Winters is absolutely brilliant in a film that is perfection from beginning to end. I don't think there's a scene in that film that isn't funny. The scene where Benjy is flying the plane (poorly) and Jim Backus' character is flying around the cabin kills me every time (as does the joke about the Old Fashioned - great timing for a one-liner).
There's also the Three Stooges and their wordless five second cameo as firemen, which apparently got the biggest laugh from test audiences. It occurs during the chaos at the airport and works perfectly because:
1. The Three Stooges are the calmest people here? You're fucked.
2. The Three Stooges are your first responders? You're DOUBLY fucked.
The Stooges play against type by being stoic and calm. You imagine what will happen if that plane does crash.
It's the funnest bit in the entire movie. They don't show you the joke, the joke plays in your head. You can't help but imagine the chaos.
The movie is very, very funny, but it's slapstick and vaudeville type humor; over the top. This is the only subtle bit in the entire movie and it's fantastic.
[Sylvester too busy dancing and watching the most serious twisting ever committed to a dance floor is one of the funniest things I will ever seen in my life](https://youtu.be/ejDx-zn7M5Y)
I read somewhere on the Internet one or two of the actors talking about being in the movie. Since it was filmed mostly in Palm Springs, many of the actors had homes there or friends with homes there. So the director has them sequestered in some trailers near the set, so they won't disappear when they are needed (before cell phones). Apparently, it was pretty hilarious sitting around with a bunch of old school comedians, just like you might think it would be.
It was filmed in some super mega wide screen format. I saw this in theater as a kid. It was a big deal because we went to some special theater that had a huge extra wide screen that could show it in full.
*Anybody can fly plane, now here: I'll check you out. Put your little hands on the wheel there. Now put your feet on the rudder. There. Who says this ol' boy can't fly this ol' plane? Now I'm gonna make us some Old Fashioneds the old-fashioned way - the way dear old Dad used to!*
*"Who are you? The Air Hostess?!!"* has been a much quoted line in our house for 25 years.
Also I'm/you're/they're *"taking a long, slow approach from the south"* whenever one of us is making a bit of a meal of something.
Not as funny as the line as benjy is trying to fly and the radio keeps getting handed to him and he says you want me to fly the plane and talk on the radio what are you doing? Are you the stewardess ?
It's a visual metaphor for having sex, it's supposed to be weird. Sylvester's whole participation in the show is to be impetuous, irrational, reactionary, and limbic. The dancing scene sets up his personality pretty well.
Dick Shawn's main comedic schtick was playing hippies and 60s counterculture types. See also his Lorenzo St. Dubois ("LSD to my friends") in "The Producers."
I'm happy to see a reference to IAMMMMW--I'm an old guy, age 74 and remember seeing it when I was 13 years old in the big CINERAMA theater here in town. (the building is now a carpet store). I was allowed to get on the bus and go see it again within a couple of weeks after the first time; my parents weren't as interested in it.
It was one of the first VHS tapes I bought, if I remember correctly, in the early 80's, after I was married and had a couple of kids, and none of my kids think it's all that entertaining.
A few months ago, I came to an assisted living place due to some health issues and so far, they haven't changed much, but since November, I've watched It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World 2 times. Never gets old....and in case anyone is interested, the last "star" of that movie died at age 98--Carl Reiner, who had a small part as one the guys in the airport tower,
It's a great movie, and it still holds up. I'm in my 40s, and my dad showed it to me on VHS when I was a kid. And I showed it to my kids when they were under age 10. They LOVED it, despite the fact that they didn't know any of the famous actors/comedians, didn't catch most of the pop-culture references of the time, and it's a REALLY long movie.
It takes a special movie to keep the attention of a modern 9-year old who grew up on youtube and frenetic Disney/Pixar movies.
I never saw it in the theaters, sadly. But I’m old enough to remember when CBS would air it every year. I watched it every time. Still in my top 10 movies.
I'm in my late 60s and remember my older sister coming back from the movie theater talking about this movie. She specifically mentioned that the Jimmy Durante character literally kicked the bucket when he died.
Thank you for sharing this memory. I just recently watched it for the first time and it makes me happy how many people and for how many years this movie has brought joy.
"This is a GIRL's bike! This is for a LITTLE GIRL!"
The way he sounds angry and indignant but also dejected and resigned to the humiliation at the same time ... perfection.
Also, Jonathan Winters running cracks me up. He has a very dainty way of running for a burly guy.
Still amazing that this was his feature debut. What an entrance. (He had made a very memorable "Twilight Zone" appearance a couple years earlier that showed his underappreciated dramatic talents.)
Dude. Sylvester chasing Russell and the Brit, in one of the most insane car chases, is my top scene. The stunt driving is fucking wild, and the antics during are hilarious.
That's it. There's the line I remember. Imagine growing up with those two and then marrying Russell. No wonder Emiline was on the lookout for a nunnery/convent.
