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Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks.jpg
Mel Brooks, c. February 1984
Birth name Melvin Kaminsky
Born June 28, 1926 (1926-06-28) (age 83)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium Film
Television
Musical theatre
Nationality American
Years active 1949–present
Genres Farce
Parody
Subject(s) Comedy
Influences George M. Cohan
Jack Benny
Bob Hope
Harry Ritz
Spouse Florence Baum (1951-1961)
Anne Bancroft (1964-2005) (her death)
Notable works and roles The Producers
Blazing Saddles
Young Frankenstein
Academy Awards
Best Original Screenplay
1968 The Producers
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
1967 The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris Special
Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series
1997, 1998, 1999 Mad About You
Tony Awards
Best Musical
2001 The Producers
Best Book of a Musical
2001 The Producers
Best Original Score
2001 The Producers
Laurence Olivier Awards
Best New Musical
2005 The Producers
Grammy Awards
Best Spoken Comedy Album
1999 2000 Year Old Man
Best Long Form Music Video
2002 Recording 'The Producers': A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks
Best Musical Show Album
2002 The Producers
.Melvin "Mel" Kaminsky (born June 28, 1926),[1] better known by his stage name Mel Brooks, is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor, and producer.^ The Producers (Mel Brooks) soundtrack review Review of the The Producers soundtrack composed by Mel Brooks.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ Mel Brooks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is a multi-award winning American director, writer, comedian, actor and producer best known as a creator of broad film ...
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ Brooks is in town to promote the new film of his stage musical of The Producers.
  • Mel Brooks: 'I do bad taste with intelligence' | Film | The Observer 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: General]

 .He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies.^ Brooklyn, NY, June 28, 1926 ) is an American comedy writer, producer, film and stage director, comic actor, composer, lyricist, and famed creator of parodies and farces.

 ^ Mel Brooks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is a multi-award winning American director, writer, comedian, actor and producer best known as a creator of broad film ...
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 .Brooks is a member of the short list of entertainers with the distinction of having won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award.^ Brooks is one of the very few who have accumulated Oscar ® , Emmy ® , Tony ® , and Grammy ® Awards.

 ^ A short animated satire of artsy cinema, The Critic was his brainchild, and it won an Oscar ® for the director, Ernest Pintoff.

 ^ Thirty-three years later, the Broadway show based on this film won twelve Tony Awards ® .

 .Three of his films ranked in the Top 20 on the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 comedy films of all-time:[2] (Blazing Saddles, The Producers, and Young Frankenstein).^ I don't think there's a better three film run in comedy than "The Producers", "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein".
  • Mel Brooks: 'I Am a National Treasure' | Drudge Retort 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.drudge.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ After Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein , Mel Brooks often appeared in his films himself, but the silent movie Silent Movie (1976) and the Alfred Hitchcock take-off High Anxiety (1977) did not do so well at the box office.

 ^ His best-known films were both made in 1974, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein ; equally renowned is his 1968 sleeper film The Producers which slowly gathered a following over the years until Brooks turned it into an over-the-top smash hit Broadway musical in 2001.

Contents

Early life

.Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Kate (née Brookman), a garment worker, and Maximilian Kaminsky, a process server.^ Brooks was born in Brooklyn.
  • Mein camp | Film | The Guardian 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: General]

 ^ He was born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, and his father died of tuberculosis when his son was two.
  • Mel Brooks: 'I do bad taste with intelligence' | Film | The Observer 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: General]

 ^ Melvin Kaminsky (as he was known before changing his name to avoid confusion with jazz trumpeter and bandleader Max Kaminsky) was the son of a garment worker and a process server.

