was a lot better than I thought
it was going to be I thought Most of the thing
is that when I see these old films, I'm kind
of like, okay It's gonna be another old film
that I'm not gonna really be in touch with that,
you know, it's not it's gonna be Oh, this is
great for the period No, no, it it didn't matter.
Yeah, they were driving around some old cars
and it was great to see some of the old cars
and some of the references were kind of out there
for me to pick up like when they're tearing around
and they're making comment about Well, you've
got a Buick this thing should be able to pull
right up this car should be a lot faster than
this And he's going well, I'm taking it slow
through the turns. I can't haul but through,
you know, I can't go real fast through the turns
You know, they're all boats, what do you expect
none of you handle the turns well Yeah For me,
I absolutely love this movie. I really do. I
mean every bit of it There isn't I Think the
only part I fast forward through is the intermission
part where they actually Allow you to take a
break and it's nothing but music. I love the
music don't get me wrong the music of this is
simply amazing But you know, I think that's really
the only part where I really Kind of fast forward
a little bit just to get back to the action.
I mean I fast forwarded through the opening credits
and and Part of that. No, I see. I can't fast
forward to the opening credits. Those are those
animated credits. No, those are awesome. Well,
part of the reason that I did that was because
I was pressed for time when I was trying to watch
it. So I was like, OK. And then on top of that,
like as I got done with it, my wife goes, oh,
I need you to take the trash out because it's
something stinky in here. So I missed like the
first the first 10 minutes of it. So I did at
least get to see, you know, some of the stuff
with Smiler Grogan. I did have to go back and
rewatch that. Yeah, and it was that was well
worth it because I love Jimmy Durrani. I just
You know the guy has the guy is immortalized
down here in San Diego Jimmy Durrani Boulevard.
He's immortalized at Del Mar fairgrounds. I Love
the guy. What can I say? But seeing him a Smiler
-Grogan that just and you know all I could think
of like I said ha cha -cha -cha You know, I just
waiting for him to say that just going on great
great start the film Everything going back and
forth the plane buzzing and you know the the
guy trying to walk him down You know Since these
are trying to get out of the but out of the basement
of the hardware store I almost said Milton Berle.
I'm like no that's wrong. Yeah, you know Terry
Thomas the the Colonel just oh I died laughing
watching him. Like I said, all I could think
of was Wild Thornberrys all over again for me.
Definitely a good film and one I would recommend.
I am surprised I haven't seen this before. Yeah,
I was pretty surprised too that you hadn't seen
this before. So let's go over some casting notes.
According to Wikipedia, take this with a grain
of salt, but apparently it's sourced in whatever
else. uh... casting notes for it's a mad mad
mad mad world according to mark evan air william
rose's original story online indicated five principles
that was it's my room scratch site we're intended
for milton burl said Caesar phil silvers jackie
glee sin and red skelton skelton was able to
take too much time off from his television series
and must agree to only make a cameo appearance
in the film however his demands for high salary
led to stanley kramer turning him down. Lucille
Ball, Martha Ray, Joan Davis, and Imogen Koka
were suggested for the men's female companions.
Sophie Tucker and Mae West were both suggested
for the role of Milton Berle's mother -in -law.
Oh, Jesus. Mae West? And, no, that wouldn't have
worked. Rose wanted Jack Benny to play the role
of detective monitoring the group. Throughout
the film, the role of Smollett Grogan was originally
intended for Buster Keaton. Wow, yeah, see I
that would have been a completely different movie.
Yeah But he was more of the the physical comedy
You know the site gags type stuff Jimmy Durante
was that he had the rhythm down and that was
it My god, that would have been a different one
According to Robert Davidson the role of Erwin,
which I don't know who the hell was Erwin oh
god i should know this i've seen this movie enough
time anyway the role of erwin was originally
offered to joe besser what the hell oh man that's
crazy um so let's see what else here um Don knots
originally shot a second scene in which he tries
to use a telephone and a diner also featured
in the scene was Barbara Pepper The sequence
was not used in the finished film obviously Let's
see production The animated credits sequence
Kramer's comedy was accentuated by many things
including the opening animated credits designed
by Saul Bass the film begins with a mention of
Spencer Tracy then in the alphabetical order
mention of nine of the main cast Burl Caesar
Hackett Merman Rooney Sean Silvers Terry Thomas
Winters Followed by hands switching these nine
names two or three times over animation continues
with paper dolls and Wind up toy world spinning
with several help the sequence was future Peanuts
animator Bill Melendez Wow Wow Make that I didn't
make that jump Should have I didn't For 1963
this movie it had a budget of nine point four
million dollars and Its box office was 60 million
bucks 60 million in 1963. That's a lot. I mean,
I know 60 million nowadays is a lot of money,
but 60 million back then Oh, yeah, can you imagine
how far that would stretch? oh man just so awesome
let's see here there are various versions of
this film I have the version that's the I think
it's the full version For home media, first issue
1901 on two VHS tapes by Magnetic Video and reissue
VHS and Laserdisc by CVS Fox Video. Let's see...
On July 5th, 2011, a Blu -ray disc was released
as a Walmart exclusive with feature running time
of 159 minutes and presented the film in its
correct aspect ratio of 2 .751 along with correct
multicolor title sequence. The special features
included something a little less serious, documentary,
extended scenes, theatrical trailer, reissue
trailer, much like the MGM HD broadcast. It features
the overture and exit music, but no intermission.
