History Trivia / ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld

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

*** 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.

* BigApplesauce: Berle hailed from Manhattan; Hackett, Rooney, and Silvers from Brooklyn; Merman from Queens, and Caesar from north of the border in Yonkers.

* {{Doorstopper}}: The script for this movie was apparently so dense that it was divided in two for each actor: one half had all of the dialogue, the other had all of the action.

* 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'' the ones in the Imperial and ''we're'' running last?"), but was changed because Chrysler sponsored the film and not GM. It has a much more snobbish airs with a Cadillac.
* FrillyUpgrade: Professional dancer Barrie Chase (Sylvester's deadpan girlfriend) took the role at the last moment, but found out later it was a bikini role (she felt she was 10 pounds overweight to comfortably do a bikini scene). So she requested a black bikini with frills: she felt the black would be slimming and the shaking frills would draw attention away from her extra weight.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: During the 1970s, ''Mad World'' producer/director Stanley Kramer considered reuniting much of the film's cast for a proposed movie titled ''The Sheiks of Araby''. ''It's a Funny, Funny World'', a sequel of sorts, was also proposed.

*** Among the deleted scenes in Culpepper's office were a series of telephone conversations with a "Dr. Chadwick" and an "Uncle Mike." The roles were respectively played by Elliot Reid and Morey Amsterdam.
*** Another deleted scene featured Creator/DonKnotts trying to get to a diner telephone, which was being used by a waitress played by ''Series/GreenAcres''' Barbara Pepper.
*** Yet another deleted scene featured Ding and Benjy helping a showgirl (Eve Bruce) with some suntan lotion.
*** Cliff Norton and King Donovan respectively played a detective and an airport official that appear at the Rancho Canejo airport. Neither role made it into the finished film. Strangely, Norton's name remained in the opening credits.
*** Phil Silvers was originally suggested for another one of the main roles.

*** Despite Don Rickles' later joking about the fact that he never appeared in the film, Stanley Kramer once claimed that Rickles was turned down because of scheduling conflicts.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/StanleyKramer was a director best known for dramas regarding social issues (''Literature/OnTheBeach'', ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'', ''Film/{{Judgment at Nuremberg}}'', etc.). Although admittedly the film, on top of being a suberb slapstick comedy, is a very effective social satire on greed. Additionally, many of the cast were better known for being stand-up comedians or sitcom stars, as opposed to "pratfall" comics.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/StanleyKramer was a director best known for dramas regarding social issues (''Literature/OnTheBeach'', ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'', ''Film/{{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.

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

* AllStarCast: Everyone from Creator/JerryLewis to Creator/TheThreeStooges is in this movie. Over five minutes of opening credits detail a parade of celebrity appearances.

* Defictionalization: The area where Grogan sailed right out there on California State Route 74 is now known as Smiler's Point, a sought-after location for fans.

*** Others offered roles include [[Creator/AbbottAndCostello Bud Abbott]], Edward Brophy, Wally Brown, Creator/GeorgeBurns, Creator/JudyGarland, Judy Holliday, and Creator/ErnieKovacs. (To this day, many believe Kovacs was slated to play the role of Melville Crump, thereby teaming with his real-life wife Edie Adams; however, WordOfGod said that this was never the case.)

*** Others offered roles include [[Creator/AbbottAndCostello Bud Abbott]], Edward Brophy, Wally Brown, Creator/GeorgeBurns, Creator/JudyGarland, Judy Hollliday, and Ernie Kovacs. (To this day, many believe Kovacs was slated to play the role of Melville Crump; however, WordOfGod said that this was never the case.)

* HeyItsThatGuy: ''Everyone''. (for instance, Film/TheThreeStooges are firemen and [[Film/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]]...)
** Although, in an odd inversion of RetroactiveRecognition, some of the cameos are by relatively minor character actors and TV personalities who might have been readily identifiable to 1963 audiences, but are all but forgotten today.
* HeyItsThatVoice: Among the many cameos are [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Pete Puma]], WesternAnimation/MrMagoo, [[WesternAnimation/TopCat Top Cat and Choo-Choo]], Disney/WinnieThePooh, and the ''[[WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle Fractured Fairy Tales]]'' narrator.

*** Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton as two of the main players.
**** Skelton passed due to his television commitments. He eventually agreed to do a cameo, but was refused by Stanley Kramer after requesting too much money.

