MovieChat Forums > It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) Discussion > 159 minute version?

159 minute version?

posted 8 years ago by Faust
3 replies | jump to latest

The version shown tonight on TCM ran about 159 minutes. I may be off by a minute or so, but it ended at 10:41 pm and probably began at about 8:02 pm (the intro by Greg Proops wasn't very long, so I'll estimate it was two minutes.)

It had the overture and exit music, as well as an intermission card, so I was expecting it to be the roadshow version. Could it have been the 154 version extended a few minutes by the intro/exit stuff? But I can't believe TCM would cobble together an alternate version like that.

[–] nocomputer1962 8 years ago

Yes, it was the 154 minute version with roadshow music added to the beginning, intermission, and end. Having seen both versions, I actually prefer the tighter, shorter version, but it's weird that TCM didn't give its audience a chance to see the roadshow version as they have in the past. (Especially since they scheduled a three hour and fifteen minute timeslot, which would have fit the roadshow version.)

[–] HalHopandPop 8 years ago

Yeah, with the 3:15 time slot I thought we'd be getting the longer version.

I like both versions. Though most of the things cut aren't important, I still miss some of them because I grew up watching the 2-VHS long cut.

Milo, I've told you again and again - please, don't walk on the chickens!

[–] nocomputer1962 8 years ago

I have that VHS too. (In fact, a friend of mine got Edie Adams to sign the box for me!) Most of the long version is pretty forgettable to me, but I do like Milton Berle's line: "It seems unseemly."