See, I have the one with the intermission, so
I think I come out on top on that. That's a plus.
I think the one that I had was the Walmart version
that I got because it didn't have the intermission
in it. As far as influence and legacy over their
years, various subsequent films that employed
the concept of a comedic search for money featuring
the ensemble cast have either been speculated
by critics or confirmed by their creators to
have been modeled after It's a Madman, Madman
World, including Scavenger Hunt from 1979, Billion
Dollar Mystery, 1987, Rat Race in 2001, and The
Three Kings in 2011. What the hell? Anyway. That's
what it says take it with a grain of salt I guess
I've ever million dollar movie because they made
a big deal out of it that They were they were
gonna have where you could actually go and find
a million dollars Right now tied into the publicity
of the movie and it just failed Yeah Overall
man, I love this movie This isn't even This is
just a fun enjoyable movie I know a lot of people
a lot of my friends online are tired of the phrase
You know just turn your brain off and enjoy it
This is not a turn your brain. This is not a
turn your brain off kind of movie It really isn't
it's a movie that you can sit in relax get to
know the characters Figure out how they're all
gonna interact and just have fun with it. Yeah,
you know, I mean the With me there's there's
been two movies that are like that for me that
I've been able to sit down and watch And one
of them you'll probably laugh at me for it. It's
the original The original music man You know
came out in the 50s Well, it was it's because
of how they put it together and all the music
and everything and seeing past interaction and
then coming through and seeing this and just
reminded me so much of the music man because
of the matte overlays in the background, the
matting that you saw for the plane and the tower,
and when they're coming down the mountain, coming
down the hill into Santa Rosita, all that sort
of stuff just brought back those images back
to me. And I'm like, wow, this feels like that.
And then you have the comedians that were in
this and everybody's interactions together and
just going back and forth with. Very witty banner.
I mean some of the stuff that they were doing
but the jokes that they were making was There's
stuff that you know most kids wouldn't necessarily
get Yeah, it was it was more of an adult humor.
I mean a lot of the stuff It was still funny
you laughed at it But it wasn't until later on
that you know if you were if you were our age
Then you might have gotten a lot more of the
jokes and gone. Oh That's even funnier Yeah,
you know As far as the music, it was done by
Ernest Gold. It also includes the... Well, it
was from the original album. So, the two CD releases
that La La Land Records did. Disc 1 is the complete
original motion picture soundtrack. And it includes
25 total tracks. The second disc is the... It's
a Mad Mad World LP reissue. And this is the original
album that came out because this one the final
two tracks on it is you satisfy my soul in 31
flavors So I love that they put the two the two
song songs on here I think that's great that
they use those as kind of like bonus tracks almost
at the end but Man, I listen to this and listen
to this. I wrote a written review of it on on
keycast radio .com and I Couldn't stop listening
to this to the original complete score, the first
25 tracks. I just couldn't stop. It's so good.
The music in this movie, it just fits so well.
And Ernest Gold did an amazing job with it. For
ratings based on GCR Universal Rating System,
I have to give this movie a five. If I don't,
I won't be able to live with myself in the morning.
Everything about it is just so good. Anyone that
can nitpick the hell out of this movie and find
something wrong with it. I triple dog dare you
to, because you're just going to end up enjoying
it. I. I'm going to you're going to hate me,
but I'm going to put it at a four and a half
stars only because. Of when the film was made
back in the six back in 63 and that there was
still stuff that. fit only for that time period.
Like you said, the cars and whatnot, and them
going back and forth. That was probably the only
niggling little nitpicky thing that I could make
about it. But it was still a great thing. It
will go on. Just I pray they don't do any more
reboots. Yeah, no, no. This film is a classic.
Leave the classics alone, Hollywood. Absolutely,
love it now four and a half. That's a good score.
So like you give it a two and a half. Yeah So
alright folks, I honestly have no idea what's
coming up next on M wire I'm still working it
out. So trying to figure out what movies we're
gonna cover I can tell you that episodes 125
and 126 have already been recorded. They've actually
been Recorded months in advance. I'll have to
put a little notice on those Before you know
when I edit them before you hear them because
they've been pre -recorded to everything else
that has happened in my life since What has happened
in my life with my mom passing all that stuff,
but? Yeah, we're on the road to episode 130 and
after 130 Steve and I are gonna have to just
look back and take some reflection and Take some
time off. We might be retiring in wire So between
then and now between now and then we'll just
have to see what happens But right now We hope
you enjoyed the show Go watch it's a mad mad
mad mad world. I guarantee you. You will laugh
your ass off. Yes All right, you got anything
you want to pimp out really quick I just want
to let everybody know please go check us out
on talk about my generation We will be having
here Well, when will this be airing Mike will
this be before or after the third? Before okay,
so go and listen to our review our talk on July
3rd in 30 years Actually, what 80 years? Total
I think we said 85 1885 to night. Oh No, no 100
years. That's good years. Well, no, it was 100
years between It's a hundred years between 1985
and 1885 now in total 2015 minus 1885 It's a
hundred and thirty years total. So there we go.
We're talking about this year. So Yes, we will
be discussing the trilogy one of the greatest
trilogies ever. We've already discussed Star
Wars So it's not that one folks, please on talking
about my generation over at MyGenerationPodcast
.com. And technically Star Wars is a sexology
now. No, Star Wars is a trilogy. It's a sexology.
Anyway.
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