*** 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) who 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.

* AllStarCast: Everyone from Creator/JerryLewis to Creator/TheThreeStooges is in this movie.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: During the 1970s, Mad World producer/director Stanley Kramer considered reuniting much of the film's cast for a proposed movie titled ''The Sheiks of Araby''. ''It's a Funny, Funny World'', a Mad World sequel of sorts, was also proposed.

*** Another comic offered a cameo appearance was Ed Wynn, who was to have played the fire chief that appears towards the end of the film (Wynn having starred in the ''Texaco Fire Chief'' radio program in the early 1930s). The part eventually went to Sterling Holloway instead.

** Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton as two of the main players.
*** Skelton passed due to his television commitments. He eventually agreed to do a cameo, but was refused by Stanley Kramer after requesting too much money.
** Creator/LucilleBall, Imogene Coca, Martha Raye, and Joan Davis as some of the main players' female companions.
** Creator/MaeWest or Sophie Tucker as mother-in-law Mrs. Marcus.
** Donald O'Connor as Benjy Benjamin.
** Jack Benny was originally tabbed to play Captain Culpepper. (After Spencer Tracy got the part instead, Benny wound up having an uncredited cameo).
** Creator/PeterSellers as Englishman Algernon Hawthorne. Sellers wanted too much money, leading Stanley Kramer to hire the next best thing (Terry-Thomas).
** 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 one of the detectives at Smiler Grogan's crash site. When Picerni proved unavailable, series costar Nicholas Georgiade was cast instead.
** Creator/BobHope was to have had a cameo, but was refused by the studio he was under contract to at the time.
** Jack Paar in the Jerry Lewis role.
** Barbara Heller as the biplane pilot's wife.
** [[Creator/MarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] was originally written in as a doctor that would have appeared at the end of the film to deliver the final punchline. The role was written out, but Groucho was offered a cameo role. He ultimately never appeared in the film. In a letter to a fan, Groucho jokingly said that he was to have played the Ethel Merman role.
** Among the deleted scenes in Culpepper's office were a series of telephone conversations with a "Dr. Chadwick" and an "Uncle Mike." The roles were respectively played by Elliot Reid and Morey Amsterdam.
** Another deleted scene featured Creator/DonKnotts trying to get to a diner telephone, which was being used by a waitress played by ''Series/GreenAcres''' Barbara Pepper.
** Yet another deleted scene featured Ding and Benjy helping a showgirl (Eve Bruce) with some suntan lotion.
** Cliff Norton and King Donovan respectively played a detective and an airport official that appear at the Rancho Canejo airport. Neither role made it into the finished film. Strangely, Norton's name remained in the opening credits.
** Phil Silvers was originally suggested for another one of the main roles.
** Howard Morris was booked to appear in the film. He ultimately filmed no scenes. It's believed that he was considered as a back-up for the role of the nervous man, in the event that Creator/DonKnotts was unavailable.
** In a bit of clever casting Creator/BusterKeaton was originally supposed to have played [[IronicNickname Smiler Grogan]], while Jimmy Durante was to have portrayed [[TheDanza Jimmy the Crook]]. The roles were later switched.
** 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) who 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.
** Another comic offered a cameo appearance was Ed Wynn, who was to have played the fire chief that appears towards the end of the film (Wynn having starred in the ''Texaco Fire Chief'' radio program in the early 1930s). The part eventually went to Sterling Holloway instead.
** Despite Don Rickles' later joking about the fact that he never appeared in the film, Stanley Kramer once claimed that Rickles was turned down because of scheduling conflicts.
** Others offered roles include [[Creator/AbbottAndCostello Bud Abbott]], Edward Brophy, Wally Brown, Creator/GeorgeBurns, Creator/JudyGarland, Judy Hollliday, and Ernie Kovacs. (To this day, many believe Kovacs was slated to play the role of Melville Crump; however, WordOfGod said that this was never the case.)

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/StanleyKramer was a director best known for dramas regarding social issues (''Literature/OnTheBeach'', ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'', ''Film/JudgmentAtNuremberg'', etc.). Additionally, many of the cast were better known for being stand-up comedians or sitcom stars, as opposed to "pratfall" comics.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/StanleyKramer was a director best known for dramas regarding social issues (''Literature/OnTheBeach'', ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'', ''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.

** Others offered roles include [[Creator/AbbottAndCostello Bud Abbott]], Edward Brophy, Wally Brown, Creator/GeorgeBurns, Creator/JudyGarland, 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.

** 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 (Wynn having starred in the ''Texaco Fire Chief'' radio program in the early 1930s). The part eventually went to Sterling Holloway instead.

** 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 (Wynn having starred in the ''Texaco Fire Chief'' radio program in the early 1930s).