As anyone who has read my memoir ‘Paperboy’ knows, I had an unhealthy obsession with this film at the age of ten. The audio clip ‘Terry-Thomas & Milton Berle’ sums up the once prevailing UK attitude to the US, as Thomas gives Berle a piece of his mind before getting thumped, and the fan trailer trailer is typically better than MGM’s in-house one.
Now that ‘Titanic’ has joined the roster of regular seasonal movies, it’s tempting to wonder if future generations will watch a fictional recreation of 9-11 for Christmas viewing pleasure – after all, both were real tragedies resulting in a horrific loss of life. Time transforms our perspective. ‘It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ now seems to belong to an unimaginably innocent world. Perhaps that’s the best criteria for a seasonal film.
There’s so much so very right with this film, isn’t there? Even its insane screen ratio of seemingly 87:1 is correct, in that the tale is entirely out of proportion and needs all the room it can get in order to tell it.
Watching a true ensemble of actors working towards a common goal in a movie seems so very odd to us now, it’s impossible to imagine it ever happening again.
Thank you for reminding the world of how mad, mad, mad, mad it once admitted to being. If only we were that honest now, perhaps we’d be able to laugh again.
Titanic was an accident – a tragedy yes, but simply a tragic accident. Whereas, 9/11 was an done intentionally with the goal of inflicting as much damage and carnage as possible. I can’t imagine someone romantizing 9/11 like James Cameron did with Titanic. So no – I doubt future generations will view a dramatic recreation of 9/11 pleasure around the holidays. Unless of course you are a member of or supporter of Al-Qaeda.
It’s almost a complete roster of the American comic actors of the ’50s, plus Terry Thomas. It is hysterically funny (as long as you don’t think about it too much) and gallops along so fast you’ve hardly got time to realize what is happening. Just say “the big W” in some groups and you’ll immediately have people describing their favourite bits. Love that movie, and I don’t have one favourite bit, although the explosions in the hardware store are pretty good and the calculations as to what share everyone should get.
I vaguely remember seeing it as a kid, being vastly amused, and somewhat confused as to what was going on. I don’t recall ever associating it with Christmas though.
It turns up around Christmas because it has no Christmas references at all, but is very, very funny. There are many people who appreciate something very,very funny with no Christmas references toward the end of December.
I suppose I don’t see humor as seasonal, so much as seasoning.
The spice of life!
When we returned home at noon today My husband looked at the tv guide and said that had he read it before we left he might have just stayed home because they were showing “It’s a Mad, etc. World”. Hope it’s shown again before New Years.
Enjoyed the post