IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoration - Page 17

What Mickey Rooney has to say on any subject is very untrustworthy.

Also, he said bad things about "Mad World" for years (not sure why) .. but then changed his tune at some point (also not sure why).

Thats terrible.



what did rooney say, is this documented on a we site so I can read it?

I don't know what he said about this movie but every time I've seen him talk, Mickey Rooney proves that he's the embodiment of the stereotype of the miserable old bastard that hates everything in the world.

Didnt he do a commentary for the TWILIGHT ZONE DVD and he basically hated everything?

Rooney says ridiculous things.  Years ago, on The Tonight Show, he said he wrote a song in his dressing room, and he'd like to sing it -- and he proceeded to sing an old song my mother knew for years -- she was singing along with him.

On another talk show, he showed a home movie of Marilyn Monroe in 1954 and he said he discovered her at that party and suggested she change her name from Norma Jean Baker -- of course, by 1954 she was already a world-famous superstar.

It's amazing that someone with the true claims to fame he has -- for instance, the #1 box office star for 1939, supposedly Hollywood's greatest year -- and having perhaps the longest career anyone ever had in history -- feels it necessary to lie about things!  He has enough he can truly brag about.

About "Mad World":

In his 1967 autobiography, "I.E.," he said he was paid $100,000 for "Mad World" and proceeded to say he thought it was a lousy movie (in so many words ... I don't have it to quote exactly.)  Later, when I guess someone waved some money at him to appear in documentaries and commentaries, he suddenly changed his tune about the movie.  I think he's the type of person who says whatever sounds good at the moment.

Doubtful. The cost of such a movie would probably be beyond the financial means of many studios combined.

As for interviews, a documentary is included with the IAMMMMW Laserdisc box set. It's a truly entertaining piece with nearly all the main cast members in it except for Phil Silvers who had already passed away at the time of the interview, and Ethel Merman who I believe was still alive, but didn't participate for some reason. She was the poster girl of mother-in-laws worldwide!

I should fire up the Laserdisc player tonight. It's been a while since I last saw that flick.

http://www.povonline.com/notes/Notes120502.htm

The above link is to Mark Evanier's website in which he describes the 2002 showing of "Mad, Mad World" at the Egyptian Theatre. He briefly mentions some of the Mickster's comments at the screening.

Ethel Merman died in 1984; the documentary "Something A Little Less Serious" was from 1991. The producers would have needed to conduct an interview via Ouija board.

Since someone was quoted who said about "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" that "all of the best comedians of that time were all assembled in one fantastic movie," I want to point out again that this comment -- which is constantly repeated, even by Osborne on TCM -- is obviously false -- unless you don't consider Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, Groucho Marx and about a hundred others the "best comedians" or major comedians of that time.

I don't know who first said every major comedian of the time was in the movie (probably some publicist), but it's caught on like wildfire -- as have other false statements, such as "Cleopatra" (from the same year) being a boxoffice bomb.  It lost a little money (at first) for 20th Century-Fox because it had gone terribly over budget, but it certainly was no bomb, ranking #4 on the All Time Top Grossers list by the end of 1964 -- but that's another story.

I should rephrase that and say that most of the great comedians of that time were assembled for this flick.  They might not have gotten every comedian but quite a representation for the time period.  To my young mind all my favorites were there.  Of course, I realize that the promoters were just trying to sell their film.  

EVERY great comedian of the time was surely not there. PR. Spin. Old as T-Rex. However, the cast which did appear makes every line funny. Great script, great cast, great film. It's as much a part of me as my eyebrows, having been experienced for the first time very young in life.

I agree -- it's my second favorite movie of all time, and I've seen it about 25 times.

Even so -- I would have loved it if Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason could have been in another car.  I know they were both working on their new TV series in the summer of 1962 when the movie was filmed, so maybe they were asked and had to turn it down.

I've read Groucho Marx was asked to play the Ethel Merman role (as Milton Berle's father-in-law, not mother-in-law, of course), but turned it down.  I'd say Bob Hope was the biggest star comedian who's not in there -- I don't know why he didn't make a cameo, like Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny and the Three Stooges.  I also read Stan Laurel refused to do a cameo.

I believe Ernie Kovacs was supposed to be in the Sid Caesar role, with his real-life wife (Edie Adams) playing his wife.  Kovacs was killed a few months before filming began, but Adams went on to do the part, anyway -- which I think was originally offered to Judy Holliday, if I remember correctly (or she might have been offered the Dorothy Provine role, but I remember in the early publicity for this movie, long before filming began, seeing the name of Judy Holliday in the cast.)

I recall in Stanley Kramer's autobiography that he said that he did talk to Bob Hope, Lucy, and many others and schedules did just not work out. 

Saw HD "premiere" last night on MGMHD...looked and sounded great. Obviously no restored footage, but did have overture before the credits...there was also short intermission music as well as exit music.

One problem with seeing it in HD is that it makes the use of stunt doubles even more obvious.

Hoping, but not expecting, to see a proper restoration done soon.