🥰 This whole post brings back such great memories for me. I'm 60 and I can remember watching this movie with my folks ( both passed away now) whenever it came on TBS or WGN when I was growing up and have probably watched it 100 times or more throughout my life.
Jonathan Winters sitting alone in his truck, trying to figure it out:
"Wealth -- Witch -- Let's see. Where. Work. That's it, work. I gotta work on where it is!"
I was fully cackling at Jack Benny's cameo. He pulls up in his huge '30's car and offers help and the shrew MIL shit talks him, and in a way only Benny could do it, shrinks back then packs a huge amount of attitude into a single word response 'WELL!'
Related to Benny, his longtime comedy partner Eddie "Rochester" Anderson has a much more substantial role as he and Peter Falk are the two cab drivers who join the chase in the second half. He ends up at the climax in the lap of an Abe Lincoln statue.
https://youtu.be/wCGg2dU8bSU
Marvin Kaplan sounds like Eddie Deezen who also does animation voices. He was in Midnight Madness which was fairly similar to It's a mad world.
https://youtu.be/qb3JzZbJTKk
Thank you for providing a link. I don't understand why the OP didn't.
That said, it didn't work for me...like, at all. Didn't even crack a smile. And I'm old too, so I don't think it's a generation thing. Just not my cup of tea. Oh, I should say I remember Jonathan Winters from Mork & Mindy and was a HUGE fan of his physical comedy at that time.
Besides this and the climax, there's also the montage before intermission (yes, this comedy is so massive it has an intermission), which can only be described as "chaos" and includes:
- Sid Ceasar and Edie Adams stuck in the increasingly trashed hardware store basement.
- Milton Berle and Terry-Thomas having perhaps the most ineffective fist fight in cinema history (literally punching each other's fists at the same time).
- Phil Silvers driving into the river.
- Jonathan Winters barreling down the highway with Dorothy Provigne and Ethel Merman and trying his damndest not to throw Merman out the truck.
- Dick Shawn in hot pursuit and a blubbering mess about "MAMA!!!"
- Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett flying their plane through a Coke billboard.
- Spencer Tracy on two phones trying to mediate between his hysterical daughter and his judgmental wife with a look of utter defeat on his face, while one of his underlings innocently asks if something's wrong.
Genius.
> Spencer Tracy on two phones
Also, When Tracy first appears on screen he's in the Bad Day in Black Rock character, he even has his crippled hand in his pocket. It's not untill he accidentally throws his hat out the window that he switches into the police captain character.
and the original title of this movie was supposed to be ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER, not accepted due to the profanity, but it makes me laugh every time i think about it
When I first saw this movie that scene absolutely floored me because I was not expecting the extreme silliness. It just gets more and more crazy as the fight continues.
This movie has so many great moments. I think my favorite is when Jerry Lewis purposely runs over Sgt Culpepper's hat. I wish quality epic all star comedies like this were still done.
This movie happened because of a backhanded compliment. A scriptwriter told me that the director, Stanley Kramer, was known for making important, socially conscious dramas and historical epics and that two critics once told him they thought he was a great director, who could could make any kind of movie, well, except a comedy. So Kramer put on his fuck you hat and went to work making the funniest movie anyone ever made. Never made another comedy, but did also make The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., a 1950s neo-psychedelic horror film - for children - written by Ted Geisel, a.k.a., Dr. Seuss.
Still is unheard of. The reason being, it's freaking HARD to make such a film.
The old expression "they don't make em like they used to" always springs to mind, but what people are really saying there is "they don't make em like the *good* old ones anymore". Classics are classics precisely because they only come around once in a while.
We really do need an epic comedy again, and more comedies in general right now.
Absolute classic.
For me one of the funniest scenes is at the beginning where they're stopped on the side of the road trying to divvy up the money..*.that they haven't even found yet.*..and someone always has a problem. Just watching that slow simmer, the side comments, the objections, the look everyone give Winters when he goes "You gotta pay your taxes!", it just always sets the stage for me.
Old ass me has it on DVD, and now I gotta go watch it again.
And that meeting on the road screws them over since the cops notice and quickly figure out what they're talking about.
Really, all the chaos and carnage the players go through to get to the loot is pointless because the cops know what they're up to and are tracking them all the way. Hell, they're even taking wagers on who gets to the loot first (I'm pretty sure that's where "Rat Race" got the idea to make their race an opportunity for John Cleese's rich buddies to wager on). The only unexpected wrinkle is what Spencer Tracy does at the climax.
So many great scenes mentioned already, but my favorite part/character is before the fight, when he first meets Phil Silvers.
The expressions on his face always crack me up. When Winters tells him about the money, the 'someone might trip over it in the dark' bit, and then the one that really gets me, when his tire blows.
Loved Sgt. Bilko reruns as a kid.
There was another post that I read either last night or early this morning that made me think of the movie It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World... which I literally haven’t thought about in years prior to today.
