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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Approved  |   |  Action, Adventure, Comedy  |  2 December 1963 (UK)
7.6
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Ratings: 7.6/10 from 27,477 users  
Reviews: 343 user | 59 critic

The dying words of a thief spark a madcap cross-country rush to find some treasure.

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Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations. See more awards »

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The money that fluttered away in the original 1963 film was counterfeit - "a red herring" - and the real treasure is still buried but down deeper in the ground. The sons, daughters and ... See full summary »

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Cast

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Ben Blue ...
Biplane Pilot
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Storyline

After a long prison sentence Smiler Grogan is heading at high speed to a California park where he hid $350,000 from a job 15 years previously. He accidentally careens over a cliff in view of four cars whose occupants go down to help. The dying Grogan gives details of where the money is buried and when the witnesses fail to agree on sharing the cash, a crazy chase develops across the state. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

california | race | desert | money | chase | See All (169) »

Taglines:

It's The Biggest Entertainment Ever To Rock The Screen With Laughter! See more »


Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

2 December 1963 (UK)  »

Also Known As:

It's a Mad World  »

Box Office

Budget:

$9,400,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$46,300,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(edited) | (restored video) | (extended re-edit) (Laserdisc) | (original) | (roadshow) | (extended)

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System) (35mm prints)| (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Edie Adams almost didn't accept the role of Monica, because her husband Ernie Kovacs had been killed in an auto accident a few months earlier. However, she did accept because Kovacs had died deeply in debt and she had vowed to pay off all of her husband's creditors (a pledge she was able to fulfill by accepting this and all other roles she was offered after his death.) See more »

Goofs

After Hawthorne's rental Chevy and Sylvester's Red convertible crash into the bridge, Hawthorne is hit in such a manner that he careens backwards over the bridge and a splash can be heard, implying he landed in the creek. Immediately after, Hawthorne's clothes are completely dry. See more »

Quotes

Ding Bell: You see our grandmother lives in Rosita Beach, see, and she's dying and she kinda like to have us be with her when she goes.
Benjy Benjamin: Otherwise she won't go.
[Bell bumps him]
Benjy Benjamin: Uh, she'll go!
See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening credits are set against an animated background that interacts with the credit lettering. See more »


Soundtracks

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
(1963) (uncredited)
Music by Ernest Gold
Lyrics by Mack David
Sung by an offscreen chorus during the Overture
Variations in the score throughout the film
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
A Comedy Classic that Still Holds Up...
28 December 2005 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

A couple of years ago, I finally managed to get IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD on video. I saw it as a kid and remember enjoying it but watching it again for 40 years later, I still found myself LMAO. This is still the granddaddy of all comedy/adventures directed by Stanley Kramer, who up to this point had only directed serious dramas like THE DEFIANT ONES and JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG. A dying man (Jimmy Durante) who was thrown from a car that careened over a cliff, tells a group of witnesses to the accident (Sid Ceasar, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters) that there is $350,000.00 hidden under a big "W" in a nearby town, which sets off one of the wildest, craziest chase comedies made in the history of cinema. A rather tired and haggard looking Spencer Tracy heads the cast as the cop on the trail of these greedy money-mongers and just about every comedian or comic actor alive in 1963 appears in this film, either in a starring role or cameo and despite this impressive gathering of the best comedic talent in the business, towering over all of them in one of her few film performances, is Broadway legend Ethel Merman, who gives the performance of a lifetime as Berle's shrew of a mother-in-law. Her performance alone makes IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD worth seeing. Check out this classic if you've never seen it.


67 of 79 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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