Athough they had the music leading out to the Intermission, they didn't have the actual piece of music written for the Intermission, although that is on the DVD version. They also found the audio police calls, but they weren't included, but I think that probably was the MGMHD channel's choice.

It did look and sound great. I do think they could have used more space between the Overture and the Main Title, as it was too closely put together. It needed a bit of breathing room. I heard from a Fox person that it is or was being prepared for Blu Ray.

If a Blu-ray is coming, I hope Fox will get MGM to do it right.  Include the Overture, which was left off the DVD release.  Include the LD "Directors Version" as an extra, even if it is not in HD as the South Pacific Roadshow Version was not, since the trims are in poor shape.  And for goodness sake include the Police radio calls that were heard during intermission. 

The perfect world would be for MGM to pony up the cost and allow Mr. Harris to bring the Roadshow Version up to HD standards for a Blu-ray release, but with their money problems, serious money problems, that is not in the cards for the near or far future.  I can wait, but not sure MGM can wait.

Let me put it this way....

The best thing that could happen to IAMMMMW right now
is Warner Bros. acquiring rights to the MGM catalog.

That is the only way hope exists for getting the restoration
and roadshow version all of us want.
 
Otherwise, as it stands now, don't get your hopes up.

Well, MGM got a 4th extension on their bankruptcy, so it's not happening anytime soon:

http://www.deadline.com/2010/03/update-mgm-gets-more-time/

I imagine the condition of what was found a few years ago in the search for missing footage hasn't improved in the past few years.

That is absolutely the best thing that could happen to this film and many others.  This should be the last extension from their debt holders, as it almost did not happen this time.  The grosses for HOT TUB TIME MACHINE was not anywhere near what MGM had hoped they would be or needed to be.  They cannot get the money to start THE HOBBIT and may have to depend on New Line to advance the funds.  They have nothing of any importance in the pipeline with the re-make of RED DAWN the only thing there.  The debt holders may just take that WB bid for the library and try to sell off the name to someone else.  They are going to have to write off their investment lower than they expected, just as Sony and Comcast did a couple of years ago.
 

Everyone in America would have to see Hot Tub Time Machine 10 times at full price to pull MGM out of the hole. I would have taken Time Warner's offer.

MGM was hoping for a 30 to 35 million opening weekend on HOT TUB.  The film was estimated to cost around 35 to 40 million and they got approval from the debt holders to spend $40 million on marketing.  While they would not get the cost of the film back from US theatres they can use the opening to show the banks that they know what they are doing and work on a better interest payments and allow them some say in the future.  Since it only opened with only 13.7 the first weekend and should have a 60+ decrease this weekend, there are a lot of people having sleepless nights including the banks.  In fact today Sony announced that they are taking over the US distribution of ZOOKEEPER, a co-production between Sony and MGM, this fall.  The move was made to ensure that the marketing and release wasn’t affected by a reorganization that hasn't been settled. 

Some sad news: IAMMMMW star Dorothy Provine (Emmeline Marcus Finch) has passed away.

http://groups.google.co.bw/group/alt.obituaries/browse_thread/thread/cafdd73617a192cf/e38175f5d40502b7?show_docid=e38175f5d40502b7

Guys, 

 

Can someone educate me? I want to get the DVD as I never got around to buying it. I'm not going to wait for a blu ray but will pick it up when it comes. For now, a DVD would suffice.

 

I have the MGM UA Laserdisc of Mad Mad Mad Mad World. The box is dated 1991 with a run time of 3 hours and 8 mins or 188 minutes. I haven't played that in a while!

 

But I was reminded of the film last night as it was played on PBS. It's run time was roughly 2 hours and 36 minutes, about 156 minutes. The intermission was cut and spliced.

 

Amazon has one MGM DVD from 2003 and it's 161 minutes. There's a DVD from 2001 and it appears to be OOP.

 

The question is, is this the disc that's about the best you'll get now? In terms of run time? The extras I have on LD, so if they aren't on DVD, it's not the end of the world.

 

I think the run time difference between the aired version on PBS and the current DVD is due to the cut intermission. 

 

Thanks for your insights. 

I believe that's the best MAD DVD that's available now. (And I have the LD, too.)

Thats it for now. The oop dvd has a doc on there, the current does not both are listed on the dvd as theatrical version 2h 41m.

Thanks guys! Maybe I can find the OOP with the doc, if not, the newer one without the doc is fine. I imagine the newer one would have a nicer transfer.

Nope exactly the same just without the doc.

Who know the name of the black man whose car was driven off the road and down the hill. There is no information on the IMDB site. Was it step-and-fetchit??????

 

Nick Stewart - he was a black comedian that appeared as "Light'en" on the Amos & Andy TV show, Cabin In the Sky, and was in tons of moves from the Andy Hardy series to Stormy Weather to Abbott & Costello in Hollywood to Zombies On Broadway.  He can still be heard today as the narrator during the the boat ride for Splash Mountain at the Disney Theme parks.  A great talent that was unfortunately kept in limited roles.
 

"I said it before and I'll say it again, I didn't want to move to California."

 

I was wondering about him and if he was a cameo or a bit player.