Who remembers this movie?
This movie treats us to one belly laugh after another. It's one of the last great slap-stick movies ever made....a virtual
"who's who" in Hollywood.

PLOT:
A man drives off a cliff and some people try to help him...he says there's a great deal of money buried under "The big W" then
(literally) kicks the bucket.
Then the race for the money begins, by air
and by sky with all sorts of tribulations and
a wide hodge-podge of goofy antics to boot.

Ethel Merman was a BEST mother-in-law in this movie.

Nag, nag, nag!

She was even a "back seat driver" too.

I was totally amazed by the celebrity appearances in this movie.

BEST LINE: "Well!!!"----Jack Benny

I loved this film. Some of the greatest humor ever.

BEST SCENES
*Jonathan Winters destroying the gas station. This is THE greatest scene in the film, and one of the best scenes in all film comedies. "Irwin?" "Yeah, Ray?" "We're gonna have to kill him." (this cannot be appreciated until you hear Arnold Stang and Marvin Kaplan in the roles)

*Milton Berle and Terry-Thomas discussing America vs. Britain. Berle is surprisingly restrained, and Thomas is effective as the outrageous caricature of a Britisher.

*Jim Backus flying Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett. "It's the only way to fly!" Paul Ford radioing instructions is also a hoot.

*Dick Shawn trying to run Berle/Thomas off the road. "You're buggin' me! You're buggin' me!"

*Jack Benny stopping by. "Well!"

*Ethel Merman annoying every cast member.

*Sid Caesar trying to destroy the department store.

*Peter Falk driving his taxi.

*Any line by Terry-Thomas. "Don't be a silly rotter!"

IF REMADE...

Captain Culpepper: Harrison Ford
Melville Crump: Steve Martin
Monica Crump: either Goldie Hawn or Diane Keaton
J. Russell Finch: ?
Emmeline Finch: Helen Hunt
Mrs. Marcus: Bette Midler
Sylvester Marcus: Michael Richards
Dingy Bell and Benjy Benjamin: ? (Eddie Murphy might be great as Benjy)
J. Algernon Hawthorne: John Cleese
Lennie Pike: ? (perfect for Chris Farley if he was still alive)
Otto Meyer: David Spade
Cab Drivers: These are hard to call. Any great comic in a cameo.
"Smiler" Grogan: One of the original cast members--Caesar or Berle.

I've done some more thinking, and here's some more selections.

J. Russell Finch: Hank Azaria
Dingy Bell: Billy Crystal
Lennie Pike: Drew Carey
Pilot: Sid Caesar
Tyler Fitzgerald: Leslie Nielsen
Colonel Wilberforce: Dan Aykroyd
Ray and Irwin: Woody Allen and Rick Moranis
Chief Aloysius: Mickey Rooney
Man That Runs Over Culpepper's Hat: Jim Carrey
Farmer: Brad Garrett
Sailor (Culpepper's Friend): Jerry Lewis
"Smiler" Grogan: Milton Berle

Actually, now that I think of it, have Nielsen and Aykroyd switch roles.

Trivia

*Originally, they are going to split it four ways, for four cars. Each group would get 87,500 dollars.
*Then, they decide to switch it to five ways, as five people went down to the wreck. Each man would get 70,000 dollars.
*Then, they decide to consider dividing it eight ways, for there are eight people there. Each person would get 43,750 dollars.
*Then, they consider Sid Caesar's proposal. I don't quite remember that, so I won't go into that.

*Next, everyone splits up. While most of the groups stay the same, Pike tries to split it with Meyer, before being double-crossed. That would give both of them 175,000 dollars.
*Then, Russell lets Hawthorne in on 10%. His share would be 35,000 dollars, while the Finches would get 315,000 dollars to split.
*Eventually, the group in the truck consists of the Finches (Russell, Emmeline, with Mrs. Marcus and Sylvester), Lennie, and Hawthorne. That's six ways, which doesn't divide evenly, but it sort of ends up 58,333 dollars and a third.