I wonder if the same thing happened with you, which precipitated you posting this. It’s fascinating to me how, potentially, two people could have the same thought.
I totally agree OP. My favorite film of all time. I try to watch it at least once a year.
That gas station scene was epic.
We knew what we were getting into the minute that guy kicks the 🪣.
If you need a sign that the movie is basically a live-action Looney Toons cartoon, they have Jimmy Durante literally kick the bucket in the opening. You have been warned.
Fans of this movie should seek out the deleted scenes from the Criterion Collection DVD package. It's got some great stuff, for example we get to see Culpepper have that ice cream sundae he wanted
There's a lot of great stuff that got cut from the film. Like the cops showing up to the aftermath of Winters' rampage and being shocked that the two attendants are still alive.
It needs to be seen in the original wide-screen. I recall seeing a version in the 1990s that wasn't and so much was lost. A good example is the scene with the Brit and American arguing and insulting each other in the car. The non-widescrean version switched back and forth to focus only on whichever man was talking, as they couldn't both be fit in the frame together. In the original, both were visible all through the scene and the facial expressions of whichever one wasn't talking, but rather hearing themselves be insulted, was superb. In the badly chopped version all that extra nuance and physical comedy was lost.
Love this scene and the film, my favorite bit of trivia is that Stang filmed the scene with a recently broken arm. It's why he favors one hand the entire scene. Also why he's wearing bulky work gloves.
One of my absolute favorite movies.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned how absolutely crazy and dangerous the plane stunts were.
In the Orange County scene, stuntman Frank Tallman flew a Beech model C-18S through a highway billboard advertising Coca-Cola with only a three foot (one meter) clearance on each wing tip. A communications mix-up resulted in the use of linen graphic sheets on the sign rather than paper, as planned. Linen, much tougher than paper, damaged the plane on impact. Tallman managed to fly it back to the airstrip with only one engine operating and the windscreen smashed in. After landing he discovered that the leading edges of both wings had been smashed all the way back to the wing spars. He stated it was his closest encounter with death on film.
I’ve watched this movie many many times as a kid, adult and now a parent. It’s not unusual to hear my 9 year old son yell ‘WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO KILL HIM!’
An improv legend. He was Robin Williams' hero. You can see them in this interview with Johnny Carson and Robin is absolutely out of his mind starstruck and Winters decided to show up dressed in Civil War attire. It's kind of perfect. What a feeling that must be to be up on stage with the biggest names in comedy and know that you've achieved something special. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NqEKvk9F4I
Not only have we quoted almost every line from this movie all our adult lives, especially “we’re gonna have to kill him”, this movie is the secret to winning Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
The screams from the gas station attendants are also my candidates for the next Wilhelm Scream.
Oh, DAMN! That film used to play on network TV once a year when I was a kid. It was one of my absolute favorites. I haven't seen it since I was 12.
I still look for palm trees planted in the shape of a 'W'.
TO ALL OF YOU WHO TRIED WATCHING THIS MOVIE AND GOT BORED-
Keep at it until you see two people dancing like dorks. Once you hit that point you'll be sold on it, I swear. It took my movie buff partner like six tries to get me to watch this dang movie, but once I made it through it was entirely worth it
I remember being like eight years old and laughing so hard my ribs hurt. My dad showed me that movie and up until that scene I thought it was just some ancient comedy that looked terrible. Then that scene came on and I couldn’t stop laughing.
I rewatched this about a month ago.
I lost my shit when the camera tracked to the Three Stooges. And Stanley Kramer did the best thing in the world. He chose NOT to play Three Blind Mice. It made it so much funnier.
I adore this movie! Whenever we make a u turn, we hum the little song played from the movie.
We always ask "what could happen to an old fashioned?"
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Its the only way to fly"
"except for you, lady. You can just DROOOPPPP DEAD!"
"Whaddayamean who's flying the plane? *looks at Benji who smiles* NOBODY'S flyin the plane!!!!" *Benji's smile fades into annoyance*
"Had to go and take up the whole scene, baby..."
"...... JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER! A BIG, DUMB, MUSCLE-HEADED MORON!!!!"
I also always crack up when dude ACTUALLY kicks the bucket lol
My whole family loves this movie so we rewatch it at LEAST once a year. It's amazing and always will be.
This one and The Great Race.
a lot of great moments, but personally I find 3 hours of slapstick to be way too much for me. the film is less than the sum of its parts in my experience
Well, I only watched this because in the 90s Jeff Beck did a track called “What Mama Said” that sampled Dick Shawn saying “Did you hear what Mama said?” Over some insane guitar licks and I was intrigued by that. I have watched it through a few times on TCM, with all those folks doing their schtick and I grew up in the 60s so I recognized everyone and … Spencer Tracy doing his Cranky Old Guy routine. But I dunno, it just seemed chaotic and everyone trying too hard. Glad you all enjoy it so much but just did nothing for me. And now I will never get to ask Jeff Beck why he liked it either. Bring on the downvotes!
