History Trivia / ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld

** Another comic offered a cameo appearance was Ed Wynn. It is believed by some that he was to have played the fire chief that appears towards the end of the film.

** ''Series/TheUntouchables''' Paul Picerni as one of the detectives at Smiler Grogan's crash site. When Picerni proved unavailable,,series costar Nicholas Georgiade was cast instead.

** In addition to Keaton, two other greats from the days of silent comedy - Creator/HaroldLloyd and [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] - were offered cameo roles. It is believed by some that Lloyd was to have played the Santa Rosita mayor and Laurel the man in the desert (ultimately portrayed by Jack Benny) that offers to help the Finch-Marcus team. Both turned down the roles; Lloyd was happily retired, while Laurel refused to work without deceased comedy partner Oliver Hardy.

** In addition to Keaton, two other greats from the days of silent comedy - Creator/HaroldLloyd and [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] - were offered cameo roles. It is believed by some that Lloyd was to have played the Santa Rosita mayor and Laurel the man in the desert that offers to help the Finch-Marcus team. Both turned down the roles; Lloyd was happily retired, while Laurel refused to work without deceased comedy partner Oliver Hardy.

** In a bit of clever casting Creator/BusterKeaton was originally supposed to have played Smiler Grogan, while Jimmy Durante was to have portrayed Jimmy the Crook. The roles were later switched.

** Jack Benny as Captain Culpepper (Benny wound up having an uncredited cameo).

** Arnold Stang's fellow service station attendant was originally offered to former [[Film/TheThreeStooges Three Stooges]] member Joe Besser. Besser, then playing the role of Jillson the maintenance man on the Joey Bishop Show, was forced to turn down the role after Bishop and Danny Thomas refused to let him out of his contract. The role was then offered to Jackie Mason, and finally to Marvin Kaplan.
** Series/TheUntouchables' Paul Picerni as the detective at Smiler Grogan's crash site. Picerni was unavailable; series costar Nicholas Georgiade was recommended for the role.
** Bob Hope was to have had a cameo, but was refused by the studio he was under contract to at the time.

** Another deleted scene featured Creator/DonKnotts trying to get to a diner telephone, which was being used by a waitress (Series/GreenAcres' Barbara Pepper).

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Several performers were considered for roles in early planning stages, or filmed scenes that were ultimately cut. They include:

** In addition to Keaton, two other greats from the days of silent comedy - Creator/Harold Lloyd and [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] - were offered cameo roles. It is believed by some that Lloyd was to have played the Santa Rosita mayor and Laurel the man in the desert that offers to help the Finch-Marcus team. Both turned down the roles; Lloyd was happily retired, while Laurel refused to work without deceased comedy partner Oliver Hardy.

** Others offered roles include [[Creator/AbbottAndCostello Bud Abbott]], Edward Brophy, Wally Brown, Creator/George Burns, Creator/Judy Garland, Judy Hollliday, and Ernie Kovaks. To this day, many believe Kovaks was slated to play the role of Melville Crump. WordOfGod said that this was never the case.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/EthelMerman's mother-in-law character was originally written as a father-in-law, with [[Creator/MarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] in mind.
** Creator/JudyGarland, who'd teamed with Mickey Rooney in numerous musical comedies in the 1930s and '40s, was originally supposed to play his character's partner. When she proved unavailable, her part was rewritten for a male and given to Buddy Hackett.
** Stanley Kramer tried to get [[LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] to appear in a cameo, but he declined, having vowed to never appear on stage or screen again after his partner Oliver Hardy died a few years earlier.
** Ernie Kovacs was supposed to star with his real-life wife Edie Adams, but he died in an auto accident before production began. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't intended to play Melville Crump, the onscreen husband of Adams' character.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/EthelMerman's mother-in-law character was originally written as a father-in-law, with [[Creator/MarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] in mind.

** Stanley Kramer tried to get [[LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] to appear in a cameo, but Stan had vowed to never appear on stage or screen again after his partner Oliver Hardy died a few years earlier, and he declined.

** Creator/JudyGarland, who'd teamed with Mickey Rooney in numerous musical comedies in the 1930s and '40s, was originally supposed to play his character's wife. When she proved unavailable, her part was rewritten for a male and given to Buddy Hackett.

** Stanley Kramer tried to get Stan Laurel of LaurelAndHardy to appear in a cameo, but Stan had vowed to never appear on stage or screen again after his partner Oliver Hardy died a few years earlier, and he declined.

** Although, in an odd inversion of RetroactiveRecognition, some of the cameos are by character actors and TV personalities who would have been readily identifiable to 1963 audiences, but are all but forgotten today.

** Although, in an odd inversion of RetroactiveRecognition, some of the cameos are by older character actors and TV personalities who would have been readily identifiable to 1963 audiences, but are all but forgotten today.

** Although, in an odd inversion of RetroactiveRecognition, some of the cameos are by early-'60s TV personalities who would have been readily identifiable to 1963 audiences but are all but forgotten today.

* AscendedFan: Of a sort -- PeterFalk had said that he had long been a fan of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, and was overjoyed to work alongside him in this film.

* HeyItsThatGuy: ''Everyone''. (for instance, Film/TheThreeStooges are firemen and [[SomeLikeItHot Osgood]] has his speech at the construction site interrupted by the cast climbing said building, and in another scene, Jack Benny ''and'' [[MythologyGag his Maxwell automobile]]...)

* PlayingAgainstType: Stanley Kramer was a director best known for dramas regarding social issues (''On the Beach'', ''Inherit The Wind'', ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' , etc.). Additionally, many of the cast were better known for being stand-up comedians or sitcom stars, as opposed to "pratfall" comics.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Ethel Merman's mother-in-law character was originally written as a father-in-law, with [[TheMarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] in mind.

* HeyItsThatGuy: ''Everyone''. (for instance, TheThreeStooges are firemen and [[SomeLikeItHot Osgood]] has his speech at the construction site interrupted by the cast climbing said building, and in another scene, Jack Benny ''and'' [[MythologyGag his Maxwell automobile]]...)

* HeyItsThatGuy: ''Everyone''. (for instance, TheThreeStooges are firemen and [[SomeLikeItHot Osgood]] has his speech at the construction site interrupted by the cast climbing said building)

* HeyItsThatGuy: ''Everyone''.

* EverybodyOwnsAFord: Chrysler sponsored the film to showcase its 1963 lineup. Almost all the heroes drive Chryslers. One of Ethel Merman's lines was written with a Cadillac in mind ("We're driving an Imperial and ''we're'' losing?), but was changed because Chrysler sponsored the film and not GM. It has a much more snobbish airs with a Cadillac.

* EverybodyOwnsAFord: Chrysler sponsored the film to showcase its 1963 lineup. Almost all the heroes drive Chryslers, even Phil Silvers' old Plymouth. One of Ethel Merman's lines was written with a Cadillac in mind ("We're driving an Imperial and ''we're'' losing?), but was changed because Chrysler sponsored the film and not GM. It has a much more snobbish airs with a Cadillac.

* EverybodyOwnsAFord: Chrysler sponsored the film to showcase its 1963 lineup. All the heroes drive Chryslers, even Phil Silvers' old Plymouth. One of Ethel Merman's lines was written with a Cadillac in mind ("We're driving an Imperial and ''we're'' losing?), but was changed because Chrysler sponsored the film and not GM. It has a much more snobbish airs with a Cadillac.