Tropic Sprockets / It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

By Ian Brockway

Stanley Kramer’s “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (1963) is an old fashioned slapstick classic, a hyperactive road film. The noise may rattle some eardrums, but the movie boasts a who’s who of Hollywood comedians, great cinematography by Ernest Lazslo and some genuine madcap behavior by its stars, not to mention a wonderful title sequence by Saul Bass of Hitchcock fame.

This is a film by the MGM of old and it is total entertainment.

Grogan (Jimmy Durante) races off the side of the road, crashing his car. A group of people get to him: Ding Bell (Mickey Rooney), Benjy (Buddy Hackett) Finch (Milton Berle) and Melville (Sid Caesar) along with Pike (Jonathan Winters). The seriously injured Grogan tells the gang of three hundred fifty thousand buried under a “big W.” After his monologue which is dramatic as well as comedic, the gangster perishes among the rocks.

In a sequence reminiscent of “Who’s on First”, Melville attempts to decide how to split up the money, but everyone grows frustrated and selfish. Abruptly, it’s every man for himself and Finch is off to find the treasure with Emmeline (Dorothy Provine) and his mother-in-law. (Ethel Merman). Melville rushes to his car with his wife (Edie Adams) and Ding and Benjy are off, wheels squealing in a red VW Beetle.

Pike gnashes his teeth having a car accident with Mrs. Marcus, and is further interrupted by Otto (Phil Silvers). Pike gets into road rage with Otto who literally demolish a gas station. By the time Pike is through, nothing remains of the gas station aside from four planks.

While much of this is loud and silly, there is fun to be had in seeing Fitzgerald (Jim Backus) in the shower with Bloody Marys and making Old Fashioneds on a moving plane. A side-splitting highlight is Dick Shawn as Sylvester, the wayward son of Mrs. Marcus. The sight of him dancing with his shirt off like a jitterbug will have you in stitches.

This film is outrageous with non-stop physical comedy. While the slapstick antics may not be to all tastes, the sheer scope and breadth of this film is awesome. This coupled by the wondrous cinematography by Laszlo (turning the story into a moving Mad magazine), puts this film into the canon of excellent comedies.

The ending depicting everyone severely injured in the hospital is dark indeed and carries an unconventional and anti-capitalist message, under the guise of comedy.

“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” is available on Amazon Prime for free streaming.

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