There can never be a true remake of this classic comedy. A few have tried claiming they were "inspired by" but have failed anyway. Stanley Kramer's epic "Comedy to end all comedies" had an amazing cast of comic actors old and (at that time) new which could never be recreated. It is a snapshot of a particular moment in time when comedians stretching back to the borscht belt and vaudeville met up with a new generation of comics working in clubs and on television. In fact many who had had small careers in films had found a much larger audience in the relatively new medium of TV. It may not be the funniest film ever made - that is every person's own opinion - but it is funny and succeeds in the impossible task of keeping up an atmosphere of comic mayhem for over its 2 ½ hour running time. Enormously popular in its day (it was the third highest grossing film of 1963) it has become a greatly beloved classic even now, over sixty years later. There is even a Criterion Collection edition.
It was written by British screenwriter William Rose, who had written the Alec Guiness comedy, "The Ladykillers". It was written originally as a madcap chase through Scotland. He sent an outline to director Stanley Kramer. I'd love to know why, because Kramer was a director of big, serious films with important social messages like "The Defiant Ones" (racism), "On the Beach" (atomic war), "Inherit the Wind" (freedom of speech) and "Judgment at Nuremberg" (the aftermath of World War II). He would seem like the worst possible choice to pitch a comedy to, but maybe the word was out that Kramer was interested in making a comedy, perhaps to not be typecast. Once things got going, the production, much like the film itself, took on a momentum of its own and soon practically every comedian in town was calling Kramer asking to be in it.
There are so many great actors in roles big, small and in cameos that it would take up too much space to name them all; there are plenty of online tributes to the cast and the locations that are worth checking out. It was great to see some of the older cast members like Jimmy Durante, Ethel Merman and Milton Berle go out with a big film that would be remembered. Actors in smaller roles often put in hilarious performances doing their usual schtick. Paul Ford as the bumbling Colonel Wilberforce had been the bumbling Colonel Hall on the Phil Silvers Show. Jim Backus as rich alcoholic Tyler Fitzgerald (it adds an extra laugh to know he was the well-known spokesman for Western Airlines whose tagline was "It's the only way to fly"); and Don Knotts in his nervous man routine. British comedian Terry-Thomas, with an exaggerated British accent and almost Gilbert and Sullivan patter-song delivery, got roles in major pictures for years afterwards. Some faces, like Sid Caesar, Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett and Jesse White ( later TV's Maytag repair man) were mostly known from television exposure, which is probably missed by newer viewers. One would have wanted to see the cameo actors a little longer and some were underused (Stan Freberg, Edward Everett Horton) but the movie was originally over three hours before being cut down a bit for theaters. The Three Stooges are only on for a few seconds and don't actually do anything but stand there but I can attest that they got a huge laugh from the audience just for being there.
All of the principals were at their best. Even when they didn't have a line, just watching their faces, especially Sid Caesar's, is hilarious. But it was Jonathan Winters in his first film role who is most remembered. His eight minutes of total mayhem in Ray & Irwin's Garage is one of the great comic scenes in any movie. Again I can attest that in its first run in late '63 the audience was in a state of total sustained pandemonium almost literally rolling in the aisles as this scene played out. I've never again experienced an audience in such a complete state of hysteria.
There's great support from the entire production team. Ernest Gold provided one of the great comic scores of all time, a mad carousel-out-of-control theme that creates the right mood during legendary animator Saul Bass's creative title sequence. Despite its assertive character the music doesn't try to dominate the film but drops in now and then to enliven a driving scene that would look dull if silent or to accent brief moments of pandemonium. It's a madcap score that fits a film that is virtually a live action cartoon. The film was beautifully shot in Super Panavision 70, which simulated a Cinerama effect without the "seams" created by the old three-camera process. And the scenery is spectacular with the Southern California desert, coastal towns and aerial footage. The editing, sound effects people and numerous stuntmen were all major contributors to the film's success.
Not everyone liked it and this is still true. Some people today may have trouble with the attitudes of the time period. A number of the critics of the day dismissed it as too dumb for words. But many critics of that era and before were very high-toned and felt only films of great intellectual depth were worth seeing. Bergman, yes, but not something like this. It took until the early 80's for film critics to loosen up a bit and admit they could like many types of genre films. Others found it too long and too slapstick and dependent on old stock characters like the mother-in-law from Hell. These accusations are true in their way but this was meant to be gargantuan and its excess is part of its nature. Also, a film made with a big budget had to be pitched to a large general audience and so it needed to have lots of broad humor and not be a witty comedy of manners or something like that. Besides, it's kind of an homage to the whole history of film comedy and actually uses a lot of classic silent comedy bits. All in all the film knows exactly what it is doing, building on its momentum to its conclusion with Kramer expertly weaving the multiple strands of the plot together. And it's still a Stanley Kramer film containing a deep, cynical observation that totally nice, everyday people can go entirely insane over money as can the entire culture. The movie ends with a nod to Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels", illustrating the universality and value of laughter on the simplest level with the oldest joke in the world.