*Finally, everyone ends up in Santa Rosita. There's the six from the truck, Meyer, the two Crumps, Benjamin and Bell, the two cab drivers, and also Culpeper. Not counting Culpeper, there's 13 people there. That divides horribly--26,923 dollars for each person, with a bad remainder. If you count Emmeline (or Meyer, as they later attempt to do) out, it's a little better. 29,166 dollars and two thirds for each person. If Meyer counted Culpeper when he was dividing, there would be 14 shares (25,000 dollars flat) for everyone.

*Of course, Russell had already spent $40,000 before the film started on his edible seaweed company, so that doesn't even recoup his losses on that.
*The Crumps spent $307.90 on their journey ($300 for the airplane ride, $2.90 for the cab to the hardware store, and I believe $5.00 for Rochester). Benjamin and Bell bought picks and shovels for an undisclosed amount. Hawthorne spent money on gas. Meyer paid for gas and reparations on his tire. Finch and Hawthorne rented a car.

BTW
I may have changed my idea on what the greatest scene is. While the gas station battle royale is still great, I love that montage that ends Part One. It begins right after (a) the plane goes out of control, (b) the truck slides down the hill, (c) Russell and Hawthorne attack each other, and (d) the fire starts.

*Meyer drives his car into the lake.
*The plane does a loop-de-loop.
*Russell and Hawthorne chase each around.
**"I'm bleeding, Emmeline! I'm bleeding!"
*"My mama! What'd they do to my mama?!"
*The car sinks, and Eddie waves goodbye.
*The Crumps try to put out the fire.
*The car sinks further.
*The plane, in one of the greatest scenes of all time, crashes through the billboard.

Yes, and how coincidental that it's a billboard for Coke -- the last thing you saw before the intermission.

Not having seen this movie in a coon's age, I can only say that for all the posts, there is NO mention of the cameo appearance of The Three Stooges. They must have had a very minor role in the scenes they appeared in ... OR ... their performance was SO dull as to be totally forgettable. I will not deliberate either way, because after Moe, Larry and Joe, the Three Stooges was just a re-mix of the same hash. (How many times can you laugh at a fat-guy/fluffy-haired dim-wit being conked by a mean, over-bearing idiot?)

Here is a synopsis of the Three Stooges scene:

It's on the second tape. The airplane piloted by Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney has reached the air field. Fire trucks and policemen have arrived. The camera pans over a worried crowd, and we see three firemen--the Three Stooges. "Three Blind Mice" is played. They don't talk or move. You might call it an insultingly brief cameo, but it always generates a smile from me, and I guess having a warm cameo is better than a lame attempt at knockabout comedy (I thought they were going to return as the firemen at the end, but they didn't).

Their cameo is sort of like Jack Benny's: If you're unfamiliar with the comedian, it's not funny. If you are familiar, it's hilarious. Benny's scene is just him pulling up, asking if there's trouble, getting blown off, and he says "Well!"

BTW: Here is a list of the cameo/brief appearances made by the celebrities (note: I'll try to explain the more obscure ones)

*Jimmy Durante is obviously "Smiler" Grogan
*The Three Stooges are the firemen at the air field
*Joe E. Brown is the guy at the end that says "Hey! Those ladders are unsafe!"
*Buster Keaton is the sailor that tries to hide Spencer Tracy. He says "What's going on?"
*Jim Backus (Mr. Howell) is obviously the guy flying Hackett and Rooney.
*Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (Jack Benny's sidekick) is Hackett and Rooney's cab driver.
*Ben Blue (a notable pantomime comic) is the guy flying the rustic plane.
*William Demarest (Uncle Charley) is obviously the police chief.
*Andy Devine (big bluff character player) is the sheriff that talks to Spencer Tracy.
*Norman Fell (Mr. Roper) is the aggressive cop that interrogates everybody at the beginning.
*Paul Ford (Colonel Hall from "Sergeant Bilko") is Colonel Wilberforce, the best supporting role.
*Sterling Holloway (did a lot of Disney voices, and various character roles) is the fire chief at the end, but I can't recognize him.
*Edward Everett Horton (character actor from the 1930's and 1940's) locks Sid Caesar and Edie Adams downstairs.
*Marvin Kaplan and Arnold Stang (broad comics, they both did voices for "Top Cat"--Stang was TC himself and Kaplan was Choo Choo) are the two gas station employees.
*Don Knotts is obviously the guy that Phil Silvers steals the car from/
*Zasu Pitts (character actress) is the switchboard operator in the police station.
*Carl Reiner and Jesse White (the original Maytag man, and a character actor) are the control tower operators.
*Peter Falk is the other cab driver, the one that drives Caesar and Adams.
*Stan Freberg is the deputy that is in the background when Andy Devine talks.
*Leo Gorcey (one of the Bowery Boys) is the FIRST cab driver, the one that takes Caesar and Adams to the hardware store. He says "Oh, sure!"
*Charles Lane (Homer Bedloe from "Petticoat Junction") is the nasty guy that refuses to let Rooney and Hackett into the country club.
*Mike Mazurki (hulking character actor) is the big dude that hijacks Phil Silver's car.
*Sammee Tong (the valet from "Bachelor Father") is one of the laundrymen next door to the hardware store (I can't spot him).
*Selma Diamond (Hacker, the baliff, from "Night Court") is the voice of Culpeper's wife.
*Jack Benny says "Trouble? Having any trouble?" and "Well!" to Ethel Merman.
*Jerry Lewis drives over Culpeper's hat.