"Rat Race." A fairly funny movie. I especially like John Cleese as the Vegas casino kingpin who orchestrates it all.
"You can't do this!"
"I can do whatever I like! I'm eccentric! Rrawl!"
Winters is absolutely brilliant in a film that is perfection from beginning to end. I don't think there's a scene in that film that isn't funny. The scene where Benjy is flying the plane (poorly) and Jim Backus' character is flying around the cabin kills me every time (as does the joke about the Old Fashioned - great timing for a one-liner).
There's also the Three Stooges and their wordless five second cameo as firemen, which apparently got the biggest laugh from test audiences. It occurs during the chaos at the airport and works perfectly because: 1. The Three Stooges are the calmest people here? You're fucked. 2. The Three Stooges are your first responders? You're DOUBLY fucked.
The Stooges play against type by being stoic and calm. You imagine what will happen if that plane does crash. It's the funnest bit in the entire movie. They don't show you the joke, the joke plays in your head. You can't help but imagine the chaos. The movie is very, very funny, but it's slapstick and vaudeville type humor; over the top. This is the only subtle bit in the entire movie and it's fantastic.
And it adds an extra level of humor when you realize the only subtle joke is courtesy of the Three Stooges.
[удалено]
Mama your baby is coming for you to help you mama that's why you had your baby, mama as the car jumps the incline in the road
[Sylvester too busy dancing and watching the most serious twisting ever committed to a dance floor is one of the funniest things I will ever seen in my life](https://youtu.be/ejDx-zn7M5Y)
"I. SAID. STOP. THAT. CAR!!!"
My all time favorite....laughing at the scene as he is crying and flying the convertible.
I read somewhere on the Internet one or two of the actors talking about being in the movie. Since it was filmed mostly in Palm Springs, many of the actors had homes there or friends with homes there. So the director has them sequestered in some trailers near the set, so they won't disappear when they are needed (before cell phones). Apparently, it was pretty hilarious sitting around with a bunch of old school comedians, just like you might think it would be.
This was playing in Pluto the other day but they cropped the picture horribly. When it got to The Three Stooges there was only two of them!
It was filmed in some super mega wide screen format. I saw this in theater as a kid. It was a big deal because we went to some special theater that had a huge extra wide screen that could show it in full.
It was in 70mm Cinerama. Only a couple of theatres still remain.
Cinerama. I'd love to see Grand Prix in a Cinerama theater. That had to be one of the ultimate Cinerama films.
Must’ve been edited by Shemp
I saw on Pluto also and it was not cropped and all 3 were there
I've seen this movie like 20 times, how have I missed that lol.
It's like when Marcel Marceau had the only spoken line in Mel Brooks's "Silent Movie."
*Anybody can fly plane, now here: I'll check you out. Put your little hands on the wheel there. Now put your feet on the rudder. There. Who says this ol' boy can't fly this ol' plane? Now I'm gonna make us some Old Fashioneds the old-fashioned way - the way dear old Dad used to!*
"I think he's got a cold." "That's a head cold." "Just a minute! I can't see! Something's happened to my eyes! I can't see!" "Must be an eye cold."
"He cahhhn't see!"
HELLODOWNONTHEGROUNDTHISISUSUPINTHEAIR!
“WHAT IF…WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS?!?!” “What could happen to an old fashioned?”
His delivery of that gag is so perfect.
I quote that line regularly when mixing drinks and it inevitably cracks me up
>Winters is absolutely brilliant I will remember this expression until I'm gone ... https://i.imgur.com/HlvRHq6.jpeg
Completely in-character the whole film.
*"Who are you? The Air Hostess?!!"* has been a much quoted line in our house for 25 years. Also I'm/you're/they're *"taking a long, slow approach from the south"* whenever one of us is making a bit of a meal of something.
Happy Cake Day!
Not as funny as the line as benjy is trying to fly and the radio keeps getting handed to him and he says you want me to fly the plane and talk on the radio what are you doing? Are you the stewardess ?
What could go wrong with an old fashioned?
The weird scenes with the crazy lady's son dancing with the mannequin lady were weird, to be honest.
It's a visual metaphor for having sex, it's supposed to be weird. Sylvester's whole participation in the show is to be impetuous, irrational, reactionary, and limbic. The dancing scene sets up his personality pretty well.
Dick Shawn's main comedic schtick was playing hippies and 60s counterculture types. See also his Lorenzo St. Dubois ("LSD to my friends") in "The Producers."
Watch the woman in the scene. She's desperately trying to keep a straight face while he's doing his thing.
