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It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World (1963)
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Eadie
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:


The studios' mentality is, "Produce it, release it, make as much money as you can . . . and then forget about it."



Except that today if the movie (or TV series) makes a LOT of money - make a franchise of it and "milk" it to death!
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Jonathan didn't mention that fact in any of his interviews — and the reason is obvious, since it's so deeply personal. So, I'm certainly glad you shared it.

Bud, another reason, and probably the main reason J.W. never mentioned his breakdown, is that back then there was a stigma attached to having a nervous breakdown, and being hospitalized for it. If he had announced it, there is a very good chance that it would have killed his career.

Back when DVDs were gaining in popularity, and the studios were searching for missing scenes and content, they found a man that had been collecting discarded film and other things for decades. He didn't steal it, he rescued it from the trash. Those hypocrites were talking about charging him with theft! For things they threw into the trash! This man saved and cared for all this movie history, and those S.O.B.s were talking about prosecuting him! I don't know how it ended, but I don't see how they could have him prosecuted for taking and saving what they saw as trash.

David.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jonathan Winters was asked if there was any improvisation on IAMMMMW with so many creative comedians in lead roles.

No, said Johnny, they all stuck to the script & Stanley Kramer insisted they did so with one exception, according to Winters.

Phil Silvers was the only one Kramer would allow to create any ''bits'' that weren't scripted.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Question: Would all the "fortune hunters" go to jail? If not, which ones would get off with little-or-no prison time?

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~ The Space Children (1958)
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 1:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sid Caesar and his wife destroyed a hardware store basement.

Johnathan Winters assaulted two men, completely destroyed their business and stole their truck.

Dick Shawn stole a car, and wrecked it and another.

Terry Thomas, Milton Berle, his wife and mother-in-law aided Johnathan Winters in the theft of the truck.

Phil Silvers stole a car.

Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett caused havoc in the air, destroyed a billboard and an airport restaurant.

Then there is the mayhem they caused on the roads.

No one's getting off on this one.

Looking at it, this is a pretty unpleasant movie. But it sure is funny.

They would never be able to do a film like this today, as most of the cast were over forty years old.

David.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I suppose it'll come down to how good a lawyer our ''merrymakers''get individually.

The Krumps were accidentally locked in the hardware store basement but all they did was try to get out.

Pike did steal the truck from the garage and topple their water tower. On the other hand, Ray & Irwin knocked him out and tied him up. All he wanted was to get back to the race.

Sylvester is indeed in trouble for his offenses.

Benjy & Dingy were not responsible for Tyler Fitzgerrald's boozing on the plane. Tyler left the controls of the aircraft in the hands of someone untrained.

All their antics in the air were their attempts to fly the aircraft. Including their crash landing.
They will be in trouble though for leaving the scene of the accident.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

______________________________________

This is from the Wikipedia article about this movie.
______________________________________

According to Paul Scrabo, Kramer began thinking about his success with Mad World during the 1970s, and considered bringing back many former cast members for a proposed film titled The Sheiks of Araby. William Rose was set to write the screenplay. Years later, Kramer announced a possible Mad World sequel, which was to be titled It's a Funny, Funny World.
_____________________________________

I don’t know what such a sequel would be about, but I have some interesting ideas about what might happen to the characters when they go to trial. The movie ends with Spencer Tracy saying the judge will probably go lightly on all the other people because, “he’ll have me to throw the book at.”

I started thinking about what crimes each person could be charged with, and I realized that there really weren’t as many as I’d assumed! I should point out that all the “fortune hunters” were completely unaware that the $350,000 was stolen money. They assumed (foolishly, of course) that it was buried in the park by a rich eccentric who bequeathed it to them just before he died.






So, the only crimes any of the fortune hunters could be charged with were the ones connected with their behavior during their race to be the first to get the money.

Here’s the rundown of potential charges, starting with the ones who committed few (if any) infractions.

All three of the ladies — Ethyl Merman, Dorothy Provine, and the smokin’ hot Edie Adams — were guilty of absolutely nothing.

Ethel Merman acted like a total bitch all throughout the movie, but she broke no laws. Even though she and Dorothy Provine rode in the wrecker Jonathan Winters stole, they were not complicit in the theft. In fact, they didn’t even know it was stolen (although Ethel accused Jonathan of “probably” stealing it).






Edie Adams never actually aided Sid Caesar in causing any of the damage to the hardware store, and in fact she frequently pointed out that he was causing damage to the property. Several times prior to that she even urged him to abandon the whole effort to go after the buried money.





Dorothy Provine was adamantly opposed to the whole caper from the very beginning, and she stated this right at the start. She even protests the idea by standing outside the group during their initial discussion.





