MovieChat Forums > It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) Discussion > If "Mad World" was made earlier?

If "Mad World" was made earlier?

posted 10 years ago by mtw120
14 replies | jump to latest

Let's say "Mad World" had been made earlier, say in the late 30's/early 40's. Who would you have wanted in the cast?

- Capt. Culpepper - Wallace Beery
- J. Russel Finch - Jack Haley
- Melville Crump - Bert Lahr
- Benjy and Ding - Laurel and Hardy
- Mrs. Marcus - Kathleen Howard
- Lennie Pike - Edgar Kennedy
- Algernon Hawthorne - Arthur Treacher or Edward Everett Horton
- Otto Meyer - W.C. Fields
- Sylvester Marcus - ?
- Emeline Finch - ?
- Monica Crump - Paulette Goddard
- Cabbies - Jimmy Finlayson (first cabbie), Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (second cabbie), Shemp Howard (third cabbie)
- Smiler Grogan - Jimmy Durante (in 'older' make-up)
- Aloysius - William Demarest
- Biplane Pilot - Andy Clyde
- Tyler Fitzgerald - Arthur Housman or Jack Norton
- Detectives at the crash site - Edward Gargan and Tom Kennedy
- Ray and Irwin - Frankiln Pangborn and Johnny Arthur
- Sergeant - Vernon Dent
- Lt. Matthews - Bud Jamison
- Fire Chief - Harold Lloyd
- Col. Wilberforce - Billy Gilbert
- Nervous Man - Harry Langdon
- Miner - Max Rosenbloom
- Eddie - The Our Gang kids
- Fire Chief - Harold Lloyd
- Firemen - Moe, Larry, and Curly

[–] christopherbkk 10 years ago

A couple of changes or additions -

Emiline Finch - Anita Page (she'd be the right age and was very beautiful)
Mrs. Marcus - I don't know Kathleen Howard, but Mae Busch, Daphne Pollard or Mary Wickes made to look older would be brilliant.
Detectives at the crash site - Abbott and Costello (the scene was made confusing enought for the detectives, but Abbott and Costello would have confused it more)
Hawthorne - Alan Hale

[–] brtndr 10 years ago

Kind of surprised nobody mentioned this as a possible casting decision for the part of Sylvester Marcus on this post.

- Sylvester Marcus - James Cagney

Note: Maybe Cagney was a bit smaller than Dick Shawn and therefore not as physically imposing when looking at him, however, Cagney was a multifaceted actor who could play very intimidating manic mad men like none other. Also, Cagney was born in 1899, so if 'Mad World' was filmed in the late 30's-early 40's Cagney would've been around the same age as 40 year old Dick Shawn was, when the film was originally released in 63'.

[–] Big G-2 10 years ago

- Sylvester Marcus - ?

Also not physically imposing but would have been a radical and interesting departure - John Garfield as Sylvester Marcus! Many of Garfield's characters certainly had that temperament and stubbornness Sylvester Marcus possessed. Plus, there is an ever so slight resemblance with Garfield and Dick Shawn, at least much more so than James Cagney.

[–] brtndr 10 years ago

Yeah, John Garfield would make a pretty good Sylvester Marcus as well. Born in 1913, he would have been in his mid 20's to early 30's had, 'Mad World' been made in the late 1930's or early 1940's. A little more realistic age for the wild and crazy dangerous Sylvester Marcus character, in my opinion.

I guess my only reservation would be, if I had to choose between James Cagney and John Garfield for the part of Sylvester, is whether or not Garfield can play over the top crazy mad people, to brilliant comedic effect. I know that Dick Shawn and Cagney can, not certain that Garfield can. I would need some evidence and/or examples that John could pull off a part like Sylvester without coming across as a complete psycho that the audience ends up fearing and hating, before I'm completely comfortable with signing onto the whole, Garfield as Sylvester Marcus idea.

But, if Garfield demonstrated in a audition or a previous performance that he could handle the part? Then I'm definitely down with John Garfield as Sylvester Marcus for all the reasons that you mentioned.

[–] eric-1501 10 years ago

Sylvester Marcus - Mike Mazurki
Emeline Finch - Myrna Loy or Audrey Totter

[–] PillowRock 10 years ago

Of course, I realize that this is just a fantasy exercise.

However, if you really want to play "if it were made then", as opposed to "fantasy cast from that era", then you would need to pick a studio and limit yourself to actors that they had under contract (at least for the most part; it's realistic to "borrow" one or two people from other studios for a movie, but not much more than that).

[–] hammer4 10 years ago

Good point. Another consideration is most likely the applicable studio would have to limit the number of their major stars appearing in one picture.

It is interesting to look at all the possibilities though.

[–] coldnaps 9 years ago

Since they played in comedies and were good at it, why not William Powell, Myrna Loy, Gable, Harlow, Colbert, Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, Eddie G, Kate Hepburn, the Marx brothers, Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, etc?

And some non-comedy ringers such as Karloff, Bogart, etc.

[–] kcornelg 9 years ago

Somewhat surprised that Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton haven't been mentioned for roles in an earlier version of the film.

There's a theory that Buster Keaton originally had been offered the role of "Smiler Grogan," but wound up being replaced by Jimmy Durante, and Keaton eventually was cast as "Jimmy," the man at the taxi cab company who's directing the cabdrivers during the chase.

http://www.spoonercentral.com/Mad/ChrisCraft.jpg http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsK/9166-9736.gif

Couldn't Groucho Marx also have handled the role of "Otto Meyer" that was played by Phil Silvers? Maybe with Margaret Dumont as "Mrs. Marcus?"

If it is what it is, what is it?

[–] coreycitn63 9 years ago

Sylvester Marcus - Alan Hale Sr.

[–] coreycitn63 9 years ago

The little boy who directed Otto Meyer into the water: Spanky MacFarland.