A great time was had by many fans of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World yesterday at the 50th anniversary screening in Hollywood. It was held at the Cinerama Dome Theater on Sunset near Vine, the same place the film debuted a half-century ago, the same place I saw it the day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was great to experience it again there…with folks who love the film as much as I do.
As you know, the film features a lot of very funny people in a lot of very dangerous stunts. In that tradition, the screening was preceded by having a very funny man, Jeff Garlin, attempt one of the most dangerous, death-defying feats I have ever witnessed. He actually — and without a net or any safety equipment — attempted to moderate a panel with Mickey Rooney on it. Filmmakers these days usually don't risk a person's life like that. They do it all in CGI.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I have to report first on another event I attended. I'll recap Mad World Day in a day or so.