So, these ladies would not be charged with any crimes whatsoever. Buddy Hackett is not guilty of anything either. He never even drove a car!

And the fact that Buddy and Mickey ended up in airplane with an unconscious pilot was certainly not a crime. Nothing they did in the airplane was the result of reckless or irresponsible behavior, and they managed to land it without causing any injuries. As Bulldogtrekker often said to me while we chatted online while watching movies together which featured airplanes or spacecraft, “Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing!”

As for Terry-Thomas, he only drove recklessly when he was being chased by the crazed Dick Shawn, and the policemen who were maintaining surveillance on all the fortune hunters witnessed this and could testify on his behalf.






I suspect that several of the other men who drove in an unsafe manner would only be charged with speeding and reckless driving, probably resulting in nothing more severe than a fine and a suspended license.

The men whose only crime was reckless driving are Mickey Rooney, Milton Berle, Peter Falk, and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson — the latter two of which admittedly drove VERY recklessly through crowded city streets and came shockingly close to hitting several pedestrians!

The two cab drivers would undoubtedly have their licenses suspended and be fired from the cab company. I looked up the penalty for speeding and reckless driving, and I found this.
_________________________

The maximum penalty for a reckless driving conviction is a $2,500 fine, a six month driver's license suspension, and up to a year in jail.
_________________________

As for Jonathan Winter’s situation, obviously it’s complex, and some folks might assume that his part in the destruction of the gas station would get him tossed into prison. But I think not. After all, he didn’t even start the fight!

In fact, he was knocked unconscious by Arnold Stang and Marvin Kaplan, tied up with heavy-duty tape, threatened by one of the men with a large wrench when he tried to get free, and struck over the head twice — which was the final provocation that started the fight.






Jonathan issued several verbal warnings, as well as demands to be released — after which it could be argued that he was defending himself aggressively while the two men continued to assault him. At one point Arnold Stang told Marvin Kaplain that “we’re gonna hafta kill ‘em!”





Remember, however, that after the prolonged and comical battle, we see Jonathan do the only undeniably illegal thing he does in the whole movie — he steals the wrecker belonging to Ray and Irwin.

Jonathan’s comic nemesis throughout the movie is Phil Silvers, and Phil only commits one crime, the same crime Jonathan commits. He steals Don Knots’ car when Don gives him a ride after Phil’s car is lost in a river.






The last character who ends up in the hospital and wonders if he’s going to prison is, of course, Captain Culpepper (Spencer Tracy).

The well-respected police captain inexplicably throws away a long career as an honest cop and concocts a plot to grab the stolen loot from the fortune hunters so he can escape to Mexico, shamelessly abandoning his wife and daughter. By doing so, Tracy was betraying the trust of all his fellow police officers, and he was disgracing the police department he’d served for decades — just a few weeks short of his retirement!

All that would seem to indicate that the respected police captain would be convicted of serious crimes that would land him in prison for many years.
______________________________

Now I’ll present some of my ideas about what might happen to these characters when they eventually go to trial. Just to keep this discussion from being a mere debate about legal issues, I’m going to frame my ideas as a proposed sequel to the movie.

It’s more fun that way. Very Happy

Suppose a big Hollywood director — whom we’ll call Stacy Krandell :win: — comes to the hospital where all the fortune hunters are recuperating, and he offers them free legal representation for their upcoming trial. Mr. Krandell promises that each individual will get the best defense attorney available, because he wants them to get off with the lightest sentences possible.

Why? Because Mr. Krandell intends to make a big-budget comedy about their incredible experience, and he wants the public to feel that all the fortune hunters are just average people who committed no serious crimes and will NOT be going to jail.

He also wants them to make public appearances for his studio and promote the film after the movie is released. But they can’t very well do that if they’re in jail!

Mr. Krandell has decided that the way to mount the strongest defense for all these people is to hire young and ambitious attorneys for each individual, rather than one big, expensive law firm to represent them all.

Again you might wonder . . . why?

Because a large, famous law firm would decide they probably couldn’t get everybody off with light sentences, so they would just urge the defendants who had the most charges against them to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentences.

But the Hollywood director thinks that if each of the young-and-hungry attorneys (several of which are a trifle shady) is fighting solely for the rights of his own client, all the fortune hunters will stand a better chance of acquittal.

So, this sequel to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a crazy competition between the determined young lawyers who all hope to show that there were mitigating circumstances which should be considered in each case.

Here’s an example of what these young Legal Eagles would do.

Phil Silver’s defense attorney could argue that his client did NOT steal Don Knots car. It was all just a misunderstanding caused by the fact that Phil asked Don to go into the drug store and call the FBI to report the location of the missing $350,000 while Phil “borrowed” Don’s car to trail some of the people who were attempting to get there first and retrieve the money!

