The best comedy movie ever made debuted 50 years ago this month. Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was first shown publicly at the Cinerama Dome theater on Hollywood Boulevard on November 7, 1963. It was the first movie ever shown at that iconic theater. They were still laying carpet earlier in the day. It went into wider release the following week ... this weekend 50 years ago. The all star comedy cast was a virtual whos who from that era. The cast was so filled with top comedians, the script so completely packed with scenes, dialog and business that director Stanley Kramers first cut came in at over six hours. It was finally released at just over three hours. Even so, great scenes ended up being cut. Silent film star Buster Keaton had a side story line, almost all of which was cut from the theatrical release. All that was left was a cameo and one brief line ... and it wasnt even a joke. M4 World was Jonathan Winters major film debut, and he almost bailed out due to emotional issues. The famous plane through the Coca Cola billboard scene almost ended in disaster. The original plan for a paper billboard didnt work. It needed reinforcement. Splinters from wooden replacement got into the engine. Stunt pilot Paul Mantz barely made it back to the airport. The rented plane was almost destroyed. The scene where Phil Silvers convertible sinks into the river resulted in a frantic rescue. Phil didnt know how to swim. The part of the dentist, played by Sid Cesar was supposed to go to Ernie Kovacs, but he died just before production began. Real life wife Edie Adams, who played the dentists wife, stayed with the show and worked opposite Sid. Their scene in the hardware store basement was the first one shot. The shot with the torch spinning around and setting the stairs on fire took over 70 takes before it spun just right. This comedy epic has hundreds of behind the scenes stories. One of its best features is the historical record of so many Southern California locations 50 years ago. Some are still recognizable. Many are not. California state highway 74 heading into Palm Desert, the location of the opening scene, hasnt changed much at all. Most of the desolate desert floor locations are now six lane hioghways with not a vacant lot in sight. If you have never seen this movie, you should ... soon. Your mad if you dont. youtube/watch?v=Sla845GW9YM
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 02:57:44 +0000
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