It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

I was a little surprised when I first saw this film, struck by the similarity between it and the 2001 movie Rat Race.  I’d previously seen that on cable or something and had never been aware that it was at least loosely inspired by an earlier movie.  Anyway, it’s a silly enough romp, but if you’re watching it for Buster, you’re in for a long haul without a lot of payoff.

Four vehicles driving through the desert witness a car flying off the road and down a steep embankment.  When several of the passengers from the other cars go down to check on the driver, they learn that the dying man had been speeding toward $350,000 he’d stashed away some years before.  Armed with the information he gives them as to the money’s whereabouts, the group of motorists initially tries to work out a plan to split the fortune between them, but that magnanimous feeling doesn’t last long.  It soon becomes a no-holds-barred race across California to claim the cash, winner take all.

This movie is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin.  A handful of ordinary people are all driven crazy by greed and start to do increasingly ridiculous and underhanded things as they try to outplay each other and get to the money first.  There’s hijinks galore in cars, trucks, bikes, and planes, outside ringers are alternately brought into and cut out of the plan, and it all builds to a knock-down drag-out head.

Plenty of familiar old-Hollywood faces in the crowd.  Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Buddy Hackett, and Mickey Rooney all get it on the action.  Famous names appear in smaller roles, too, although I’m not sure if these would’ve been cameos for all of them or if, for some at least, 1963 was before they made it big and these bit parts are just them working their way up the ladder (IMDb could tell me, I’m sure, but I’m not invested enough in the answer to do the work and find out.)  In this capacity, we can catch glimpses of folks like Peter Falk, Don Knotts, and, as the doomed driver himself, Jimmy Durante, Buster’s erstwhile partner from the latter period of his MGM years.

Unfortunately, Buster fits into this latter category as well.  He’s onscreen for less than a minute, playing Jimmy the Crook.  It doesn’t really matter who that is, because all he really does is try to stop a few cars.  And when the movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes long, it’s an awful lot of movie for very little Buster.

One thing I will say about this “role,” if you can call it that, is how very distinctive Buster is.  He’s first shown in a long shot where you don’t get a clear view of his face, but when I saw this film for the first time, I immediately recognized him due to the way he stands and walks.  That’s impressive, I think, to have a physicality so unique that it could be picked out of a lineup at long distance – only with Buster, people!

Warnings

Slapsticky violence, drinking, and plenty of “don’t try this at home.”