It's a MAD MAD MAD MAD Beech D-18

[bdk]

Darned iPad double post.... Sorry!

[JohnB]

Hello, FYI my father owned this aircraft at the time the film was made and it was not damaged in the bill board fly through; it did have its nose tank damaged when taxied into the restaurant/hangar by a board that the left engine tossed into the body. If you watch that clip you'll see the impact.
The plane was eventually sold to an Alaska air service where it was destroyed in a crash. Too bad. I was only 5 or so at the time, but I do remember flying over Disney land out of OC airport (now John Wayne) and watching the fireworks from above.

I was under the impression that the ground/hangar and air scenes with the "Jim Backus" twin beech...was a different airframe than the one that wnet through the billboard.
But that's just me. The hangar aircraft looked too nice to be the one that they'd risk with the billboard stunt...but again, that'm my assumption. I certainly could be wrong.

Scott Thompson (or someone) reported seeing the billboard-damaged aircraft being stored and eventually scrapped at Orange County (or Chino or Ontario).
Here's a photo of it in the Tallmantz collection
http://www.aerovintage.com/tman_photo3.htm

It's been awhile since I've seen the film, but IIRC, the non-billboard aircraft was a later model Twin Beech...
And Thompson's site does list the or one of the) film aircraft as beinga converted AT-11.
http://www.aerovintage.com/ac_tallmantz.htm

Last edited by JohnB on Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:29 am, edited 3 times in total.

[SaxMan]

I saw the movie for the first time as a boy in the late-1970s. I believe it was broadcast one New Years' Eve on CBS. I thought it was pretty hysterical back then and half the humor was "over my head". It's still is pretty darn funny now. My parents saw it in the theater when it first came out, and my mother recollects that people were practically falling over in the aisles.

Pretty amazing cast, too. I thought Phil Silvers playing his typical dislikeable shyster character was one of the unsung performances from the movie. The actor that played Sylvester, Dick Shawn, later went on to play Lorenzo St. Dubois (L.S.D.) in Mel Brooks' first movie "The Producers". I never realized that Jerry Lewis had a cameo in the movie. I'm going to have to go back and see it again.

[aerovin]

Hello,

FYI my father owned this aircraft at the time the film was made and it was not damaged in the bill board fly through; it did have its nose tank damaged when taxied into the restaurant/hangar by a board that the left engine tossed into the body. If you watch that clip you'll see the impact.
The plane was eventually sold to an Alaska air service where it was destroyed in a crash. Too bad. I was only 5 or so at the time, but I do remember flying over Disney land out of OC airport (now John Wayne) and watching the fireworks from above.
Also, he bought the plane from Davis-Monthan AFB back in the late 50's for $5800.

RW
PS my dad is almost 90 but still kicking and living in Mariposa, CA.

I'd hate for facts to get in the way of a good story but what is written here is not correct as per the aircraft registration file, the billing by the movie company for Tallmantz's services, the subsequent known history of the airplane as owned by Richard Vartanian, and the ultimate fate of the airplane, scrapped at Ontario in the late 1960s.

The airplane suffered significant damage when it was flown through the billboard, as attested in the damage billed by Tallmantz and paid for by the movie company. All that I have seen suggests that only one Beech was used in the filming, the one that was ultimately flown through the billboard on December 19, 1962.

More information on this forum posting: http://aerovintage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=692
Good stuff about the stunt here: https://picasaweb.google.com/111293404383775855107/ItSAMadMadMadMadWorld#5736197648828823698
More good discussion here: http://www.gchudleigh.com/madworld2.htm

Last edited by aerovin on Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Chris Brame]

Love this movie - and several scenes were filmed in Yucca Valley where I live now. A few of the buildings are still recognizable.

[The Inspector]

I saw the movie for the first time as a boy in the late-1970s. I believe it was broadcast one New Years' Eve on CBS. I thought it was pretty hysterical back then and half the humor was "over my head". It's still is pretty darn funny now. My parents saw it in the theater when it first came out, and my mother recollects that people were practically falling over in the aisles.

Pretty amazing cast, too. I thought Phil Silvers playing his typical dislikeable shyster character was one of the unsung performances from the movie. The actor that played Sylvester, Dick Shawn, later went on to play Lorenzo St. Dubois (L.S.D.) in Mel Brooks' first movie "The Producers". I never realized that Jerry Lewis had a cameo in the movie. I'm going to have to go back and see it again.

Tons and tons of cameos, Charles McGraw was one of the cops in the Santa Rosita squad room who did a lot of noir gritty detective films in the early 50's along with a large number of silent film stars if you know your old old movies and know who to look for.

