MovieChat Forums > It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) Discussion > I loved this movie as a kid. As an adult...

I loved this movie as a kid. As an adult....not so much.

posted 11 years ago by VidaBoheme
13 replies | jump to latest

When I was little, I remember watching this movie with my dad and I laughed so hard that I almost couldn't breath. My favorite moments were the ending, when everyone goes flying off the fire engine and when Ethel Merman took a dive.

After Sid Caesar's passing, I decided to watch it again, mostly for nostalgic purposes and also because I hadn't seen it in so long that I forgot about many scenes. I have to say, I didn't really find myself laughing all that much this time. A few chuckles here and there, but no uproarious laughing fits. I will say that I loved Ethel Merman in this! She was great. And the cast was amazing for its time. I have nothing but respect for these icons.

I don't know if it's my being older, the film being older or just that I've now been exposed to hundreds of comedies over the years, but I wasn't feeling it this time. I really wanted to, since I purposefully sought it out for another viewing.

I'm not trying to offend anyone here that loves the movie and I'm not really interested in being attacked for having a different opinion. Just curious to see if anyone else feels the same way. Did you first see this movie as a kid? As an adult in the theater? More recently as an adult?

[–] snelling 11 years ago

I first saw this when I was about ten years old. I only saw parts of it here and there because it was on TV a lot in the 70s for some reason. I probably saw it for the first time in its entirety when I was in college. I thought it was pretty entertaining then. Notice I said "entertaining" and not "funny." It is a classic that commands respect for its very scope and the gathering of show business icons. What I never knew was how long it took to film this behemoth. The whole story takes place in one day (!) and they somehow had consistent weather so all the outdoor shots matched for every day of filming. I am guessing all the "locked in the hardware store" stuff was filmed on a sound stage and was done in less than a week. Same with the "Sylvester at home" and the "running up the stairs" at the end. I watch this about once every few years now because I own the DVD. It's not a laugh-out-loud comedy to me. It's just fun to see all these crazy antics unfold in the hands of the greatest of the great. It's a shame however to notice that 99% of the cast are now dead.

Enter my contest! I need help for a new signature! Maybe I'll choose yours and you'll win a cash prize!

[–] KillerMovieMan 11 years ago

Tastes indeed can and do change as we age. There is nothing wrong with that IMHO.

I can watch this movie every 6-12 months and I still get a few good out-loud laughs. Sometimes it's from different gags though, depends on my mood.

However the scene under the "Big W" when Buddy Hackett just looks at Spencer Tracy until Tracy looks back at him gets me every single time.

"Make like that's a nipple" John Bernard Books

[–] oregon-5 11 years ago

I saw it as a kid on TV, I think I could understand that alot othes people were really famous at the time. A true all-star film. I was lucky enough to see it projected about 10 years ago at the Seattle Cinerama. This was a much more enjoyable experience, since it was a 70mm print. To see all that deatil and then have more knowledge of the cast helped too. The 50th Anniversary Criterion DVD is worth it if you are a fan.

As an adult, I don't think my opinion has changed much. This film had a big impact on future comedians and I also think it harkens back to the era of
filmaking that could not be feasible today.

[–] LateNightCable 11 years ago

I first saw it, probably fifteen years ago. I remember it as being a fun and colorful film, an epic action comedy of three hours long. It is a very physical comedy for the length that it is, it hardly gives you a breather. And sitting down to watch it is definitely a commitment. But I bought it on disc recently at a discount, even though I'm not usually into a lot of slapstick, with characters yelling at each other left and right, and it's not the funniest movie I can think of. But it is fun, colorful, and unique. One of these nights, I'll pop it in again without falling asleep.

By comparison, The Sound of Music is four hours long, but the pace of that film is much more leisurely of course.
With Mad Mad World, you have to be at attention the entire time or you'll miss something.

" Cristal, Beluga, Wolfgang Puck... It's a f#@k house."

[–] turtletommy 11 years ago

Not sure using The Sound of Music is a good comparison- two completely different movies and it's just under 3 hrs long, not 4. I'm referring to actual runtime not TV telecasts. I disagree I think TSOM is nicely paced actually. With IAMMMMW I skip over some parts like most of the Tracey stuff which slows the film to a grind since I know the film well after countless viewings over decades. But overall I still get a kick out of Mad World.

[–] LateNightCable 11 years ago

I mention The Sound of Music only because of it's running time, in relation to it's watchability.
And every viewing of Sound of Music I've ever seen is a solid four hours.
But, with Mad World, you have to be on your toes for three hours straight because it's so busy.

" Cristal, Beluga, Wolfgang Puck... It's a f#@k house."

[–] fang123horn 11 years ago

There is quite bit of nostalgic films and TV shows that don't hold up but thank goodness IAMMMMW is not on that list.

[–] shelemm 11 years ago

I am still totally in love with this movie. Most of the movie is still comedy of character - listening to Sid Caesar go through the math, dismissing his wife's idea that Smiler Groan could be joking, Jonathan Winters talking about paying taxes, Buddy Hackett clamming up at the crash site, Milton Berle looking despondent and taking his fish pills, Spencer Tracy's wife talking to his daughter on the two telephones. Phil Silvers seeing Jonathan Winters driving the girls bicycle "what are you, some kind of a nut?" I mean, nobody would really say that to a stranger, but Phil Silvers pulls it off through his character portrayal.

