40. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Stanley Kramer, 1963

Talk about your who’s who of great comedic actors. It would almost be easier to name who isn’t in this film, but, as they used to say, a great cast deserves another look. Spencer Tracy’s there, sans Hepburn, as the beleaguered police captain who’s been trying to track down a stolen fortune for eons. Milton Berle shows up, sans dress, is one of the guys who finds the dying gangster by the side of the rode and finds out about the loot buried beneath a giant W. Ethel Merman, sans broadway, plays Berle’s brow beating mother in-law, channeling Fred Flintstone’s mother in-law in many ways. Dick Shawn, sans LSD ... well, pretty much the same as LSD, is Ethel Merman’s nutty, hippie dancing son. Terry-Thomas, camp persona firmly intact, is the British military officer who teams up with Uncle Milty. Buddy Hackett, sans off color jokes, is yet another of the dudes. Mickey Rooney shows up, sans Andy Hardy, as Buddy Hacket’s partner in crime. Phil Silvers, Bilko-ness intact, is, well, pretty much a Bilko type who tries to con Jonathan Winters out of his share of the treasure. Jonathan Winters, slightly more mentally advanced than Merth, is a furniture mover who is out for the gangster’s loot and who hilariously tears up a gas station, run by two of the guys who did voices of the sidekick cats from Top Cat. Sid Caesar, sans the Show of Shows, is another man who meets the gangster and competes with his fellows for the fortune on a mad cross country dash (Caesar employs a beat up plane and his car). Edie Adams, sans Columbo, is Mrs. Sid Caesar and gets locked in a hardware store with him. Peter Falk, sans Edie Adams, oddly enough, is another cabbie. Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, sans Jack Benny, is a cab driver. Norman Fell, sans Jack Tripper, is a cop. Don Knotts, also sans Jack Tripper, is a nervous motorist. Jack Benny, sans Rochester, is a calm, if insulted driver. Jerry Lewis, sans Dean Martin, is a crazy motorist. Jim Bakus, sans Lovey, is a drunk, rich pilot whom Buddy and Mickey employ. Buster Keaton, stone face intact, is a crook. Carl Reiner, sans Mel Cooley, is a tower controller, trying to guide Bakus in. The Three Stooges: Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe, sans real Curly, Hell, even sans Shemp, are fire fighters. Finally, Jimmy Durante, nose blissfully intact, literally kicks the bucket just after telling a group of motorists where his giant pile of money is, sparking said mad cap cross country chase.

That is, admittedly, a lot of sanses, but, I think you’ll have to agree, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a film that has it all. Plus, it’s totally mad! It’s at least four times as mad as Mad Max. It also happens to be hilarious. The gas station sequence is a comedy classic bar none. You’ve never seen Jonathan Winters until he tears apart a brand new service station in a Hulk like rage. It’s also just spectacular to see all these brilliant comedians and great comedic actors interacting. The only person missing is Groucho Marx, but I’m willing to let that slide since everyone else is here. I don’t expect everyone reading this to know all the actors involved, but, let me tell you, knowing certainly adds to the enjoyment, which is huge. It’s kind of like reading a comic book team-up of your favorite heroes. It’s not Superman meets Green Lantern. It’s not Batman meets Wonder Woman. This is bigger. In fact, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is like the Justice League of comedy and you can’t beat that.