# Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2017, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767 "2017-05-03T09:31:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/21 "2017-05-03T16:00:37Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Jim Backus and Buddy Hackett are great, Andy Rooney is annoying, and whoever was actually flying that Twin Beech was amazing. That stunt almost killed him: > [@](#): > > The billboard that the twin-engine Beechcraft flies through was made of thin balsa wood, except for a thicker frame for support. Stunt pilot Frank Tallman had to fly the aircraft directly through the center of the billboard or the thicker frame would shear off a wing. The billboard was located in Irvine, at what is now the intersection of Interstate 405 and Hwy. 133 (Laguna Canyon), near Lion Country Safari, just east of John Wayne Airport. They had practiced with paper signs, but used balsa wood for the actual movie stunt. The wood stopped one engine and the other was sputtering enough that the plane barely made it back to John Wayne Airport. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/22 "2017-05-03T16:06:18Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I know they wouldn’t let a movie end with everyone getting away with it, but I hated from the beginning that \*\*the women were seemingly not under arrest \*\*and went to the hospital to berate the men for their foolishness event though they were just as guity. It’s too much like the end of a bad Flintstones episode. Men are incompetent, and women are cool and rational. Look closely the next time you watch it. The women are all wearing prison garb at the end. I’d wager the hospital was part of a correctional facility, too. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/23 "2017-05-03T16:08:56Z")
[The 10 Commandments](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049833/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast) had a cast that was loaded with stars who were already big plus some who would later make it big, if only on tv. It had a huge budget, too, as befits such a spectacle. The results are rather lackluster despite all that. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/24 "2017-05-03T16:39:26Z")
[The Longest Day.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056197/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast). Bloated movies with big stars in cameo roles are a Hollywood tradition. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/25 "2017-05-03T16:42:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Look closely the next time you watch it. The women are all wearing prison garb at the end. > > I’d wager the hospital was part of a correctional facility, too. Not only are they wearing prison garb, they’re escorted by at least one matron. I \*\*love \*\*this movie! Between 1963 and 1966, I must have seen it at least ten times with my brother and dad, both of whom passed away at the start of the new millennium. We would be driving around Chicago or Joliet while on summer vacation, and see it was on at a cinema: “Ooooooh, look! They’re showing _ **It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World** _! Let’s see it again!” So we’d park the car and spend the afternoon lounging in air-conditioned comfort, then go and get a steak dinner and talk about the film all evening. Some great memories there! Even then, I recognized most of the actors (it wasn’t until I saw _ **The Producers** _ that I could identify Dick Shawn). I watched it on TCM with my grown daughter a couple of years ago. She enjoyed it too, especially when the revealed the “Big W”: “Oooooooh, THERE IT IS!” It broke my heart when I realized she’ll probably never have the chance to see it on the big screen, where it was meant to be shown. We saw _ **Rat Race** _ together when it came out, and she was around six years old. At the time, _ **Rat Race** _ was being touted as a “remake” of _ **World** _, which (aside from the basic premise: a bunch of total strangers chasing after a stash of money and then losing it at the end) it was not. It did, however, have an impressive cast: John Cleese, Whoopie Goldberg, Rowan Atkinson, Wayne “Newman!” Knight, et al. Some bits, like the _ **I Love Lucy** _ fan bus, were very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/26 "2017-05-03T17:07:16Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Look closely the next time you watch it. The women are all wearing prison garb at the end. > > I’d wager the hospital was part of a correctional facility, too. I was never sure if that was supposed to be hospital clothes, because theirs were damaged during the final scene, but you are most likely correct. If so, I retract (most) of my complaint. The part about Hollywood portraying men as idiots stands. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/27 "2017-05-03T17:09:37Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Have there been any other movies deliberately designed to get such a large number of big names onto screen? That was pretty much the only reason to make _[Cannonball Run](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cannonball_Run)_. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/28 "2017-05-03T17:20:50Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > “What could happen to an Old Fashioned?” > > Jim Backus and Buddy Hackett are great, Andy Rooney is annoying, and whoever was actually flying that Twin Beech was amazing. > > For a movie with such a huge cast, how many of them are still alive? I started clicking around on IMDb and the only ones I found were Carl Reiner and Jerry Lewis, and potentially Bob Mazurki. Barrie Chase (Marcus’s girlfriend) is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/29 "2017-05-03T17:26:08Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > And - Apologies **Uke Ike** - I just tried to rewatch A Night at the Opera last weekend. Remind me again which were the funny parts? :dubious: I would’ve sworn myself to be a HUGE Marx Bros fan, but when I rewatch, I just don’t see it. Perhaps the initial watching is qualitatively different than once you know every joke. I haven’t watched A NIGHT AT THE OPERA in years. Please don’t apologize – the only Mark Bros movies I re-watch are the initial five Paramounts. The only scene in ANATO I think I’d still enjoy would be the hotel scene where Henderson, the detective, rushes from room to room and our heroes are moving the furniture from room to room solely in order to fuck with his brain. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/30 "2017-05-03T17:32:36Z")