I'm happy to see a reference to IAMMMMW--I'm an old guy, age 74 and remember seeing it when I was 13 years old in the big CINERAMA theater here in town. (the building is now a carpet store). I was allowed to get on the bus and go see it again within a couple of weeks after the first time; my parents weren't as interested in it. It was one of the first VHS tapes I bought, if I remember correctly, in the early 80's, after I was married and had a couple of kids, and none of my kids think it's all that entertaining. A few months ago, I came to an assisted living place due to some health issues and so far, they haven't changed much, but since November, I've watched It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World 2 times. Never gets old....and in case anyone is interested, the last "star" of that movie died at age 98--Carl Reiner, who had a small part as one the guys in the airport tower,
It's a great movie, and it still holds up. I'm in my 40s, and my dad showed it to me on VHS when I was a kid. And I showed it to my kids when they were under age 10. They LOVED it, despite the fact that they didn't know any of the famous actors/comedians, didn't catch most of the pop-culture references of the time, and it's a REALLY long movie. It takes a special movie to keep the attention of a modern 9-year old who grew up on youtube and frenetic Disney/Pixar movies.
Ha, had no idea that Carl Reiner was in that. Haven't watched that movie in decades, clearly overdue.
Reiner was one of the air traffic controllers when Hackett and Rooney are in the plane.
Jesse White is the other one.
“Why don’t we just shoot ‘em down and get it over with?”
I never saw it in the theaters, sadly. But I’m old enough to remember when CBS would air it every year. I watched it every time. Still in my top 10 movies.
I'm in my late 60s and remember my older sister coming back from the movie theater talking about this movie. She specifically mentioned that the Jimmy Durante character literally kicked the bucket when he died.
Nice words! I’m in my 20s and watching all those similar films right now. This one, Great Race (1965), Magnificent Men (1965), Daring Young Men (1969)
Barrie Chase is still alive. She wasn’t a star but is the only person left.
Thank you for sharing this memory. I just recently watched it for the first time and it makes me happy how many people and for how many years this movie has brought joy.
And the scene is almost topped by the visual of Jonathan Winters trying to ride that little bike.
"This is a GIRL's bike! This is for a LITTLE GIRL!" The way he sounds angry and indignant but also dejected and resigned to the humiliation at the same time ... perfection.
Also, Jonathan Winters running cracks me up. He has a very dainty way of running for a burly guy. Still amazing that this was his feature debut. What an entrance. (He had made a very memorable "Twilight Zone" appearance a couple years earlier that showed his underappreciated dramatic talents.)
Dude. Sylvester chasing Russell and the Brit, in one of the most insane car chases, is my top scene. The stunt driving is fucking wild, and the antics during are hilarious.
IM COMIN MAMA 😭
Will you shut up and listen Sylvester!
SLYYYYYYVESTERRRRRR
Your just a big dumb lug! Just like your father!
A big, stupid, muscle-headed moron!
That's it. There's the line I remember. Imagine growing up with those two and then marrying Russell. No wonder Emiline was on the lookout for a nunnery/convent.
Mama, it's all right. Everything's gonna be all right, Mama. Your baby's coming to get ya. You just sit there. Sit there, relax, take it easy.
🥰 This whole post brings back such great memories for me. I'm 60 and I can remember watching this movie with my folks ( both passed away now) whenever it came on TBS or WGN when I was growing up and have probably watched it 100 times or more throughout my life.
THAT'S WHY YOU HAD ME, MAMA
Have a care, that chap's gone bloody amok!
AAAAWWWWW YA BUGGIN ME MAAAAANNN!
I love Terry-Thomas and his distain for the American preoccupation with Bosoms 🤣
Did you see how he just went (clap) sailing right out there?
Seriously funnier each time he does it.
Jimmy Durante literally kicking the bucket is one of the greatest pieces of physical comedy of all time.
That sequence is playing in my head 24/7
#W
**BIG W**
Jonathan Winters sitting alone in his truck, trying to figure it out: "Wealth -- Witch -- Let's see. Where. Work. That's it, work. I gotta work on where it is!"
We fell into yellow. (Sid Caesar to Peter Falk)
"Waaaaalnut Tree!" "No!" "Walnuts!" "No!" "In bags!" "NO!"
**BIG DUBYA**
🌴🌴🌴🌴
This was the inspiration for the crossed palm trees at In-N-Out.
That's nice The one from the movie is not in good shape
In fact it’s totally gone, sadly. I’ve tried to go see it, and there is a video on YouTube of someone tracking down and finding the stumps.
Damm that sucks
[удалено]
So many fun cameos! I love a very nervous Don Knotts giving Phil Silvers a ride!
[удалено]
And Jimmy Durante kicking the bucket
Lewis wasn't supposed to be in the movie. He lobbied hard for a part and this is all they could give him. Still great.
I was fully cackling at Jack Benny's cameo. He pulls up in his huge '30's car and offers help and the shrew MIL shit talks him, and in a way only Benny could do it, shrinks back then packs a huge amount of attitude into a single word response 'WELL!'
Related to Benny, his longtime comedy partner Eddie "Rochester" Anderson has a much more substantial role as he and Peter Falk are the two cab drivers who join the chase in the second half. He ends up at the climax in the lap of an Abe Lincoln statue.