Phil was just doing his civic duty! Very Happy

When Don Knotts testifies and refutes this claim, the defense lawyer subpoenas the man who needed Phil’s help delivering medicine to the man’s wife. This act of kindness, which caused Phil to loose his car and almost drown (which actually happened to Phil Silvers during the filming) would show the jury what a kind and caring man Phil was, thus swaying the jury in Phil’s favor!





]


In Sid Caesar’s case, his attorney would plead with the jury to imagine the terror he and his lovely wife felt when they suddenly realized they had been locked inside the dark basement for unknown reasons, with no idea when they might get out! The lack of lighting, fresh air, food, and water caused them to act out of extreme desperation.

According to the attorney, Sid used a sledge hammer to bang on the steel door, hoping to summon aid! And the lack of illumination forced them to light candles that tragically caused a fire which ignited the fireworks and in turn the, resulting in much of the unfortunate damage to the building.



[


Remember, no one witnessed what really happened in that basement. Naturally, the poor couple intend to pay for the damages to the hardware store, and they deeply regret the damage and loss of property that resulted from this “unfortunate accident”.

The crowning touch would be when the lawyer puts the owner of the hardware store (Edward Everett Horton) on the stand and has him testify that the police prevented him from letting the couple out for no apparent reason! The police detectives even restrained the poor man on the sidewalk when Sid and Edie finally came out of the Chinese laundry next to the hardware store and tried to act casual as they strolled off down the street!






The defense attorney has a field day with this damning bit of evidence against the prosecution! Very Happy

“So, Mr. Dinkle, you accidentally locked this poor man and his wife in the basement and turned out the lights . . . but the police literally forced them to remain down there for several hours, terrified and alone, desperately trying to escape! Under the circumstance, sir, I’d say the blame for the damage that occurred falls squarely on the shoulders of both you and the authorities . . . not on these poor victims!”

(Admit it folks, I should have been a lawyer!)

As you can see, guys, with the proper “spin” any situation can be made to look like something decent people might do under extreme circumstances.

However, in some cases, no “spin” is even required!

For example, Dick Shawn’s theft of the car and his suicidal driving wasn’t just a crazed and irresponsible act. The call he received from his raving mother caused him to think she had been brutally assaulted by her son-in-law and "some Englishman".

In the restored version he even screams that she might have been raped! Shocked

When he finally catches up with Sid Caesar and Terry-Thomas, he's bent on beating them both to a pulp!








So, Dick’s actions were the result of extreme distress when he thought he needed to come to his beloved mother’s aid. We know from a restored scene in the extended version that Dick took the car which actually belonged to the husband of Barrie Chase (his dancing girlfriend), who was an undertaker, according to the DVD commentary based on the production notes which provided "back stories" for many of the movies characters! Shocked

Whether or not Barris' undertaker husband would have charged Dick with the theft of the car or his cheating wife for taking it to go see her beach bum boyfriend would be entirely up to the poor husband! Shocked

But borrowing the car to rescue Dick's mother from a terrible situation wouldn’t be considered a crime by any jury! In fact, the jury would look upon Dick as a true hero who was literally flying to his mother’s rescue! Very Happy






And that brings us to the sad case of Captain Culpepper. Sad

He’s going to need a mighty sharp lawyer to present his actions to the jury as something less serious than they appear. But this movie gives us ample clues we can use to understand Captain Culpepper’s uncharacteristic behavior.

First of all, the professional triumph Captain Culpepper had been looking forward to for years — the solution to the Smiler Grogan Tuna Factory Robbery — was starting to crumble around him. Obviously he should have simply ordered all the men who were present when Smiler Grogan died to be brought in for questioning. Once these honest, law-abiding citizens learned that the hidden money was a stolen payroll, they would have told the police what Grogan said.

Remember, it would only take one of them to reveal the secret.

Instead, Captain Culpepper assumed they would all try to recover the stolen loot themselves. So he ordered dozens of law enforcement officers NOT to interfere with any of the action of the fortune hunters — despite the fact that their reckless driving was endangering the public!






Culpepper’s strategy was a huge mistake from the beginning, and the situation spiraled out of control hour by hour. The mounting tension this caused him was readily apparent.

Add to this was the fact that his plans for a triumphant retirement and his efforts to have his pension raised, after several decades of stagnation, were not working out at all. In fact, the town counsel threaten to reduce his pension if he insisted on having it increased, because Captain Culpepper had caused the cities whore house to be closed down! Shocked

And then poor Captain Culpepper’s family life suddenly imploded when his wife called to tell him that his sobbing, ugly-duckling daughter was not going to get married and leave home, as he’d hoped. This news interfered with his plans to enjoy a second honeymoon in Hawaii with his wife. Consider the scene where his wife is on one phone and the crying daughter is on the other, while Culpepper holds the two receivers and shouts hysterically as he tries in vain to take control of the situation.








