The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians

The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians is a 1970 American animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. After the Christmas special Frosty the Snowman (1969), it was Rankin/Bass' second hand-drawn animated work to be outsourced to Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Production in Tokyo, Japan. The show aired on ABC on April 7, 1970 before the airing of that year's Oscars.[1] It was a tribute to early vaudeville, and featured animated reworkings of various famous comedians' acts.[2]

Most of the comedians provided their own voices for their animated counterparts, except for Chico Marx and W. C. Fields, both deceased, Zeppo Marx, who had left show business in 1933, and Harpo Marx, also deceased (though no voice was needed for him since his stage persona did not speak). Groucho Marx, 80 years old, was still playing himself. Voice actor Paul Frees narrated the show and filled in for those actors who were not able to do their own voices. Although Jack Benny's Maxwell automobile makes an appearance, it was not voiced by its usual voice actor Mel Blanc, and Frees provided the effects for the Maxwell as well.[citation needed ]

The show included a Marx Brothers skit, which was a reworking of a scene from their Broadway play I'll Say She Is (1924). The skit included their famous Napoleon parody, with Napoleon played by Groucho. The sketch featured animated representations. Romeo Muller is credited as having written special material for the show in addition to the original scripts that came from the various comedians' sketches.

This special and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (released later that year) gave Rankin/Bass their highest TV ratings, even higher than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964). More recently, Behr Entertainment was in talks to produce a similar show that would feature cartoon renditions of Jack Benny, George Burns, Abbott and Costello, and Bob Hope. Thirteen half-hour episodes were proposed.[citation needed ]

The majority of the special is an animated vaudeville-style show featuring numerous comedians performing the greatest skits at the palace.

In between the skits, various comedians including Henny Youngman, Jack E. Leonard, George Jessel, and Phyllis Diller tell a few funny jokes as the TV special progresses. Also making silent cameos in the special are Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Ray Charles, Charlie Chaplin (in silhouette form), The Beatles, Queen Elizabeth II, Ronald Reagan, the Munsters, Jed and Granny Clampett, and cartoon stars Popeye the Sailor, Charlie Brown, Tom Cat, Jerry Mouse and Yogi Bear.