It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | |
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Directed by | Stanley Kramer |
Written by |
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Produced by | Stanley Kramer |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo |
Edited by | |
Music by | Ernest Gold |
Production company | Casey Productions |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $9.4 million[1] |
Box office | $60 million[2] |
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American epic comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer with a story and screenplay by William Rose and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of comedians, is about the madcap pursuit of a suitcase full of stolen cash by a colorful group of strangers. It premiered on November 7, 1963.[3] The principal cast features Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters.
The film marked the first time Kramer directed a comedy, though he had produced the comedy So This Is New York in 1948. He is best known for producing and directing, in his own words, "heavy drama" about social problems, such as The Defiant Ones, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. His first attempt at directing a comedy film paid off immensely as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World became a critical and commercial success and was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning for Best Sound Editing, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Against Kramer's wishes, the film was cut by its distributor United Artists to reduce the film's running time to 163 minutes for its general release. In 2014 the Criterion Collection released a restored version that is closer to the original 202-minute version envisioned by Kramer.
The film featured at number 40 in the American Film Institute's list 100 Years...100 Laughs.