It was obvious to Captain Culpepper that both his personal life and his professional career were crashing down around him, and he was powerless to prevent it. Sad

A skillfully attorney could present these facts to a sympathetic jury and have them realize that poor Captain Culpepper obviously suffered a serious mental breakdown, which explains his unorthodox actions prior to the fortune hunters’ arrival at the park. The strange calm that came over him during that time is one possible symptom of mental instability.

However, Captain Culpepper’s young, fast-taking attorney at the trial might choose to present his client’s actions as something other than an actual plan to flee to Mexico. After all, no one but Buster Keaton knew of this plan, so the lawyer would not be obligated to defend Culpepper for what he might have done . . . only for what he did do.

And what Captain Culpepper actually did do could easily be explained in another way.

At the trial, Captain Culpepper’s attorney would ask the jury to consider the possibility that the respected police captain was desperately attempting to regain control of his professional life by placing himself in sole charge of the suspect’s apprehension, to prevent any more tragic mistakes.

Here’s the impassioned statement the attorney would say to the mesmerized jury.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe Captain Culpepper was extremely concerned about what might happen if a few dozen gun-welding policemen suddenly charged into the park and surrounded these harmless people! Under those circumstances it’s possible that someone might try to flee . . . and get shot!”

Therefore, Culpepper’s intention (according to his attorney) was to give the fortune hunters a chance to take responsibility for their actions by turning themselves into the police — something which Culpepper actually did suggest to them!






The entire group agreed to do this, and after turning over the suitcase with all the money to Captain Culpepper, they followed his orders by piling into the two taxis and heading off to the police station.

“Captain Culpepper was wise to do that,” the lawyer would explain, “because he knew that having all the suspects in those two vehicles prevented any of them from just driving away. But . . . that was when a tragic misunderstanding suddenly occurred.”

When the two taxis carrying all he fortune hunters left the state park and headed towards the police station, they witnessed Captain Culpepper’s car leave the park . . . and head in the other direction!






Because of the greed and mistrust that had dominated most of the group, some of them incorrectly assuming that Culpepper was trying to escape with the suitcase filled with money! So, they turned around and pursued him.

The clever attorney presenting this scenario to the judge and jury would then spin a yarn worthy of the movie itself. Culpepper’s lawyer would suggest that the two cabs carrying the fortune hunters just wanted to stop Culpepper and reclaim the money so they could present it to the authorities when they surrendered themselves voluntarily!

But the lawyer would suggest that Culpepper perhaps went in the opposite direction so that he wouldn’t be following right behind the fortune hunters as they drove to the police station . . . because that would make it look as if he had arrested them, not that they were voluntarily surrendering.

In other words, the fortune hunters only wanted to get the money back from the police captain they wrongly assumed was trying to steal it, so they could turn it in when they surrendered. And Culpepper only went in the opposite direction to give the fortune hunters the chance to show that they trusted the authorities and wanted to do the right thing!

“And so, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, what happened next was a colossal misunderstanding that turned into a comical car chase through downtown Santa Rosita!”






”When Captain Culpepper discovered that the two cabs filled with angry, greedy people were pursuing him, he feared they’d changed there minds and wanted to retrieve the money. . . even if that meant doing grievous bodily harm to Captain Culpepper!”

The wild chase that ensued was the result of Captain Culpepper fleeing from the dangerous and desperate fortune hunters he mistakenly assumed wanted to steal the money and dispatch the poor police detective — the man who, unfortunately, had trusted them all to do the right thing!






“And so, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit that poor Captain Culpepper is the innocent victim of a tragic misunderstanding in which he diligent tried to do his duty while placing his trust in a group of law abiding citizens he’d hope would avoid unjust imprisonment by throwing themselves on the mercy of the court.”

(Notice how the clever lawyer has made everybody look innocent, not just Culpepper.) Very Happy

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, this noble servant of the law, this respected officer of the justice system, a man who he has served faithfully for decades, is desperately hoping you twelve citizens will grant him the justice he has risked his own career to give the poor people involved in this unfortunate situation.”

“Your honor . . . the defense rests” Cool

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Pow
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow Bud, clearly you've spent some time musing about our gang of "merrymakers'' and the aftermath of their epic adventure.

Random thoughts } Otto Meyer lied to the Don Knotts character identifying himself as a operative for the C.I.A.

DK can also testify that OM realized they were being followed by a helicopter and lied about it being piloted by enemy agents.