They are sort of remaking "Mad World" with the film "Rat Race," coming out in August. It's got a big-name celebrity cast, and a sort of rampart "get the money" chase thing. I don't think it's a real remake, but it's good enough, huh?

Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), Kathy Bates, Dean Cain (Superman?), John Cleese (YES!), Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green (Scott Evil), Wayne Knight (Newman), and Jon Lovitz are the biggest names I see in the cast, although Dave Thomas is also around (probably the comedian, not the Wendy's owner).

The DVD version of the original movie is coming out in September!!!!!!!

YEEHAW!!!!!

Grab your seats, it's yuks amok!

Edward Everett Horton is best known to us Baby Boomers as the narrator of "Fractured Fairy Tales."
Wasn't an expanded, restored version released a number of years ago? I also heard talk of a remake a year or so ago. Is "Rat Race" that "remake"?
Glad to hear "World" is coming out on DVD. It will be a great DVD fall, with "Star Trek-TMP" and "The Godfather" (five discs!) also coming out.

TRIVIA:

This movie was nominated for 6 (count 'em SIX) Oscars!

1. Best sound effects (winner of Oscar)
2. Best Cinematography
3. Best sound
4. Best song
5. Best score
6. Best editing

The DVD has a documentary with an interview with some of the surviving cast members and a few of the late actors...including Norman Fell and Ernest Gold (composer)

Arnold Stang should've gotten some kind of "extra award" for acting his part with a broken wrist. Watch his left arm, it stays pretty limp throughout the movie.
I think he does the voice for the "Honey-Nut Cherrios Bee" as well.

DVD NOTE: (Special features)

On the DVD, they show the area in which the "Big W" scene was filmed. It's still beautiful as ever. However, the "Big W" no longer exists. I guess a storm or something knocked down 2 or 3 trees from the "W". The owners of the property are seriously talking about restoring "The Big W" to its former glory.

What Durante's car goes over the cliff, the first time it hits the groud it very briefly makes the same screeching noise that the phasers on Star Trek TOS made. The other way around, really, since this came first, but you know what I mean.

Incidently, I found the Three Stooges' cameo very funny, since they were firemen in their first role as well.

Sterling Holloway was most famous, I believe, for being the voice of Winnie the Pooh.

I'm sorry, that first "what" should be a "When".

Here's my picks for an updated film.

Captain Culpepper: You need an old pro that can generate integrity so we don't consider the idea that Culpepper is a thief. I'd have to agree with Harrison Ford.

Melville and Monica Crump: I'm not sure on this one. I happen to think that the Crumps are the least funny characters in the film, so it's difficult to cast. I think a physical comedian would be better here, perhaps Will Ferrell. I'd personally love to cast slick Hollywood types like Tom Cruise and Gwyneth Paltrow here.

J. Russell Finch: I'm thinking Ray Romano.

Emmeline Finch: No idea. Helen Hunt DOES capture the long-suffering wife feel.

Mrs. Marcus: Bette Midler is inspired. Who else could it be played by? Estelle Harris? Chuckle, chuckle. Andrea Martin?

