Reconstructing A Mad Mad Mad Mad World with its lost footage

There was never an official blueprint left by Stanley Kramer on just how the Roadshow version was constructed. After the film's 1963 premier, the film's cuts were tossed and nobody ever thought about reconstructing the film to its original state....until now.

Timing is EVERYTHING! In this case, the film's original music timing sheets are the key to matching what visual action took place during the sequences that there is only audio for.

These two pages represent a part of the missing visual sequence between Captain Culpepper (Spencer Tracy) and a character named Jimmy the Crook (Buster Keaton). This sequence comes right after Culpepper is told by a fellow police officer that he will not be getting his pension. Culpepper is enjoying a chocolate sundae as he calls Jimmy, who is on board his boat. You can see by the scripted conversation that Culpepper is inviting Jimmy to go on a "one-way" trip to Mexico. When Jimmy asks, "Is there
something in it for me?", Culpepper (who is dipping into his sundae) replies, "There's something in it for everybody, Jimmy". This mere 49.3-second scene changes the entire mind set of the ending of the film, as it is here we learn in advance that Culpepper is planning to betray everyone and take the money and run for the border.

I asked Mr. Harris if he is optimistic that this footage will be found. His reply? "I'm always optimistic." The search continues next month as Jim Kroeper (who located the long missing tracks) will attempt to find any extant trims which eneded up at Pinewood Studios in England, where some of the prints were cut.

Another segment that has recently been found, is the infamous Road Calls sequence that played in the theater lobbies, bathrooms and outside perimeter during intermission. What would happen is that the intermission card would appear, curtain closes and lights come up. 10 minutes later, as the audience have filed into the lobby, audio of police "road calls" can be heard, courtesy of speakers that are strategically placed at the snack bar, smoking areas and even the bathrooms.

For the first time since heard 1963, I am proud to be one of the few that has had the honor of hearing these three sets of Road Calls that are the voices of the film's policemen making random "calling all cars" bulletins across the police scanners. Here is a portion of the 6 1/2 minutes of radio calls....

"Come in all units. Come in all units. Over. F7 to Central: There is some pounding in the basement now, he's using the sledgehammer again, over"

"2168, 2154: the beer truck with Finch and the Englishman have stopped outside the Avis rent-a-car agency in Canyon City. They are going inside, over"

"2176, 2153: Pike, Mrs. Marcus and her daughter are back in the tow-truck and are proceeding west on highway 80 doing 70. over"

"389 daisy to Central: the plane's still in the air but they just buzzed the state highway and caused a 4-car car smash-up. over"

"F7 to Central: He stopped pounding with the sledgehammer now. It's all quiet in the basement again."

"2184, 2149: Sylvester Marcus still moving East on 94. Looks like he may be meeting his Mother pretty soon. over"

"2168, 2154: Finch and the Englishman have rented a blue Chevy and on their way again. over"

"427 echo to Central: The man Myers still sitting on a rock in the middle of the creek. He's shouting at the kid, but the kid's been gone for 20 minutes. over"

"F7 to Central: we can hear them moving in the basement again. Must be trying something else. over"

The "Radio Calls" never took away from the film. It merely continued the film's action, adding to the overall real-time length of the film's story.

It's interesting to note that speakers were immediately removed from the bathrooms when a frightened woman complained that she was startled by police noise while she was in the stall.

Mad about Souvenirs (and other assorted finds)

Being the huge fan I am of this film, I was quite ecstatic when Robert Harris handed me one of the original souvenir books that was sold at the film's premiere for $1. The book's center folds out to a 3-page spread of the film's original poster artwork. Candid photos of the film's cast adorn several pages of the book, while another section towards the end of the book is devoted to the cast's written blurbs of each other.

Robert Harris holds up Jonathan Winter's personal 16mm print of the film. This was supplied to Mr. Harris via Karen Kramer.

Robert Harris then handed me two very special souvenirs from Lawrence of Arabia. On the left, I am holding the original range finder that Director of Photography Freddie Young used for filming. On the right, I am holding one of the original lenses used in filming -- a 51mm lens used for close ups.

I wanted to include a picture of the many reel cans that sit in Robert's office that contain Stanley Kramer's original workprint. The rolls of work picture came from Linwood Dunn's collection.