The prosecution will tear his alibi story apart.

Pike will be fired by his moving company & sued by the people who were awaiting his delivery of their items for their home.

Not only did it not get there in a timely manner, some of it was damaged. That little girls bike is history for sure.

The prosecuting lawyers will want to know why exactly did Captain Culpepper maintain radio silence during the chase.
Why did he not respond to urgent calls from his friend the Chief of Police?
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Bear in mind that I'm just addressing this (for fun) as a good defense attorney, a master of courtroom strategies. Naturally I'm not excusing the things the people did wrong. So, here goes my brilliant defense! Very Happy


Pow wrote:
Otto Meyer lied to the Don Knotts character, identifying himself as a operative for the C.I.A.

DK can also testify that OM realized they were being followed by a helicopter and lied about it being piloted by enemy agents.

The prosecution will tear his alibi story apart.

First of all, it's not against the law to tell somebody you're a policeman or a government agent. Guys in bars do it all the time to pick up cute, gullible chicks.

As long as you don't show a fake I.D., you're not a criminal, just a big fat liar. Very Happy

Second, it's Don's word against Phil's! And Phil's clever young attorney would get Don on the stand, pretend to suppress his laughter, and say this.

"Mr. Knotts, let me get this straight. You're claiming that Mr. Meyer told you he was with the CIA, that the police helicopter flying nearby was filled with enemy secret agents who'd already tried to kill him three times already, and the CIA would send reinforcements if you told them that . . . what was it? X-27? Yes, I remember now, that X-27 was in trouble. And . . . you actually believed that story, sir? Seriously?" Laughing

The judge and jury are in stitches at this point, and Don is squirming around in his chair, doing his famous "nervous Barney Fife" routine. I don't see that as "tearing Otto's alibi apart." Very Happy

And remember, all he has to do is convince a few of the jurors to believe Otto's more plausible story about attempting to follow a group of people who where acting recklessly while trying to be first to claim a buried fortune.

Remember, the police helicopter really WAS watching Otto to keep tabs on him (like all the others), and our brilliant Legal Eagle can ask the Santa Rosita police embarrassing questions about why they didn't just apprehend all the fortune hunters and ask them where the money was buried! Shocked

So, (the lawyer would point out) even though Mr. Meyer's actions might seem irregular . . . the cops where handling the situation very badly and actually causing all the confusion!


Pow wrote:
Pike will be fired by his moving company & sued by the people who were awaiting his delivery of their items for their home.

Not only did it not get there in a timely manner, some of it was damaged. That little girls bike is history for sure.

No argument on the firing, not to mention a prison term for grand theft auto. But concerning the truck, it was in an accident with the Imperial, and he used the bike to get to a garage that had a tow truck.

He found one . . . but after that, things didn't go so well. Rolling Eyes

However, the family can't very well sue the poor man for not delivering their stuff in wrecked truck, right? Cool


Pow wrote:
The prosecuting lawyers will want to know why exactly did Captain Culpepper maintain radio silence during the chase.

Why did he not respond to urgent calls from his friend the Chief of Police?

Again, our young Perry Mason will sweet talk the jury with his exciting story about how Culpepper left the park and drove in the opposite direction to allow the fortune hunters to turn themselves in without being accompanied by a policeman. But suddenly he discovered he was in the middle of a high speed chase, with fourteen crazy people in two cabs, which he mistakenly thought were trying to steal the money back and do him bodily harm!

Being an elderly man, poor Captain Culpepper had to keep both hands on the steering wheel and give all his attention to controlling the car so that he didn't plow into any of the terrified pedestrians who barely got out of the way!






After his car was disabled when the cabs ran into it in the alley, he got out and fled for his life — bravely taking the suitcase with him, because he was absolutely determined to recover the Tuna Factory payroll after dedicating more than a decade to solving a famous case which he felt would be the crowning achievement of his career as a peace officer!





"And of course, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Captain Culpepper knew full well that dozens of people had already notified the police about the three cars driving dangerously fast through the city. Therefore, Captain Culpepper was confident that help was on the way. He just needed to keep any of the fortune hunters from getting away with the money before his fellow officers arrived!

(Boy, can I lay it on thick or what!? I know it's total bull hockey, but it sounds so heroic even I'm ready to acquit him! Shocked)

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Pow, it just occurred to me that your challenging questions (speaking as the prosecuting attorney in this unique case) has generated so many interesting ideas that I think this really WOULD make a great sequel! Very Happy

Naturally I'm just having fun imagining this as something Stanley Kramer could have done back in the early 1960s. It's a fun creative exercise for us here in 2019.

Here's my idea. We start by getting six actors with distinctively different appearance to play the shrewd lawyers.