Sylvester Marcus: I like the idea of Michael Richards. Ashton Kutcher would be great too, if a little too young.

Dingy Bell and Benjy Benjamin: How about Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson? They love working with each other. Either that or pair Owen with Luke Wilson.

J. Algernon Hawthorne: Cleese at one time would have been perfect, but is too old now. Let's get Hugh Grant to play this.

Lennie Pike: Drew Carey is a reasonable choice. A restrained Jack Black would be nice too.

Otto Meyer: David Spade is a fine choice.

I like your reasoning. In fact, let me re-examine my choices combined with your ideas.

Captain Culpepper: Harrison Ford, to me, is perfect. He's got that noble integrity thing that Spencer Tracy always had, and wouldn't it be a hoot to see Ford be the browbeaten husband?

Melville Crump: I like your thinking with young Hollywood. I'm seriously considering Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. Affleck can play manic comedy quite well, and Lopez is pretty and charming, which is really all you need for the very undemanding role of Monica.

J. Russell Finch: I like Ray Romano in a way, but he has a way of turning every role he plays into Ray Barone. OF course, I was very impressed with the fine underplaying of Milton Berle in the original, so I'm sure Ray could handle it.

Emmeline Finch: This role is very undemanding (which could be why undemanding actress Dorothy Provine did well with it). While Helen Hunt would be fine, Maura Tierney (Romano's co-star in Welcome to Mooseport) actually does very well with the calmly sane voice of reason roles.

Mrs. Marcus: Bette Midler is the obvious choice as a good inspiration to a similar actress, Ethel Merman. If this were an actual film, I'm sure they'd cast the (much cheaper) Andrea Martin. Perhaps after seeing Meet the Fockers, we might consider Barbra Streisand?

Sylvester Marcus: Not sure on Michael Richards. I like Ashton Kutcher, but he is a tad young (especially with the actresses suggested to play the mother). I could also see Jack Black, who perfectly captures the hipster doofus role that Sylvester is.

Dingy Bell/Benjy Benjamin: You'd have to rework the characters some, but Ben and Owen would be great for these roles. They'd probably be more traditional Ben/Owen parts (Ben hyperkinetic, Owen self-confidently assured).

J. Algernon Hawthorne: Sadly, Cleese is too old (too bad, only Cleese could pull off that speech about American mothers). Hugh Grant would be fun in a nice offbeat role (that would lead to some fun with Ray Romano, who plays jealous lunkhead very well). Rupert Everett would also work. If you want somebody cheap, there's always Cary Elwes.

Lennie Pike: This is a HUGE physical part. Carey can do visual, but I'm not sure on the physical. Jack Black could indeed pull off the role. I think Will Ferrell could do it if he does an "Elf"-like thing and plays his cheerful simpleton role. Will Sasso is also quite good. If push comes to shove, Jim Belushi.

Otto Meyer: I like David Spade--he would play Meyer more Spade-like (yuppie that's full of himself) than Silvers-like (fast-talking con man), but that's okay.

Pilot: Ben Blue was perfect in this role. I like having Sid Caesar come back for this role.

Tyler Fitzgerald: Dan Aykroyd actually can do a decent Jim Backus impression, and thanks to his weight, does look like Backus now.

Colonel Wilberforce: It's gotta be Leslie Nielsen, who would play it a lot straighter than Paul Ford did. Of course, Robert Stack in a role similar to "Airplane!" would provoke some cheap laughs.

Ray and Irwin: I jokingly said Woody Allen and Rick Moranis, which is probably impossible. Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest would be funny.

Chief Aloysius: While a sentimental pick of Mickey Rooney would be nice, I'd like to get a big-name star to come in and play it straight, like Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, or even a charmingly hammy job from Al Pacino.

Farmer: Brad Garrett is the Mike Mazurki of the modern age. "DON'T FORCE ME TO GET ROUGH!"

"Smiler" Grogan: Now that Milton Berle has died, it might be prudent to have the great Jerry Lewis do this role.

Who would do cameoes? I'd like to see as many great comics as possible of the past and present along with some "straight" stars doing bit roles (like Hackman, De Niro, Pacino).

