Last night an acquaintance of mine was having a surprise birthday party being thrown for him at Sidetrack (which, for non-Chicago readers, is basically a huge gay bar which sort of feels like having cocktails at the Gap). I debated on whether to go or not but really there was nothing else to do (Andy was closing at work) and the party was happening early, at 6, and so I put on my favorite new pair of jeans and a nice blue Hawaiian shirt that’s also new and I walked over there.

I got there and the b-day boy hadn’t arrived yet. The party was being held in a little side room. I went in and there were about 15 people there, all chatting amongst themselves. I scoped things out. There was a sort of snacky buffet layed out on the bar. I kind of wanted a Ketel One slushy drink but part of me was wondering how long I would even stay.

I hadn’t brought a present. I don’t know him that well. I was standing there looking at the other guests. I guess I was giving off that “I-came-alone-here-tonight” vibe which means that to everyone else I was completely invisible. I had a few things to eat from the buffet. I stood around for 10 minutes and then quietly slipped out.

On the way home I stopped by Walgreens and bought a can of Arizona Kiwi-Strawberry and then when I got home I mixed it with some rum and orange juice and had a drink. I settled in and read the Dos Passos book for awhile. Scanning the TV Guide site I saw that “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” was on TCM at 9, and before I knew it I’d made another drink and turned on the TV and pumped the sound through the stereo.

Now I have been seeing this movie off and on since the age of 10. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve seen it altogether. But as there was nothing else to do last night I ended up watching the whole thing. I hadn’t seen it in probably three years so my eyes were pretty fresh.

It’s definitely kind of creaky and not as funny as you hope it will be and a bit labored, but man it does have its moments. And a cast you could never, ever recreate, not even today (though my head swims thinking about it, if it were possible). The garage demolition scene is one of the all-time great comedy set pieces. And the special effects, with a few exceptions, were done as real stunts and the difference shows. All the airplane stunts are great. I was glad that TCM had it letterboxed. The cinematography, done in the Cinerama process, is larger than life and totally appropriate.

So it’s 3 hours long, the mother or all comedies, and it may not be the greatest but it’s still a sight to behold. Andy came home about 20 minutes from the end and finished it with me. The final gag in the film is very satisfying on a conceptual level: Ethel Merman slips on a banana peel.