Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: The "Every Man for Himself" Scene from "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"

Here's a wacky scene -- "Every Man for Himself" -- from a really wacky movie -- one of our favorite comedies, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

The story begins during a massive traffic jam, caused by reckless driver Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), who, before kicking the bucket, cryptically tells the assembled drivers that he's buried a fortune in stolen loot, under the Big W. 

The drivers, who meet by chance, include Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Phil Silvers, Ethel Merman, and Jonathan Winters. When negotiations for dividing up the buried treasure break down, everyone runs to their cars and the race for the money is on.

The 1963 movie runs three and a half hours and it's worth taking the time to watch it all.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

 

The Great Jewish Comedians: Phil Silvers (with Jerome Kern on The Ed Sullivan Show)

Our series on The Great Jewish Comedians has blossomed into a lecture on 15 of the greatest comedians that's now one of the most popular on our lecture circuit. It sold out the 575 seat auditorium at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton last winter. 

We've created a follow-up 90-minute lecture with 15 more comedians and it's scheduled for February 10 at FAU. One of the comedians we're featuring in the lecture is Phil Silvers.

Silvers (1911-1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". He starred in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S. Army post in which he played Master Sergeant Ernest (Ernie) Bilko.

He began entertaining aged 11, when he would sing in theaters when the film projector broke down (a common occurrence in those days), to the point where he was allowed to keep attending the same movie theater free of charge, to sing through any future breakdowns.

Silvers wrote the lyrics for Frank Sinatra's "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)". Although he was not a songwriter, he wrote the lyrics while visiting composer Jimmy Van Heusen. The two composed the song for Van Heusen's writing partner Johnny Burke, for his wife Bessie's birthday. Substituting Sinatra's little daughter's name Nancy at her birthday party, the trio pressed the singer to record it himself. The song became a popular hit in 1945 and was a staple in Sinatra's live performances.

He was a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show, where he appeared in a skit with composer Jerome Kern about Kern's famous song Old Man River from the musical Show Boat. 

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.