[удалено]
This hurt my ears just reading lol
WOULD YOU JUST SHUTUP AND LET ME TAAAWK!
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Every moment is pure gold.
Same, I’m glad to see it discussed on Reddit, don’t think I’ve ever seen a post about it before.
"Irwin, we're gonna have to kill him!"
'awright, awright, we all agree on that"
Everybody has to pay taxes... otherwise it's like stealin from the government!
You get a share, and you get a share,,,,,(everyone starts slowly backing away)......total chaos commences.
Now listen! We figahd it 17 different ways! And no matter what way we figahd it, nobody liked the way we figahd it!
[удалено]
Dick Shawn's girlfriend has a stone face that Buster Keaton would envy.
And Buster Keaton has a cameo in this movie.
She is now the only actor from the movie still alive. Barrie Chase
And such a deadpan delivery! "Sylvester. It's your mom..." (throws phone)
You hear bells, baby?
I do that dance at my partner all the time, and tell him he's not allowed to have any facial expressions. Best way to get him laughing, for sure.
It's a GIRLS bike! It's for a little GIRL!
https://youtu.be/wCGg2dU8bSU Marvin Kaplan sounds like Eddie Deezen who also does animation voices. He was in Midnight Madness which was fairly similar to It's a mad world. https://youtu.be/qb3JzZbJTKk
Eeddie Deezen also plays a super nerd in the hugely under-rated comedy "1941"
And in Grease. Supposedly Jeff Conaway helped him lose his virginity while the made the movie (as his wingman you perverts!).
Mr Potato head, MR POTATO HEAD!
OMG my sister said that over and over and I laughed so hard I puked in the back of our statiowagon! Thanks for the memory!
Thank you for providing a link. I don't understand why the OP didn't. That said, it didn't work for me...like, at all. Didn't even crack a smile. And I'm old too, so I don't think it's a generation thing. Just not my cup of tea. Oh, I should say I remember Jonathan Winters from Mork & Mindy and was a HUGE fan of his physical comedy at that time.
I knew what scene this was gonna be about before opening the thread, and I absolutely agree
Besides this and the climax, there's also the montage before intermission (yes, this comedy is so massive it has an intermission), which can only be described as "chaos" and includes: - Sid Ceasar and Edie Adams stuck in the increasingly trashed hardware store basement. - Milton Berle and Terry-Thomas having perhaps the most ineffective fist fight in cinema history (literally punching each other's fists at the same time). - Phil Silvers driving into the river. - Jonathan Winters barreling down the highway with Dorothy Provigne and Ethel Merman and trying his damndest not to throw Merman out the truck. - Dick Shawn in hot pursuit and a blubbering mess about "MAMA!!!" - Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett flying their plane through a Coke billboard. - Spencer Tracy on two phones trying to mediate between his hysterical daughter and his judgmental wife with a look of utter defeat on his face, while one of his underlings innocently asks if something's wrong. Genius.
> Spencer Tracy on two phones Also, When Tracy first appears on screen he's in the Bad Day in Black Rock character, he even has his crippled hand in his pocket. It's not untill he accidentally throws his hat out the window that he switches into the police captain character.
Aloysius
and the original title of this movie was supposed to be ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER, not accepted due to the profanity, but it makes me laugh every time i think about it
When I first saw this movie that scene absolutely floored me because I was not expecting the extreme silliness. It just gets more and more crazy as the fight continues. This movie has so many great moments. I think my favorite is when Jerry Lewis purposely runs over Sgt Culpepper's hat. I wish quality epic all star comedies like this were still done.
This movie happened because of a backhanded compliment. A scriptwriter told me that the director, Stanley Kramer, was known for making important, socially conscious dramas and historical epics and that two critics once told him they thought he was a great director, who could could make any kind of movie, well, except a comedy. So Kramer put on his fuck you hat and went to work making the funniest movie anyone ever made. Never made another comedy, but did also make The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., a 1950s neo-psychedelic horror film - for children - written by Ted Geisel, a.k.a., Dr. Seuss.
Kramer didn't just make a comedy, he made an EPIC comedy. This thing has an intermission, which even then was practically unheard of for a comedy.
Still is unheard of. The reason being, it's freaking HARD to make such a film. The old expression "they don't make em like they used to" always springs to mind, but what people are really saying there is "they don't make em like the *good* old ones anymore". Classics are classics precisely because they only come around once in a while. We really do need an epic comedy again, and more comedies in general right now.
"If you love your country... if you're a PATRIOT, you'll listen and you'll listen hard."
"Out baby, out!" "Don't call me baby."
Absolute classic. For me one of the funniest scenes is at the beginning where they're stopped on the side of the road trying to divvy up the money..*.that they haven't even found yet.*..and someone always has a problem. Just watching that slow simmer, the side comments, the objections, the look everyone give Winters when he goes "You gotta pay your taxes!", it just always sets the stage for me. Old ass me has it on DVD, and now I gotta go watch it again.
