Mood: ‘It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Soundtrack, Opening Titles’ by Ernest Gold
3. One of your comfort movies/series that you have seen more than 3 times. (Once again, with thanks to @fredhincanada)
This is particularly an easy pick, especially at this time of year. The movie is Stanley Kramer s ‘It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’. This is a farcical and slap-stick comedy staring almost all of the comedic talents of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Just watch the tiles and see if you recognize any:
Now, I wrote ‘especially at this time of year’ above, and that is because this movie would generally be shown around Thanksgiving, at least in my ancient memories. I may have seen this movie upwards of 30-40 times, and about to add another viewing this very day!
This is one of those movies so beloved, so watched that you know each line and each cadence of each word. You know each music cue and sound effect and should you hear something in everyday life that sounds like it, you immediately recall ‘Hey, that reminds me of…!’
Another reason this movie resonates as worthy of the subject of this week’s question is my brother Doug. He passed away from a virulent cancer almost 7 years ago, but he and I could hold whole conversations with quotes from this movie. He even had a radio show at one time, using the moniker of ‘Mike Panic’, wherein he used sound clips of lines from this movie as intros and such. So, it will always bring the best (and bittersweet) memories.
If completely ignorant of the existence of this movie, here’s the opening scene that sets the plot for the whole hilarious film:
