Plot Summary

A group of strangers come across a dying many who tells them of a stolen treasure buried beneath a “Big W.” The group embarks on a madcap race to find the loot. Along the way, others are pulled into the the chase with everyone under surveillance by a police captain intent on solving the years old mystery of the stolen money. 

Review 

I have watched It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World more than a dozen times. I believe it is the funniest film ever made. This is especially the case when you consider the film was made in a time when the Hollywood code would not allow profanity, nudity and so many other things that seem to go along with comedies since the 1970s.

The story begins with five vehicles of strangers witnessing a car accident and discovering that the driver has hidden a considerable sum of money before he died. Each of the groups decides to go after the money. For a short time, they appear to be cooperating. Soon, greed takes over, and they embark on a wild and hilarious race to find the money. Each group employs a different strategy to get to the money first. Several hire airplanes while others enlist strangers and family members to help causing others to join the chase. Greed and desperation force the groups into hilarious situations that they deal with in often crazy ways. 

Little does everyone know that their every move is being monitored by a police captain intent on solving the original crime. He has spent much of his career on the case and wants to solve it before he retires but family troubles and police bureaucracy have him wondering whether he shouldn’t just go after the money himself. 

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World features an ensemble cast of comedic actors including Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney and Jonathan Winters. However, the cast is led by an actor famous for his dramatic roles. Spencer Tracy might seem an unlikely choice for the lead role, but he was a favorite of director and producer Stanley Kramer. Kramer was himself famous for directing and producing films that spoke to social issues such as The Defiant Ones, Inherit the Wind and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. 

Casting and filming must have been a significant challenge for casting director Lynn Stalmaster. Simply coordinating the schedules of so many famous actors and comedians had to have been a difficult task especially when you factor in the significant number of cameos and short appearances. There are so many cameo appearances that some are not even credited. At one point Jerry Lewis drives over a hat in the street. Several cameos did not survive final editing such as Barbara Pepper as a waitress in a diner where Don Knotts makes a phone call. 

With all the zany antics in this film, it is easy to overlook the quality of the visuals, sounds and stunts. Airplanes are flown through hangers and through billboards, several car chases occur, a hardware store and a gas station are demolished, and the film concludes with much of the cast swinging from a fire rescue ladder. It is not surprising that the film won the Oscar for Best Sound Effects and was nominated for five other awards including Best Sound and Best Cinematography.

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World was both a critical and commercial success and is still popular today with ratings of 71% for critics and 83% for audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Why You Should Watch It 

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” is a classic film that has delighted audiences for decades. The movie is perfect for anyone who loves slapstick humor, goofy characters, and crazy antics.

The film has been referenced and parodied many times in film and television and inspires comedians and filmmakers to this day.

Things to Watch For

The cameos and short appearances in this film are too numerous to list them all but here are a few to watch for:

  Jimmy Durante starts the whole crazy race by telling the strangers about loot before he literally kicks the bucket.

 
  Jack Benny is seen driving a car through the desert.

 
  Jerry Lewis drives over a hat that has just blown out of a building window.

 
  Buster Keaton helps Spencer Tracy ready a boat to make his getaway.

  The Three Stooges wait to put out any fires at the airport if Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett crash their airplane. 

Did You Know? 

If it seems unusual that Jack Benny wears a bowler hat in the film, there is an explanation. He is wearing a bowler because the role was originally offered to Stan Laurel. A long distance shot had already been filmed using a double for Laurel. It was easier to simply dress Benny in the bowler than redo everything. Laurel turned down the role because he had sworn never to perform again after the death of his long-time partner Oliver Hardy in 1957. 

The original runtime was over five hours long and Kramer came under a lot of pressure to shorten the film. The final edit came in at just under three hours and several cameos including scenes with Barbara Pepper, James Flavin, Don Knotts and Buster Keaton were cut. Knotts and Keaton had other scenes that survived final editing, but Pepper and Flavin were completely cut from the film.

The film was one of the last films to be shot in Ultra Panavision 70 format.

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World inspired several other comedic films over the years. Most notably, Rat Race (2001).

Our Rating (20)

Overall (5) Still highly entertaining sixty years after its original release, this film features enormous star power and quality sound and special effects. 

Star Power (5) The greatest cast ever assembled for a comedy. 

Movie History (5) The cast reflects the history of Hollywood comedy from the silent era through the 1960s.

Innovation (5) The film features high quality sound, music, visuals and stunts.