I never laughed even as a kid at some of the cruel physical stuff, but I fell in love with these great comic actors portraying people with all their foibles.

[–] stimpy25 11 years ago

a little bit of history 1st. when my mom went into the hospital in Jan. of (1974) to have my brother. this was on tv and she was watching it to kill time i assume.

skip ahead many years later he claims me and him used to watch this on tv, but i don't remember that. i remember him buying the (1991) version of it on VHS back in the day. and to my knowledge i had never seen it at the time. well we watched it that i do recall and i fell in love with it. i'm sure i laughed out loud in many scenes but i don't remember which ones. the reason for me that i wanted to watch it was cause Mickey Rooney, Sid Caeser who i only knew at the time from the film "Grease' and i just loved him in that. i still do. Buddy Hackett i knew from the love bug. and the music man as well.

and prolly a few others i'm sure. but for me anyways, i wanted to see it i think mainly for Mickey Rooney, i became a fan of his during the time the tv series of the black stallion was on tv. and i used to watch that all the time. i loved it. and it turned him into my favorite actor of all time. than in my early teens after i saw Mad world TCM came around and i searched out his films i hadn't seen. i still seek his films out that i haven't seen. but Mad world and Boys Town are prolly my favorite films of his. though Boys town is my favorite film of his.

though i don't laugh out loud at the film like some did when they were a kid. that doesn't bother me, cause on how i am if i see a comedy enough times i know the jokes are coming and since i've heard them so many times i stop laughing at it. even though i still think the film is great. what i also love is the fact that my 7 year old niece loves this film as well!

how he got her to sit down and sit still and watch it is beyond me but she loves this film as well. i wish they still did do films like this. but unfortunally they don't. for those who grow out of the films i feel sorry for them.

yes there is music and films i don't like anymore that i loved as a kid. and tastes can change. but to me it feels like this films is different than a lot of other films, i love the writing, the acting, the directing. in short everything about it. what also makes this film even more a great film is hearing my 7 year old niece quote lines from it!

i don't think i had even seen the film at that age as far as i know.

[–] DrEinstein 11 years ago

My appreciation changed, but not for the worse.

When I first saw this movie, I was very young, and I loved cars. This is a wonderful movie for car lovers and car chase lovers. Other than that, I found it zany and quick-paced.

Now that I'm older, I am fascinated by the superb burlesque/Borscht-Belt/early-TV performances. Thomas and Berle, Silvers and Knotts, Shawn being "bugged" while chasing Thomas and Berle, Peter Falk saying anything, all the guys in the control tower, and the individual expressions and reactions of each actor in the ensemble scenes, such as divvying the shares and under the Big W.

Do I laugh out loud? Not really, because there are few surprises at this point. But when I "discover" something I hadn't noticed before, I might chuckle. My most recent chuckle was noting that Dick Shawn looks around the side of his windshield to shout at Finch at one point during his "I'm really bugged now" monologue.

[–] brooksshows 10 years ago

I was 4 years old when this movie came out. I remember seeing it on TV as a child, must have been '67ish... that's usually how it worked out in those days. I liked it for the car chases... anything with cars! It had a lot of funny people from the time in it, and I liked that too. Fast-forward 30 years or so, and I watched it again as an adult. I had a completely different appreciation for the movie.

I don't know of any other movie that better represents the actors/actresses of this era, and they are all at their prime. Well, except for maybe Spencer Tracy and Durante. The movie represents the comedy style of the era as well. The musical score is outstanding. There is just so much about this movie that nostalgically appeals to me as an adult who grew up in the 60s. It has become a sentimental all-time favorite.

I still appreciate the cars, but now it's not for the chases. I still appreciate the comedy, but it's not just for the bits. Watching this star-studded ensemble cast in such rare form never gets old. So I guess I am the opposite of the OP, I love (and appreciate) this movie far more today than I ever did as a kid.

[–] WinonaIsLovely 10 years ago

I've loved "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" ever since I first saw this enjoyable comedy in 1965, and will continue to do so. ---- Over the years I've kept a list of my top 100 most watched favorite movies. "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" is in fourth place. The only comedy movie I've watched more times is "Dr. Strangelove" which is in second place. ----- The other three top five are "Bad Day At Black Rock" in first place, "Girl Interrupted" in third place and "Animal House" ranks number five. ----- ----- Rusty

[–] hammer4 10 years ago

Tastes can and do change a lot from childhood, of course. What seemed very funny as a child might look silly and inane to a mature person. Also, sometimes many repeat viewings results in less enjoyment compared to when everything was fresh and unfolding before ones eyes for the first time.

In my case I saw this film when it was first released as a child and liked it. I was a bit overwhelmed by its massive scope and length not always positively. I may have seen the original uncut version, its hard to say, but it was a bit rough for a kid to sit through a film of this length.

Being able to watch it straight through without commercials is very significant. When I was able to do this I realized that I probably enjoy the film as much now as I did as a child, albeit not always for the same reasons.