EXTRA NOTE: A few major comics wanted to be in the film but couldn't for one reason or another. Bob Hope's studio wouldn't lend him out even for a cameo. Lucille Ball was too tied up with her TV show being taped for the coming season. Red Skelton's manager wanted him to be paid the same as the primary cast even for a cameo. Stan Laurel sent regrets but said he had sworn never to appear in a film again after Oliver Hardy's death and could not break his word.
It was written by British screenwriter William Rose, who had written the Alec Guiness comedy, "The Ladykillers". It was written originally as a madcap chase through Scotland. He sent an outline to director Stanley Kramer. I'd love to know why, because Kramer was a director of big, serious films with important social messages like "The Defiant Ones" (racism), "On the Beach" (atomic war), "Inherit the Wind" (freedom of speech) and "Judgment at Nuremberg" (the aftermath of World War II). He would seem like the worst possible choice to pitch a comedy to, but maybe the word was out that Kramer was interested in making a comedy, perhaps to not be typecast. Once things got going, the production, much like the film itself, took on a momentum of its own and soon practically every comedian in town was calling Kramer asking to be in it.
There are so many great actors in roles big, small and in cameos that it would take up too much space to name them all; there are plenty of online tributes to the cast and the locations that are worth checking out. It was great to see some of the older cast members like Jimmy Durante, Ethel Merman and Milton Berle go out with a big film that would be remembered. Actors in smaller roles often put in hilarious performances doing their usual schtick. Paul Ford as the bumbling Colonel Wilberforce had been the bumbling Colonel Hall on the Phil Silvers Show. Jim Backus as rich alcoholic Tyler Fitzgerald (it adds an extra laugh to know he was the well-known spokesman for Western Airlines whose tagline was "It's the only way to fly"); and Don Knotts in his nervous man routine. British comedian Terry-Thomas, with an exaggerated British accent and almost Gilbert and Sullivan patter-song delivery, got roles in major pictures for years afterwards. Some faces, like Sid Caesar, Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett and Jesse White ( later TV's Maytag repair man) were mostly known from television exposure, which is probably missed by newer viewers. One would have wanted to see the cameo actors a little longer and some were underused (Stan Freberg, Edward Everett Horton) but the movie was originally over three hours before being cut down a bit for theaters. The Three Stooges are only on for a few seconds and don't actually do anything but stand there but I can attest that they got a huge laugh from the audience just for being there.
All of the principals were at their best. Even when they didn't have a line, just watching their faces, especially Sid Caesar's, is hilarious. But it was Jonathan Winters in his first film role who is most remembered. His eight minutes of total mayhem in Ray & Irwin's Garage is one of the great comic scenes in any movie. Again I can attest that in its first run in late '63 the audience was in a state of total sustained pandemonium almost literally rolling in the aisles as this scene played out. I've never again experienced an audience in such a complete state of hysteria.
There's great support from the entire production team. Ernest Gold provided one of the great comic scores of all time, a mad carousel-out-of-control theme that creates the right mood during legendary animator Saul Bass's creative title sequence. Despite its assertive character the music doesn't try to dominate the film but drops in now and then to enliven a driving scene that would look dull if silent or to accent brief moments of pandemonium. It's a madcap score that fits a film that is virtually a live action cartoon. The film was beautifully shot in Super Panavision 70, which simulated a Cinerama effect without the "seams" created by the old three-camera process. And the scenery is spectacular with the Southern California desert, coastal towns and aerial footage. The editing, sound effects people and numerous stuntmen were all major contributors to the film's success.
Not everyone liked it and this is still true. Some people today may have trouble with the attitudes of the time period. A number of the critics of the day dismissed it as too dumb for words. But many critics of that era and before were very high-toned and felt only films of great intellectual depth were worth seeing. Bergman, yes, but not something like this. It took until the early 80's for film critics to loosen up a bit and admit they could like many types of genre films. Others found it too long and too slapstick and dependent on old stock characters like the mother-in-law from Hell. These accusations are true in their way but this was meant to be gargantuan and its excess is part of its nature. Also, a film made with a big budget had to be pitched to a large general audience and so it needed to have lots of broad humor and not be a witty comedy of manners or something like that. Besides, it's kind of an homage to the whole history of film comedy and actually uses a lot of classic silent comedy bits. All in all the film knows exactly what it is doing, building on its momentum to its conclusion with Kramer expertly weaving the multiple strands of the plot together. And it's still a Stanley Kramer film containing a deep, cynical observation that totally nice, everyday people can go entirely insane over money as can the entire culture. The movie ends with a nod to Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels", illustrating the universality and value of laughter on the simplest level with the oldest joke in the world.
EXTRA NOTE: A few major comics wanted to be in the film but couldn't for one reason or another. Bob Hope's studio wouldn't lend him out even for a cameo. Lucille Ball was too tied up with her TV show being taped for the coming season. Red Skelton's manager wanted him to be paid the same as the primary cast even for a cameo. Stan Laurel sent regrets but said he had sworn never to appear in a film again after Oliver Hardy's death and could not break his word.
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