~ One who's young, lean, and handsome in an expensive suit.

~ One who's distinguished and middle aged with gray hair.

~ One who's short and chubby, but with a rapier-like wit.

~ One who's lean and good-looking, with longish blond hair and wearing casual "cool" attire (a Berkley professor who teaches law).

~ One who's a lovely and brilliant thirty-something lady that has already proven herself to be a formidable foe in the courtroom, fighting for recognition in a man's world.

~ And finally, a bright young attorney who's distinguished himself by helping low-income people in court cases against big corporations. He's a nervous little guy at first, because he wants to give his client a strong defense — despite how bad the case against him looks. But he gains confidence during the trial, and really shines as the story progresses.

Remember, at first each of these attorneys are out to get an acquittal for there own clients, and they don't mind throwing any of the other defendants under the bus if it helps their own cases! Shocked

But as the trial progresses, they all realize that the key to winning their cases is to convince the jury that the whole affair was a big misunderstanding, mostly caused by the misguided way the police handled the case, hiding the truth from the fortune hunters and actually allowing them to get away with reckless driving and destructive behavior!

So, these attorneys start working as a team, coordinating their "altered" versions of the events we see in the original movie by making their clients appear much less guilty (and less greedy) than we see in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

And here's the part I love the best!

For this sequel, Stanley Kramer has his original stars actually re-shoot numerous scenes from the original movie — and these new versions illustrate the testimonies being given during the trial!

For example, we see the Phil Silvers / Don Knots scene re-shot to match Phil Silver's version exactly, with him convincing Don to help him with the impassioned plea below.

"Listen, you gotta help me save a group of nice people who are about to make a horrible mistake! These poor people all think there's a fortune in cash buried in Santa Rosita state park, and they're racing down there to get it — hoping to be the first to arrive and get the cash. But they're so determined to beat each other that I'm really afraid somebody is gonna get hurt!" Sad

In the re-shot version of this scene, Phil comes off as noble and self-sacrificing, and Don is quick to agree that he wants to help.

Prior to this, we see a version of Phil's "mission of mercy" to deliver the medicine to the man's sick wife which shows Phil braving the rough terrain and heroically arriving at the man's house just in time! But then, when he tries to return to the main road, his car sinks in the river . . . and Phil accepts his fate heroically!






In other words, this sequel is composed of funny and well-acted courtroom comedy scenes with our team of diverse legal champions, and they're interspersed with re-shot scenes of events from the original film which paint all the characters as wonderful people!

Here's another example.

Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hacket are faced with the loss of their plane's pilot when he suffers a heart attack, and Buddy miraculously figures out how to fly the plane while Mickey renders first aid and revives poor Jim Backus!

Want another example? (I hope so! Try this one.)

Sid and Edie are trapped in the basement of the hardware store, and Edie soon begins to panic, pleading with her husband to get them out! Shocked

The air is getting thin, and the poor couple begin to fear for their lives! Sid heroically tries everything he can think of (the sledge hammer, the blow torch, the fork lift), but nothing works!

Finally he plants the dynamite against the wall and barely manages to light the fuse in the oxygen-deprived air! Sad

Half-conscious and fading fast, Edie tells Sid that if she doesn't make it, she hopes her beloved husband will remarry and find happiness! Shocked

Cut back to the courtroom . . . and the jury members are bawling like a large Italian family at the funeral of their cherished mother! Shocked

Pow, this sequel would be hysterical! The courtroom antics of our brilliant legal team would alternate between these new scenes and the outrageous versions of the familiar scenes from the classic movie. At the end, the jury would find all the fortune hunters not guilty on all chargers!

I've even created the poster for this wonderful sequel.

Behold! Cool



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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu Mar 07, 2019 9:27 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brilliant!

I can see it all in my minds' eye!

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Krel
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2019 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Culpepper's lawyer's best bet would be a psychological examination to prove a mental breakdown.

Terry Thomas has the best chance of all the characters, but there would still be the accessory charge for the wrecker, and the mess after the money was recovered. Most, if not all will be facing accessory charges of one kind, or another.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Krel wrote:
Culpepper's lawyer's best bet would be a psychological examination to prove a mental breakdown.

Terry Thomas has the best chance of all the characters, but there would still be the accessory charge for the wrecker, and the mess after the money was recovered. Most, if not all will be facing accessory charges of one kind, or another.

I completely agree that Culpepper's councilor would need to get sworn testimonies from the captain's coworkers, stating that his behavior became increasing erratic, and that his professional and family problems had him under tremendous stress.

After sitting in his office for several hours and refusing to talk to anyone, he suddenly wandered out in daze, smiling like he was stoned. While one of the detectives tried to give him a full report on recent events, he just gazed down at the word Mexico on the map . . . and then he asked for a chocolate fudge Sunday with whipped cream and a cherry on top.






