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April 23, 2008 at 1:18 am |
You are my new personal hero, Paul. You (and your better half) have given Monica Crump’s lost scene under the Big W a soundtrack! Nice job on the voices — must have taken forever to synch it all up with Sid and Edie. And matching this scene with that mysterious instrumental segment from the official soundtrack album was pure genius! I’d always assumed that this musical segment was a variation of the underscore behind Mrs. Finch and Capt. Culpeper during one of their two brief scenes together.
Thanks for the link to Dave Woodman’s brilliant “Mad World” cariactures. I especially like the toothy Mickey Rooney, complete with those black sunglasses atop his head. Whenever I picture Rooney in this film, that’s what I’ve always seen — those gritted teeth during the initial race down the Palms to Pines Highway (or is it Pines to Palms?).
I first became a “Mad World” fan at the age of 10 when CBS showed it on New Year’s Eve in 1976. I remember it was immediately preceded by CBS’s final “Bicentennial Minute” — hosted by Pres. Ford!
Later when “Mad World” was shown again by CBS in May of 1978 and by ABC in the summer of 1979, I put my little Panasonic tape recorder in front of the TV so that I could record all 3 hours (sans commercials). This was about two years before our family bought its first VCR. I don’t even think we’d heard of VCR’s (or Beta-Max) in 1979!
I listened to my “Mad World” audio tapes nonstop and memorized all the dialogue — from Terry-Thomas’ anti-American rant (I had to look up coronary thrombosis in the encyclopedia) to every little stammer in Sid Caesar’s lengthy “you get 3 shares for being 3 people…” speech. Lord, how my brother & sister hated my “Mad World” recitations. They didn’t even want to climb trees with me because I’d always jump down and yell, “Emme-liiiine!”
I used to get out our “C” encyclopedia and look at the map of California to try and find places like Valley Center, Danby Junction, Plaster City, Silver Strand Beach, and Rancho Canejo. I remember finding Valley Center, a St. Silver Strand beach, and someplace called Canejo Rancho, but I nearly went crazy trying to find Santa Rosita! (I knew it was just sout’ a’ Dago.)
About 20 years ago, I learned about the unique “Mad World” intermission that had featured police calls. But not until I discovered your podcasts had I ever heard any of them! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Paul!!!! I recognized Chas. McGraw as Det. Matthews back at Central Division and the late Lennie Weinrib as “C-14,” but I confess not being able to keep straight all the other bit players whose voices might also be featured on these priceless recordings — Harry Lauter? Roy Roberts?
Thank you again, Paul, for your podcasts, your blog, and your entire “Mad World” website. Thanks for sharing your love and knowledge of this film with the rest of us! Thanks most of all for your efforts in the early 90’s to help give us some extra precious moments in (and en route to) Santa Rosita!
April 30, 2008 at 4:43 am |
Dear Paul,
I’m not exactly sure what this means, “In70mm.com” today (04/30/08) posted that a “new” print of “Mad World” is due in Los Angeles in 2009. Please don’t post this if you can, I’ll get on the horn to Bob Harris on Wednesday afternoon to see if I can find out what this is about. If I come up with anything I’ll call you tomorrow night.
My Best
Jim