 [3] Brooks and his family are Jewish; his maternal grandparents immigrated from outside Kiev in the Russian Empire and his paternal family was from Danzig in the German Empire,[4] now in Poland. His father died of kidney disease at age 34.
As a child, Brooks was a small and sickly boy. He was bullied and picked on by his peers. By taking on the comically aggressive job of Tummler (master entertainer) in various Catskills resorts, he overcame his childhood of bullying and name calling.
Brooks was a corporal in the U.S. Army. .The graduate of the Virginia Military Institute served in World War II, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and on occasion, defused landmines.^ Brooks fought at the Battle of the Bulge ...
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ When he was 17, he enrolled at a military academy in Virginia; the idea was that he would stay out of trouble for the duration of the war.
  • Mel Brooks: 'I do bad taste with intelligence' | Film | The Observer 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: General]

 [5]

Early career

.Brooks started out in show business as a stand-up comic, telling jokes and doing movie-star impressions.^ This movie may star Brooks, but it's no Brooks film, and it shows, constantly.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ We all stand-up mountain comics.
  • Steve Friess - Home Page 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.stevefriess.com [Source type: Original source]

 ^ Brooks started out as a stand-up comic on the Borscht Belt circuit in the Catskills, doing accents and impressions, telling jokes, and clowning with hotel guests.

 .He found more rewarding work behind the scenes, becoming a comedy writer for television.^ Welcome to More Than ENOUGH ROPE, where we take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of some of our favourite interviews.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ It is one of the few comedies that I've found to get funnier with repeat viewings, inducing more laughter, rather than a blank gaze.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ It's almost impossible to name a more successful comedy writer/director than Mel ...
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 .He joined the hit comedy series Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar and Carl Reiner.^ While television was in its infancy, he joined the team of writers, which included Carl Reiner, for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows (1950–1954).

 ^ Leonard: Well you're used to collaborating, you had worked with some of the most brilliant writers on the various Sid Caesar shows.
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 ^ I have a friend who was on the Show of Shows, many years ago with Sid Caesar and Karl Reiner, little guy looked like you.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 Reiner, as creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show, based Morey Amsterdam's character Buddy Sorell on Brooks.
Starting in 1960, Brooks teamed with Reiner as a comedy duo on the Steve Allen Show. .Their performances led to release a series of comedy albums that included a routine that eventually expanded into the 2000 Year Old Man series that became 5 albums and a 1975 animated TV special.^ From Stephen K. Peebles , former PR person at Rhino Records: In 1994, as national PR guy for Rhino Records, it was my great fortune to hatch and execute the media campaign for a four-CD boxed set collecting Mel and Carl Reiner's classic "2000 Year Old Man" comedy albums.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Beginning in 1961, a running gag interview between Brooks and Reiner, The 2000 Year Old Man , became wildly popular on five audio albums.

 ^ We had so much fun that three years later, when Mel and Carl recorded "The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000," their first new album since the '70s, they asked for me to be assigned to do PR for their project.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]
.Brooks later moved into film, working as an actor, director, writer, and producer.^ In 1963 Brooks made his debut in film, a field in which he would work in various capacities as idea man, producer, writer, director, and/or actor.

 ^ Brooklyn, NY, June 28, 1926 ) is an American comedy writer, producer, film and stage director, comic actor, composer, lyricist, and famed creator of parodies and farces.

 ^ Audio Commentary -- Legendary comedy writer/director Mel Brooks delivers a smooth, informative chat that covers scripting the film with Gene Wilder, casting, the production itself and, to an extent, the filmmaker’s career.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 .Brooks's first film was The Critic (1963), an animated satire of arty, esoteric cinema, conceived by Brooks and directed by Ernest Pintoff.^ I remember my first Mel Brooks film at the movie theater, It was Young Frankenstein.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ In the same vein of these types of stories comes one of Mel Brooks' earlier films, his second directing job (the first being 'The Producers'), with a stockpile of jewelry being hidden inside one in a set of chairs.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ History of the World, Part I - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia History of the World, Part I is a 1981 film written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 .Brooks supplied running commentary as the baffled moviegoer trying to make sense of the obscure visuals.^ What makes 'History of the World: Part I' different from other Brooks film is tone, in that it has a more serious sense of humor, put into context, of course.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 .The short film won an Academy Award.^ So they asked me who I would like to receive my Academy Award if I won.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 .With Buck Henry, Brooks created the successful TV series Get Smart, starring Don Adams as a bumbling secret agent.^ Then with Buck Henry, Brooks created the popular television series Get Smart (1965–70), whose protagonist was a secret agent with the proverbial two left feet.