TRIVIA: Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney worked together on another movie called "Boys Town". I cannot help but wonder if they sat down between shootings and talked about those days.

One of "the greatest" epic comedy films ever made!!! Terrific musical score & what a wonderful finale with all of our treasure hunters on the ladder.Whatever segment the camera is covering at that moment, you'll be laughing.Winters tearing apart a gas station,Rooney & Hacket at the controls of an airplane they don't know how to pilot,the Crumps locked in the hardware store basement(Monica,now let's forget about the door),or Silvers as his car goes down river,& so forth,you'll get a huge kick out of every single scene on screen.I never,ever tire of taking a trip with this cast to "The Big W" in Santa Rosita State Park & beyond.Ever wonder what the legal ramifications they all faced after the conclusion of this film?Man,some of these lawsuits must still be in court today.I figure that maybe Rooney & Hacket didn't get off too badly,after all,it was Jim Backus who became drunk,left Buddy at the controls & then got knocked out.They did all they could to fly the plane,after all,their lives were on the line here.The worst they might be charged with is leaving the scene of an accident after their,uh,landing,such as it was.They need to remake this movie about the same time as they need to remake Casablanca or Citizen Kane...NEVER!!!I did read online somewhere about a sequel,it begins when it is revealed that the money in the suitcase turns out to be counterfeit. I don't know anything about what follows after that.Sequels,like remakes,generally are inferior to the original.But I'd love to see another comedy on the scale of a "Mad World,"& wish they would get around to making one.The Great Race & The Russians Are Coming were also fun,huge comedy films.But "IAMMMMW" is number one in my heart to this day.

My sentiments exactly, Mike.

Mentioned above, "Rat Race" is along similar lines. While a decent comedy, I found many of the situations so implausible as to negate my suspension of disbelief.

Actor Alec Baldwin was the guest on Turner Classic Movies last night(11/20?'07)with host Robert Osborne,& one of Balwin's favorite movies is "Mad World,"so he chose that to be shown.He said that director Stanley Krammer must have been exhausted after shooting the movie & dealing with so many high-powered comedians.He also stated,that as an actor,he loves watching each & every performance & what you learn as an actor from all of the cast is you have to "commit" to your role,even when acting like maniacs as these characters all do.A fun nitpick:Why does Smiler Grogan say that the dough is all buried under a big w & not tell them that the big w are palm trees positioned like the letter w in Santa Rosita State Park? Would have saved the cast lots of running around in the park when they all got there...But the audience would have missed out on the fun in the process.

Every single scene Ethel Merman has in that one is an absolute howler.

Note: the tire screeches heard many times at the beginning of the movie are the same as when the Batmobile peels out in the old Batman TV show.

I was trying to figure out the direction of motion after the second pullover/share discussion. It seemed that they went back the way they came, but on Culpepper's map they appear to have continued on in the same direction. Also, he said they would reach a certain point and turn "south", and on the map it looks like they are travelling east. Yet, when they reach the turn, they all turn left (twice, in fact). Hey, at 3.5 hours running time, there should be a few nits to pick!

This last showing on TCM is the third time I've seen it, and I can honestly say it has gotten better every time. One scene I had to "rewind" was when the control tower asks Mickey Rooney "Who's flying the plane?" and Mickey looks over at Buddy Hackett who has the controls, and replies "NOBODY'S flying the plane!!" His expression and reading of that line are awesome.

A noted omission is Anthony Quinn who is the fellow giving Phil Silvers a hard time when getting a lift to the drug store for his sick wife.

By MikeC on Friday, April 06, 2001 - 9:12 am:

BTW: Here is a list of the cameo/brief appearances made by the celebrities (note: I'll try to explain the more obscure ones)