[airnutz]

Yup, one of the great films. Seizure grade laughter! Jerry Lewis is the nut in the pink Chrysler 300 convertable who can't resist Culpepper's hat as a target of oppurtunity in the middle of the road. Buster Keaton had a few moments in there as Culpeppers getaway captain before they were caught and had to go to plan "haul ass".

[The Inspector]

Yup, one of the great films. Seizure grade laughter! Jerry Lewis is the nut in the pink Chrysler 300 convertable who can't resist Culpepper's hat as a target of oppurtunity in the middle of the road. Buster Keaton had a few moments in there as Culpeppers getaway captain before they were caught and had to go to plan "haul ass".

It also let's you remember just how buddtuggli 62 PLYMOUTH SAVOYs were.

[gary1954]

Hello,

FYI my father owned this aircraft at the time the film was made and it was not damaged in the bill board fly through; it did have its nose tank damaged when taxied into the restaurant/hangar by a board that the left engine tossed into the body. If you watch that clip you'll see the impact.
The plane was eventually sold to an Alaska air service where it was destroyed in a crash. Too bad. I was only 5 or so at the time, but I do remember flying over Disney land out of OC airport (now John Wayne) and watching the fireworks from above.
Also, he bought the plane from Davis-Monthan AFB back in the late 50's for $5800.

RW
PS my dad is almost 90 but still kicking and living in Mariposa, CA.

LOL he could have bought two B-25s for that amount

[airnutz]

Yup, one of the great films. Seizure grade laughter! Jerry Lewis is the nut in the pink Chrysler 300 convertable who can't resist Culpepper's hat as a target of oppurtunity in the middle of the road. Buster Keaton had a few moments in there as Culpeppers getaway captain before they were caught and had to go to plan "haul ass".

It also let's you remember just how buddtuggli 62 PLYMOUTH SAVOYs were.

Yeahh, Savoy was false advertising. Looks more like an Aardvark or a Shoebill...with apologies to the namesakes!

[ffuries]

I saw the movie for the first time as a boy in the late-1970s. I believe it was broadcast one New Years' Eve on CBS. I thought it was pretty hysterical back then and half the humor was "over my head". It's still is pretty darn funny now. My parents saw it in the theater when it first came out, and my mother recollects that people were practically falling over in the aisles.

Pretty amazing cast, too. I thought Phil Silvers playing his typical dislikeable shyster character was one of the unsung performances from the movie. The actor that played Sylvester, Dick Shawn, later went on to play Lorenzo St. Dubois (L.S.D.) in Mel Brooks' first movie "The Producers". I never realized that Jerry Lewis had a cameo in the movie. I'm going to have to go back and see it again.

That is when I first saw it also. It was 31 Dec 1976 / 01 Jan 1977, we were stationed at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho at the time, parents went to a New Years Eve party and left my brother and I at home that night. Kid you not my brother and I were laughing so hard, I'm surprised neither of us wet ourselves or passed out. Every time I see that movie I remember that night, ah the memories of innocent youth.

[Steve Nelson]

Apropos of nothing, I was watching the film some years back, and noticed that in the some closeups of the actors getting out of the plane after landing, it appears that the fuselage windows has black areas painted above them. I'm assuming it was a different aircraft painted to resemble the "high cube" model used in the flying shots.

SN

[maxum96]

I'll add to the chorus of fans of the movie. I remember watching it for the first time in the early 70's as a grade schooler and laughing my butt off. I've probably seen it a hundred times and I never get tired of it. I saw an interview with Stanley Kubrick (the director of the movie) that was done around the late 1990's. The stories he told were great. He said all the comedic actors of the time were begging him to let them in the movie. That's why you see a lot of cameo shots. And as you can imagine, there were tons of pranks pulled on everyone by the comics during the making of the movie.

[Steve Nelson]

I saw the IaMMMMMW (now there's an acronym for ya!) at least a half-dozen times on TV as a kid back in the 70s. Seems like they ran it several times on New Years Eve. I got a tape recorder for Christmas one year and recorded a few clips of audio from it (you can hear my mom laughing hysterically in the background.) The tape is still buried in a box somewhere.

Amazingly, the film and the humor still hold up even 50 years later. In fact, it's rather refreshing to see a movie that doesn't really on crude toilet humor or junior high school level sex jokes to be funny.

Not to derail the thread, but I recently watched "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" on Netflix for the first time in over 30 years, and it's still pretty darned hilarious as well.

SN

[maxum96]

Not to derail the thread, but I recently watched "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" on Netflix for the first time in over 30 years, and it's still pretty darned hilarious as well.

SN

Now there's one I haven't seen in probably 30 years. And yes, that one is a riot too! It's amazing considering that it was made at the height of the cold war.