 ^ Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Clone Commandos (TV Series Season 1, Vol.
  • DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary: Brooks Looks Back: A Swell Retrospective for Mel 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvddossier.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Vote Up Vote Down Get Smart (From the Series Originally Created by Mel Brooks and Chuck Henry) .
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 This series added to Brooks's reputation as a clever satirist.
.Brooks's first feature film, The Producers, was a dark comedy about two theatrical partners who deliberately contrive the worst possible Broadway show.^ (Show film clip; The Producers 1968) .
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ NPR : Comedian and Filmmaker Mel Brooks Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick have just returned to Broadway and their starring roles in The Producers -- the show based on Brooks' first feature film.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ This movie may star Brooks, but it's no Brooks film, and it shows, constantly.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 .The film was so brazen in its satire (its big production number was "Springtime for Hitler") that the major studios wouldn't touch it, nor would many exhibitors.^ ANDREW DENTON: From the film, which will give you some sense of the magnificence of 'Springtime for Hitler'.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ Mel Brooks' Movies: The Producers Summary The musical number, Springtime for Hitler, is Mel Brooks' all-time favorite ...
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ So the first song I wrote was a song called 'Where Did We Go Right', and it happens because 'Springtime for Hitler's' a big success, and instead of the flop that they were expecting they got this big success.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 .Brooks finally found an independent distributor, which released it like an art film, as a specialized attraction.^ More photos, synopses and details of the special features on each film can be found after the jump.
  • DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary: Brooks Looks Back: A Swell Retrospective for Mel 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvddossier.com [Source type: General]

 ^ BROOKS : A film set there is like a Mad Hatter tea party, with everbody's ego showing.
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Adelina Magazine Feb 1980 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 .The film received an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.^ The major studios considered it tasteless (which it certainly was) and refused to distribute the film, but released by an independent company it became an underground hit, winning an Oscar ® and a Golden Globe ® for Best Screenplay.

 ^ Although the film was not well-received by critics, it picked up a 1978 Golden Globe nomination for best picture (musical or comedy) and landed Brooks a nomination for best actor.
  • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]

 .The film became a smash underground hit, first on the nationwide college circuit, then in revivals and on home video.^ Home News Bios Film Television Stage Audio Video Print Bibliography Fans Links .
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Adelina Magazine Feb 1980 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 .Brooks later turned it into a musical, which became hugely successful on Broadway, receiving an unprecedented twelve Tony awards.^ At first Brooks was reluctant to turn The Producers into a musical; he thought its cult status was best left unmessed with (it was David Geffen's idea in the beginning).
  • Mel Brooks: 'I do bad taste with intelligence' | Film | The Observer 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: General]

 ^ And then there was a thing called video and then there was a thing called DVDs, then it became more successful, and so the time was right for it, ripe for it actually, to go to Broadway.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ They don't care if a Mel Brooks movie turns into a Gone with the Wind or a Deep Throat.
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Adelina Magazine Feb 1980 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]
.His two most financially successful films were released in 1974: Blazing Saddles (co-written with Richard Pryor, Andrew Bergman, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger), and Young Frankenstein (co-written with Gene Wilder).^ Reply Alot of Cleavon Little's stuff in "Blazing Saddles" was actually written by Richard Pryor(check the credits, he's in there.
  • Mel Brooks: 'I Am a National Treasure' | Drudge Retort 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.drudge.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ ANDREW DENTON: Of the many great scenes in 'Blazing Saddles', probably the most famous is the fart scene, the baked beans around the fire.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ It would be far easier to dismiss 'Blazing Saddles' (as well as Brooks' other seminal '70s comedy, 'Young Frankenstein') if it was not for the inspired lunacy its terrific ensemble brings to his often one-note satire.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 .He followed these up with an audacious idea: the first feature-length silent comedy in four decades.^ Everyone talks up the film and each other for the first half of the feature, rather than give real interesting anecdotes or insights.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 .Silent Movie (co-written with Ron Clark, 1976) featured Brooks in his first leading role, with Dom DeLuise and Marty Feldman as his sidekicks.^ So I did my first movie, 'Silent Movie', with Don DeLuise and Marty Feldman, and then after that I did 'High Anxiety'.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ Brooks, Dom DeLuise and Lily Tomlin all discuss working with the actress in 'Blazing Saddles,' and it is a nice tribute.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Co-writers Ron Clark, Rudy DeLuca and Barry Levinson also show up on screen as three of the Engulf & Devour minions.
  • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]