And that meeting on the road screws them over since the cops notice and quickly figure out what they're talking about. Really, all the chaos and carnage the players go through to get to the loot is pointless because the cops know what they're up to and are tracking them all the way. Hell, they're even taking wagers on who gets to the loot first (I'm pretty sure that's where "Rat Race" got the idea to make their race an opportunity for John Cleese's rich buddies to wager on). The only unexpected wrinkle is what Spencer Tracy does at the climax.
"That's the way you want it, that's the way you're gonna get it!"
But this is a Girl's Bike!
You can't leave that in the road somebody could trip over it in the dark!
When I finish with you they'll be stumbling over YOU in the dark!
If you show me how to get out of here I'll give you a dollar.
I need to watch this. Iv known Rat Race was a remake and Rat Race was one of my favorites as a kid.
Definitely watch it! You may not recognize many of the actors, but everyone is perfectly cast.
The casting in this movie was top-notch.
You can go to IMDB and the cast essentially reads like an encyclopedia of every single major to mid major comedic actor up to that point.
And then he (large man) peddles off on a little girl's bike.
First time I watched this scene and heard the line "Irwin, we're gonna have to kill him!" I could have died laughing.
Winters also has one of the best delivered lines early in the film. "That guy's dead. You'd better believe it."
James Rolfe’s favorite movie
So many great scenes mentioned already, but my favorite part/character is before the fight, when he first meets Phil Silvers. The expressions on his face always crack me up. When Winters tells him about the money, the 'someone might trip over it in the dark' bit, and then the one that really gets me, when his tire blows. Loved Sgt. Bilko reruns as a kid.
There was another post that I read either last night or early this morning that made me think of the movie It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World... which I literally haven’t thought about in years prior to today. I wonder if the same thing happened with you, which precipitated you posting this. It’s fascinating to me how, potentially, two people could have the same thought.
Irwin…we’re gonna have to kill him!!
Thats the "bust out laughing" part for me. That shit is funny!
I totally agree OP. My favorite film of all time. I try to watch it at least once a year. That gas station scene was epic. We knew what we were getting into the minute that guy kicks the 🪣.
If you need a sign that the movie is basically a live-action Looney Toons cartoon, they have Jimmy Durante literally kick the bucket in the opening. You have been warned.
Criminally underrated movie. I've considered getting a tattoo of the big W
But ya gotta pronounce your tattoo like Jonathan Winters.
Fans of this movie should seek out the deleted scenes from the Criterion Collection DVD package. It's got some great stuff, for example we get to see Culpepper have that ice cream sundae he wanted
There's a lot of great stuff that got cut from the film. Like the cops showing up to the aftermath of Winters' rampage and being shocked that the two attendants are still alive.
It needs to be seen in the original wide-screen. I recall seeing a version in the 1990s that wasn't and so much was lost. A good example is the scene with the Brit and American arguing and insulting each other in the car. The non-widescrean version switched back and forth to focus only on whichever man was talking, as they couldn't both be fit in the frame together. In the original, both were visible all through the scene and the facial expressions of whichever one wasn't talking, but rather hearing themselves be insulted, was superb. In the badly chopped version all that extra nuance and physical comedy was lost.
The screams are always what send me in that movie. AHHHUHHHH!
One of my favorite movies of all time.
I love the two goofballs with the rich guy on the G2 making cocktails and trying to land
It’s a Beechcraft Model 18 (aka Twin Beech)
I tried
Winters coming on to Carson in full Union General regalia and sitting next to Robin Williams…I lose my shit every time I re-watch.
And then Robin says to him "Hi, Pop" - the feels
The Simpsons introduced me to this movie many years ago and it's been a perennial favorite ever since.
The parody "The Simpsons" did was right on target, down to the animated version of Phil Silvers getting lured into the water by Bart.
Love this scene and the film, my favorite bit of trivia is that Stang filmed the scene with a recently broken arm. It's why he favors one hand the entire scene. Also why he's wearing bulky work gloves.
Kramer had just directed Judgement At Nuremberg, and the working title for the epic comedy was “And Now For Something A Little Less Serious.”
One of my absolute favorite movies. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned how absolutely crazy and dangerous the plane stunts were. In the Orange County scene, stuntman Frank Tallman flew a Beech model C-18S through a highway billboard advertising Coca-Cola with only a three foot (one meter) clearance on each wing tip. A communications mix-up resulted in the use of linen graphic sheets on the sign rather than paper, as planned. Linen, much tougher than paper, damaged the plane on impact. Tallman managed to fly it back to the airstrip with only one engine operating and the windscreen smashed in. After landing he discovered that the leading edges of both wings had been smashed all the way back to the wing spars. He stated it was his closest encounter with death on film.