As you said, a qualified psychologist would have examine Culpepper and review all the coworkers testimonies so he could render a professional opinion on whether or not Culpepper had suffered a nervous breakdown.





I Googled "nervous breakdown" and got this.
______________________________________

A nervous breakdown is a serious mental health issue that requires prompt, professional treatment. It is triggered by excess stress and a lack of healthy coping mechanisms to manage that stress. The amount of stress that causes a breakdown varies by individual, with some being able to cope longer than others.
______________________________________

To me that sounds like Culpepper was a text book example of a nervous breakdown! Shocked

On another matter, you've mentioned the word "accessory" several times and suggested that people who simply rode in the stolen wrecker (without even knowing it was stolen) could be charged with accessory to the theft.

I think you're mistaken. Here's the definition I found for "accessory after the fact".
______________________________________

An accessory-after-the-fact is someone who assists 1) someone who has committed a crime, 2) after the person has committed the crime, 3) with knowledge that the person committed the crime, and 4) with the intent to help the person avoid arrest or punishment.
______________________________________

Just riding in a stolen vehicle does not make a person an accessory to the crime unless it somehow fits the definition above. No one was with Jonathan when he stole the wrecker, so none of them knew it was stolen. And they in no way helped him avoid arrest, because the police weren't trying to arrest anybody!






Also on that subject, Mr. District Attorney, I've been informed by the lawyer for the poor truck driver that he is suing Ray and Irwin for assaulting him, knocking him unconscious, restraining him against his will, and repeatedly striking him with potentially lethal objects such as oil drums, large car parts, and a sledge hammer!







Fortunately for Mr. Pike, there was a police car hidden right across the street, and the officers witnessed the entire altercation. They can testify that Mr. Pike issued frequent warnings to Ray and Irwin to cease their attack, but they refused.





However, Mr. Pike has offered to drop the suit if the two men who assaulted him will agree not to press charges for the theft of their truck.

(So much for that charge, eh? Very Happy)

I've been told by Ray and Irwin that this is agreeable, since their own attorney has warned them that the testimony of the two officers who witnessed their violent attack on poor Mr. Pike would undoubtedly result in a substantial jail sentence! The officers' sworn testimony includes the moment when Ray and Irwin verbally threaten to kill Mr. Pike by ramming him with the rear axle of a car!






On a related note, Mr. D.A., please describe what specific events you're referring to when you said, "Most, if not all will be facing accessory charges of one kind, or another."

I'm pretty sure that Edie, Dorothy, Ethel, Terry-Thomas, Buddy, and Mickey will not be facing any charges at all (except for a bit of fast driving by Mickey at the beginning of the affair.)

As far as "the mess after the money was recovered", admittedly the two cab drivers drove recklessly, but what did the others do that was illegal? They simply chased Captain Culpepper, who was trying to get away with a suitcase filled with stolen money!

That's certainly not illegal! Very Happy

If I'm forgetting any additional crimes, please let me know. But I continue to believe that the only person in the movie who attempted (but did not succeed) in committing a major crime was Culpepper.

And you, Mr. District Attorney, know full well that proving criminal intent is not easily done, because it requires proof of what someone wanted to do. How do you prove what someone wanted to do if they didn't actually do it?

Bear in mind that Captain Culpepper was rightfully in possession of the money after it was dug up, and the only two things he did that were suspicious (but not illegal) was to drive off in the wrong direction, and fail to answer his radio during a high speed chase that kept him too busy to even grab the microphone, much less issue a coherent report!






Remember, David, it doesn't really matter if all the cops and all the lawyers are firmly convinced that Captain Culpepper was guilty — a conviction requires that [u]all of the jurors[/i] are firmly convinced "beyond a reasonable doubt" that he committed a crime.

Culpepper's lawyer only needs to convince some of the jurors that (A) Captain Culpepper was an honest cop with a spotless record for 25 years, (B) he might have fantasized about keeping the money, but he didn't succeed in doing it, and (C) he might have driven in the opposite direction for the altruistic reason I described above, hoping that the fortune hunters would turn themselves in without coercion.

I'm sorry, Mr. D.A., but I'm afraid you have some very weak cases that wouldn't convince a sympathetic jury "beyond reasonable doubt — especially if it might mean wrongfully sending a group of harmless average citizens to jail!
Very Happy
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Krel
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It doesn't matter if they knew the wrecker was stolen or not, that still won't stop them from being charged as accessories. If the charges stick or not, is a matter for the court. But that has happened in real life, so I don't see why it wouldn't happen in reel life.

