Turner Classic Movies is running It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World tonight (or tomorrow morning, if you want to get technical) at 1 AM. A lot of people know this is my favorite movie but I sometimes have to explain that it's my favorite movie when viewed on a big, big, big, big screen with a big, big, big, big audience. I like it a lot less on a small screen watched alone or with just a few, few, few, few people.
In fact, I think when I do watch it the latter way, my main enjoyment comes from how it reminds me of previous times when I saw it on a big, big, big, big screen with a big, big, big, big audience. It's one of those films — I could name several — that was made to be experienced like that. Even though I'm on the commentary track of the Criterion DVD/Blu Ray release, I do not recommend watching it that way except (let me put that in bold: except) to remind you of the happy time you had seeing it on a big screen with a big audience.
My lovely friend Amber has not seen it because I have not shown it to her because I have not been able to take her to see it the way it should be seen. I am not suggesting you not watch it or TiVo it tonight on TCM even if you have never seen it as God and Stanley Kramer intended it. I'm just suggesting that even if you see it repeatedly on television or home video, you haven't seen it until you've seen it as you should see it. Thank you.