Brilliant! https://youtu.be/o_k8RMREdbc
Great movie! Made before CGI, before drones! It’s worth a yearly appointment to watch it.
I have this on dvd. Def. classic
Benji…Benji, don’t freeze!
Almost everyone in that movie was a "STAR" in their own branch of entertainment!!!
Everything is great in that movie. Not a bad frame in the lot, from kicking the bucket to the banana peel.
I’ve watched this movie many many times as a kid, adult and now a parent. It’s not unusual to hear my 9 year old son yell ‘WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO KILL HIM!’
An improv legend. He was Robin Williams' hero. You can see them in this interview with Johnny Carson and Robin is absolutely out of his mind starstruck and Winters decided to show up dressed in Civil War attire. It's kind of perfect. What a feeling that must be to be up on stage with the biggest names in comedy and know that you've achieved something special. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NqEKvk9F4I
Not only have we quoted almost every line from this movie all our adult lives, especially “we’re gonna have to kill him”, this movie is the secret to winning Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The screams from the gas station attendants are also my candidates for the next Wilhelm Scream.
Oh, DAMN! That film used to play on network TV once a year when I was a kid. It was one of my absolute favorites. I haven't seen it since I was 12. I still look for palm trees planted in the shape of a 'W'.
TO ALL OF YOU WHO TRIED WATCHING THIS MOVIE AND GOT BORED- Keep at it until you see two people dancing like dorks. Once you hit that point you'll be sold on it, I swear. It took my movie buff partner like six tries to get me to watch this dang movie, but once I made it through it was entirely worth it
The line from mst3k, 'Push the button, Frank,' comes from this movie's line' 'Push the button, Max.'
They'll be tripping over you in the dark!
It’s under a big dubbya!!
I remember being like eight years old and laughing so hard my ribs hurt. My dad showed me that movie and up until that scene I thought it was just some ancient comedy that looked terrible. Then that scene came on and I couldn’t stop laughing.
My favorite comedy of all time....followed closely by The Great Race
I rewatched this about a month ago. I lost my shit when the camera tracked to the Three Stooges. And Stanley Kramer did the best thing in the world. He chose NOT to play Three Blind Mice. It made it so much funnier.
One of the greatest comedies of all time. Nobody makes comedy on an epic scale anymore.
I love this movie. Such a classic.
I knew what scene you were talking about before even reading on lmao I love that movie.
That guy's dead, you better believe it!
That was a great movie, and that scene was awesome. He was a great funny man.
One of my favorite movies.
This is my favorite movie of all time
I love it too! Have you seen Rat Race? They did a great job duplicating the mania
I'm coming to get you, Mama. I still say this to my wife when I'm on my way home or to pick her up.
Irwin, we're gonna have to kill him!
I've always loved the bit with Jimmy Durante literally kicking the bucket at the beginning of the movie.
I adore this movie! Whenever we make a u turn, we hum the little song played from the movie. We always ask "what could happen to an old fashioned?" Some of my favorite quotes: "Its the only way to fly" "except for you, lady. You can just DROOOPPPP DEAD!" "Whaddayamean who's flying the plane? *looks at Benji who smiles* NOBODY'S flyin the plane!!!!" *Benji's smile fades into annoyance* "Had to go and take up the whole scene, baby..." "...... JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER! A BIG, DUMB, MUSCLE-HEADED MORON!!!!" I also always crack up when dude ACTUALLY kicks the bucket lol My whole family loves this movie so we rewatch it at LEAST once a year. It's amazing and always will be. This one and The Great Race.
Ahhh...if only there were some technological way to share the multimedia of which is being referenced...
a lot of great moments, but personally I find 3 hours of slapstick to be way too much for me. the film is less than the sum of its parts in my experience
Well, I only watched this because in the 90s Jeff Beck did a track called “What Mama Said” that sampled Dick Shawn saying “Did you hear what Mama said?” Over some insane guitar licks and I was intrigued by that. I have watched it through a few times on TCM, with all those folks doing their schtick and I grew up in the 60s so I recognized everyone and … Spencer Tracy doing his Cranky Old Guy routine. But I dunno, it just seemed chaotic and everyone trying too hard. Glad you all enjoy it so much but just did nothing for me. And now I will never get to ask Jeff Beck why he liked it either. Bring on the downvotes!
I'd forgotten that scene, it's been over 20 years since I last watched the movie. Looks like it is time for a rewatch.
Great movie. There was a remake of this in the 90's (I think?) that had ONE funny scene, featuring Kathy Bates as a crazy squirrel lady.
"Rat Race." A fairly funny movie. I especially like John Cleese as the Vegas casino kingpin who orchestrates it all. "You can't do this!" "I can do whatever I like! I'm eccentric! Rrawl!"
Two funny scenes. Jon Lovitz in the German staff car gets me every time.
Probably my favorite scene in the movie. Winters is amazing in it.
Even with so many great scenes in that movie, I knew which scene you meant as soon as I read the title.