*Jimmy Durante is obviously "Smiler" Grogan
*The Three Stooges are the firemen at the air field
*Joe E. Brown is the guy at the end that says "Hey! Those ladders are unsafe!"
*Buster Keaton is the sailor that tries to hide Spencer Tracy. He says "What's going on?"
*Jim Backus (Mr. Howell) is obviously the guy flying Hackett and Rooney.
*Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (Jack Benny's sidekick) is Hackett and Rooney's cab driver.
*Ben Blue (a notable pantomime comic) is the guy flying the rustic plane.
*William Demarest (Uncle Charley) is obviously the police chief.
*Andy Devine (big bluff character player) is the sheriff that talks to Spencer Tracy.
*Norman Fell (Mr. Roper) is the aggressive cop that interrogates everybody at the beginning.
*Paul Ford (Colonel Hall from "Sergeant Bilko") is Colonel Wilberforce, the best supporting role.
*Sterling Holloway (did a lot of Disney voices, and various character roles) is the fire chief at the end, but I can't recognize him.
*Edward Everett Horton (character actor from the 1930's and 1940's) locks Sid Caesar and Edie Adams downstairs.
*Marvin Kaplan and Arnold Stang (broad comics, they both did voices for "Top Cat"--Stang was TC himself and Kaplan was Choo Choo) are the two gas station employees.
*Don Knotts is obviously the guy that Phil Silvers steals the car from/
*Zasu Pitts (character actress) is the switchboard operator in the police station.
*Carl Reiner and Jesse White (the original Maytag man, and a character actor) are the control tower operators.
*Peter Falk is the other cab driver, the one that drives Caesar and Adams.
*Stan Freberg is the deputy that is in the background when Andy Devine talks.
*Leo Gorcey (one of the Bowery Boys) is the FIRST cab driver, the one that takes Caesar and Adams to the hardware store. He says "Oh, sure!"
*Charles Lane (Homer Bedloe from "Petticoat Junction") is the nasty guy that refuses to let Rooney and Hackett into the country club.
*Mike Mazurki (hulking character actor) is the big dude that hijacks Phil Silver's car.
*Sammee Tong (the valet from "Bachelor Father") is one of the laundrymen next door to the hardware store (I can't spot him).
*Selma Diamond (Hacker, the baliff, from "Night Court") is the voice of Culpeper's wife.
*Jack Benny says "Trouble? Having any trouble?" and "Well!" to Ethel Merman.
*Jerry Lewis drives over Culpeper's hat.

The best part of the gasoline demolition by Jonathan Winsters is that when he drives off, the remaining last pieces of the gasoline station totally collapse, leaving absolutely nothing standing whatsoever.

According to the DVD, some drivers from the local area thought the gas station was for real and were shocked to see that the gas station was no longer there after the filming.

A sequel is apparently in the works.

http://www.edwardbassfilms.com/

Go to upcoming productions.

A noted omission is Anthony Quinn who is the fellow giving Phil Silvers a hard time when getting a lift to the drug store for his sick wife.

Sorry, that was Mike Mazurki, as Mike C. noted above.

This past Thursday,03/06/2008,the final Jeopardy question was '60's movies. The answer was "This seven letter movie had the tagline everyone who has ever been funny is in it." Of course it was IAMMMMW. Boy,if I'd bet everything on that question I could have really mad eout well.

And while that's a great tagline for IAMMMMW it also isn't true.Here's some of the top comics from that time who were not in this sensational film as either leads or cameos : Lucille Ball,Bob Hope,Danny Kaye,Red Skelton,Danny Thomas,Jackie Gleason,Art Carney,Groucho Marx,Charlie Chaplin,Harold Lloyd,Peter Sellers,Stan Laurel,Bud Abbott,Ed Wynn,Bert Lahr,Dick Van Dyke,The Smothers Brothers,George Burns,George Gobel,Bob Newhart,Steve Allen,Tim Conway,Tom Poston,Louis Nye,Imogene Cocoa,Red Buttons. Can anyone else come up with some other names of comedians who aren't in the movie?

We lost both Sid Caesar & Mickey Rooney in 2014.

They're all gone now.

BTW....NO SEQUEL!!!!

There's NO WAY you're going to get the top comedians of today to star in a slapstick comedy and keep the cost down to a minimal AND KEEP IT CLEAN.

Today's comics are primma donnas.

If they did make a sequel:

They'd all want top billing

They'd all want a lot of monologue or dialogue.

...and let's face it...to do a real funny slapstick today is near impossible.

Jerry Lewis....last surviving member died 8/20/17

Sorry...Barrie Chase is still with us

I didn't know Jerry Lewis was in that movie.

Let's not go killing off Carl Reiner yet please.