\*\*\*World \*\*\*trivia quiz: What kind of car do Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett ride in? (Be specific!) What kind of garb does Milton Berle affect? The voices of the two garage mechanics are very familiar. Why? Who does Phil Silvers con into calling Washington before he steals his car? The plane that flew through the billboard was a twin-engined Beech. What kind of plane did Sid Caesar and Edie Adams fly in? The guy who comes out of the hardware store and says “We’re closed!” made a series of comedy shorts and was one of Art Carney’s henchmen on _ **Batman** _. Name him. Two of the taxi drivers are well known for their television roles. Name them and the roles. (One of them was popular on radio as well.) When the movie was filmed, Edie Adams was recovering from a great personal tragedy. What had recently happened? Feel free to post your own questions! Edie Adams, mmmmmmmmmmm! :o ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/31 "2017-05-03T17:42:02Z")
Two more (missed the Edit window :mad: ): What was Terry-Thomas doing in the desert? What beverage do Terry-Thomas and Milton Berle share while Ethel Merman is on the phone? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/32 "2017-05-03T17:46:38Z")
One of my favorite bits in IAMMMMW is screwy Jerry Lewis taking immense delight in driving over Spencer Tracy’s hat. And Spencer Tracy’s reaction. Also the moment when Edie Adams’s skirt splits up to her hip. One of the greatest moments in cinematic history. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/33 "2017-05-03T17:54:45Z")
I’m not answering all of them. I’m not a glory hog. Phil Silvers conned Don Knotts out of his car. The taxi drivers were Peter Falk of _Columbo_, and Eddie “Rochester” Anderson of _The Jack Benny Show_ of TV and radio. Jack Benny also has a cameo in IAMMMMW. Can you tell me where? And speaking of Phil Silvers of _Sergeant Bilko_, Bilko’s Colonel Hall is also in the movie. What does he do? I believe Edie Adams was just getting over her husband, Ernie Kovacs’ shooting death. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/34 "2017-05-03T18:10:05Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > That was pretty much the only reason to make _[Cannonball Run](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cannonball_Run)_. Especially after \*Gumball Rally, \*which may have been the bootleg edition but is by far the superior movie. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/35 "2017-05-03T18:10:08Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I’m not answering all of them. I’m not a glory hog. > > Phil Silvers conned Don Knotts out of his car. > > The taxi drivers were Peter Falk of _Columbo_, and Eddie “Rochester” Anderson of _The Jack Benny Show_ of TV and radio. > > Jack Benny also has a cameo in IAMMMMW. Can you tell me where? > > And speaking of Phil Silvers of _Sergeant Bilko_, Bilko’s Colonel Hall is also in the movie. What does he do? > > I believe Edie Adams was just getting over her husband, Ernie Kovacs’ shooting death. IIRC, Kovacs died in an automobile accident. Otherwise, you’re correct in all of the above. 🙂 Colonel Hall was the guy who talked Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett down after Jim Backus passed out in the Beech. Jack Benny stops to ask if Berle and party need any help. Ethel Merman tells him to mind his own business. (“Well!” :dubious: ) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/36 "2017-05-03T18:12:57Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I believe Edie Adams was just getting over her husband, Ernie Kovacs’ shooting death. Kovacs was famously killed in a Corvair accident, probably while reaching for a dropped cigar. (Which is why smokers have higher car insurance rates.) A great movie in the vein of the OP is _Rat Race._ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/37 "2017-05-03T18:47:42Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The voices of the two garage mechanics are very familiar. Why? Arnold Stang (Ray) and Marvin Kaplan (Irwin) were both voice actors in Top Cat as well as dozens of other things. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/38 "2017-05-03T18:53:22Z")
Two great Jonathan Winters moments: Stomping on the little girl’s bike and kicking Phil Silvers in the hole. Makes me laugh till I piss my pants! ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/39 "2017-05-03T18:54:09Z")
Amateur Barbarian: > [@](#): > > A great movie in the vein of the OP is Rat Race. Definitely a great (IMHO, better) movie in the “wild treasure hunt” genre, but not quite the star-studded extravaganza that the OP was looking for to compare to Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Whoopi Goldberg and John Cleese are certainly big stars, and Rowan Atkinson is well-known in Britain and to afficianados of British programming, but the others? Cuba Gooding Jr. won an Oscar years earlier, but hadn’t had a well-regarded role in years at that point, Jon Lovitz was on SNL about 10-15 years before the movie aired, and hadn’t done much else but Simpsons voices and cameos in fellow SNL alums’ movies, Wayne Knight was on Seinfeld, but very much not a star, and the others are totally B-list, if not C-list. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767/40 "2017-05-03T19:02:00Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Arnold Stang (Ray) and Marvin Kaplan (Irwin) were both voice actors in Top Cat as well as dozens of other things. Correct. They voiced TC and Choo-Choo, respectively. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world/785767.md?page=3)