OT: Mad Mad World (was Re: Common World Idioms)

James Worlton wrote:
>
> This idiom always brings to mind the old movie (1963)
> "It's a mad mad mad mad world" with Ethel Merman,
> Buddy Hacket, et al. I'ts been a long time since I've seen
> it, but I remember at the beginning of the movie Buddy
> Hackett's (or was it Mickey Rooney?) character sees
> someone drive off a cliff (Jimmy Durante). When Hackett
> and his partner go down to investigate, Durante's
> character literally kicks a bucket -- oddly, they are out in
> the middle of nowhere -- and dies.
I saw this movie back when it first came out, and I hadn't
seen it since. But since the first of the year, it's been running
on cable, so I recently saw it twice. They are in the mountains
of California. Durante is thrown clear of his wrecked car
and lands with his foot near a bucket. When he dies, he
gives it a good kick. The movie is still funny after all these
years.

I can't think of a movie with more well-known actors in it.
Some of them were not well known at the time (Peter Falk,
for example). Even Moe Howard and Larry Fine make a
cameo appearance. (I can't find a reference, but Joe
DeRita was probably the third stooge.)

--Ph. D.