Rated NR
154 Min

Our story begins during a massive traffic jam caused by reckless driver Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), who, before kicking the bucket, cryptically tells the assembled drivers that he's buried a fortune in stolen loot under the "Big W." All of the motorist/witnesses then set out to find the fortune...

The film, the first comedy directed by the legendary Stanley Kramer (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg) stars Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, and Jonathan Winters, among many others.

The New York Times wrote, "It's a wonderfully crazy and colorful collection of 'chase' comedy, so crowded with plot and people that it almost splits the seams of its huge cinerama packing...!"

Doors open 45min prior to showtime.







For 21 years, The News-Gazette has sponsored monthly screenings of the most beloved classic films at the Virginia Theatre.

The News-Gazette Film Series is your ticket to Hollywood’s golden age! Add house organist David Schroeder performing on the Virginia’s historic Hope Jones II Wurlitzer pipe organ before many shows, and you have an evening of entertainment fit for the whole family.

News-Gazette film critic Richard Leskosky will be back this season following many 7pm News-Gazette screenings for a post-show talk about each film — in the Virginia lobby.