Judging by the Police Men's reaction to Mr. Pike's rampage, I don't think their testimony will help him. Given their distance from the station, I don't believe the Police Officers heard much of what was being said, especially indoors. Not to mention that the District Attorney will bring Ray and Irwin into the court. He will then have the big, burly Mr. Pike compared to the two small, slightly built, injured Ray and Irwin. He's toast, because right or not, in court image is very powerful and can trump facts.

One thing we forgot was the damage done to Santa Rosetta park (the actual location was a private residence, the Big W was planted for the movie) while digging up the money. There is bound to be a few different charges from that, and ALL of them were in on that.

David.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Krel wrote:
It doesn't matter if they knew the wrecker was stolen or not, that still won't stop them from being charged as accessories. But that has happened in real life, so I don't see why it wouldn't happen in reel life.

Forgive me for saying this, David, but it seems like your so eager to put these poor folks in jail your willing to ignore the law AND their legals rights just to do it! Very Happy

Please share with me any evidence you can find that a person can be charged with being an accessory for riding in a car that somebody else stole . . . without the passenger's knowledge! David, that completely violates the definition of "accessory after the fact"!

The definition of "accessory" clearly states that it's a person who —

~ assists someone who has committed a crime. (But none of those people were even THERE when he stole the truck, so how do you imagine they assisted him?) —

~ with knowledge that the person committed the crime. (But none of folks who rode in the truck knew it was stolen!), and —

~ with the intent to help the person avoid arrest or punishment.. (And yet, Jonathan didn't HAVE to avoid arrest, because the cops weren't trying to arrest him yet! But even if they had been looking for him, nobody "helped him get away" or "hid him from the police"!)

Here's a funny hypothetical situation for you to ponder. Smile

Suppose I stole a city bus and then drove it along the regular route, picking up passengers and collecting fairs in a normal manner. And after thirty minute, the cops stopped the bus and arrest me . . .along with the fifty passengers who were all "accessories", according to your puzzling definition of accessories after the fact! Laughing

David . . . please . . . the people who rode with Jonathan in the stolen truck broke NO laws. And if Ray and Irwin decide not to press charges so that Pike would drop his law suit for knocking him out, tying him up, and throwing 50-gallon drums at him, even HE wouldn't get arrested! Very Happy

For the record, Grand Theft Auto is just a misdemeanor. But Assault and Battery is a felony! So, Ray and Irwin faced more jail time than Mr. Pike. They assaulted him, and he defended himself . . . with police officers as his witnesses!

One can't asked for better witnesses than that. Cool

By the way, if those two guys can toss around 50-gallon drums and swing sledge hammers, they're a lot stronger than I am, by God! Shocked








Krel wrote:
Judging by the Police Men's reaction to Mr. Pike's rampage, I don't think their testimony will help him. Given their distance from the station, I don't believe the Police Officers heard much of what was being said, especially indoors.

Wow . . . Gee whiz, David — let's be fair about this! How can you judge the cops' reaction to the fight (or how much they actually heard) just from my screen shots! Shocked





Trust me, sir, on the DVD soundtrack (in the scene when the camera is behind the officers) we can hear Jonathan warning them in a loud voice to stop attacking him. He delivers the same lines he did in the close-up shots during that part of the fight!

And the officers state how surprised they are that Ray and Irwin don't stop! (The exact line is, "I can't believe it! They're coming back for more!")

Instead of halting their attack on the man they brutally knocked out and tied up, Ray and Irwin chose instead to ram him with the rear axle of a car in that scene from which I made the screen shot, preceding their murderous assault with the declaration, "We're gonna have to kill 'em!"

(And by the way, if these two "little guys" can carry around the rear axle of a car, they're stronger than you and me both!) Shocked






So, David, with all due respect, I completely reject your "poor little guys against the big old trucker" defense . . . and so will the jury! And we've got police officers who witnessed the whole thing. Wink

By the way, the officers definitely CAN testify to what they saw and heard, because halfway through the fight there was no "inside" of the gas station! It was wide open, and portions of the fight took place outside, as shown in the screen shot above.

David — my worthy legal opponent in our "mock trial" — just because the two men are smaller than Jonathan does not change the fact that they knocked him unconscious, carried him into the station, tide him up with strong tape, and attacked him with heavy objects which they swung and threw at him.





Krel wrote:
One thing we forgot was the damage done to Santa Rosetta park (the actual location was a private residence, the Big W was planted for the movie) while digging up the money. There is bound to be a few different charges from that, and ALL of them were in on that.

Well, my goodness . . . if the worst those folks are charge with is digging a hole in a flower bed, they'll just pay a damn fine and be done with it! Rolling Eyes

Nobody will go to jail for "horticultural homicide", David!
Laughing
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