 .The following year he released his Hitchcock parody High Anxiety (also written with Clark), which was the first movie produced by Brooks himself.^ After Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein , Mel Brooks often appeared in his films himself, but the silent movie Silent Movie (1976) and the Alfred Hitchcock take-off High Anxiety (1977) did not do so well at the box office.

 ^ High Anxiety " is considered one of Mel Brooks' best.
  • DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary: Brooks Looks Back: A Swell Retrospective for Mel 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvddossier.com [Source type: General]

 ^ 'High Anxiety' (3/5) - If any director deserves a tribute film of any sort, it would be Alfred Hitchcock.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]
.Brooks developed a repertory company of sorts for his film work: performers with three or more of Brooks's films (The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, High Anxiety, History of the World: Part I, Spaceballs, Life Stinks, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It) to their credit include Gene Wilder, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey and Andréas Voutsinas.^ Madeline Kahn is the pastiche of the vamp, as she was in Young Frankenstein and High Anxiety .
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Adelina Magazine Feb 1980 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Cloris Leachman hosts 'Young Frankenstein' special (Oct '08) .
  • Mel Brooks Forum - Topix 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.topix.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ I remember my first Mel Brooks film at the movie theater, It was Young Frankenstein.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 .Dom DeLuise appeared in six of Brooks's 12 films, the only person with more appearances being Brooks himself.^ Brooks, Dom DeLuise and Lily Tomlin all discuss working with the actress in 'Blazing Saddles,' and it is a nice tribute.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ The film is far more mature than anything Brooks has helmed, and is a quite competent mix of drama and comedy.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Director Mel Brooks stars as a once-famous comedy director, who with his faithful assistants Dom DeLuise and Marty Feldman return to Hollywood with plans for a comeback.
  • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]
.In 1975, at the height of his movie career, Brooks tried TV again with When Things Were Rotten, a Robin Hood parody that lasted only 13 episodes.^ In 1975 Mel Brooks went back to television with a series about Robin Hood, When Things Were Rotten , that lasted for a scant thirteen episodes.

 ^ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide Young Frankenstein Few movies have offered up such satisfying parody and un-self-conscious wit as this Mel Brooks spoof, and all with the scatological flair that only Brooks can provide.
  • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Disc 4 "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" Mel Brooks pulls off another serious spoof on a classic.
  • DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary: Brooks Looks Back: A Swell Retrospective for Mel 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvddossier.com [Source type: General]

 .Nearly twenty years later, in response to the 1991 hit film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Brooks mounted another Robin Hood parody with Robin Hood: Men in Tights.^ It is part and parcel of Brooks's old-school ways that he is entirely unjaded about his profession, though the wilderness years, between the unfunny Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and the triumphant return of The Producers, must also have played their role; how doubly sweet each curtain call must feel now.
  • Mel Brooks: 'I do bad taste with intelligence' | Film | The Observer 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: General]

 ^ No aspect of the Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is left unspoofed in Men in Tights, and some jabs are particularly well-aimed -- Cary Elwes' Robin Hood makes sure to point out that he, unlike Costner's Robin Hood, has an English accent.
  • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Disc 4 "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" Mel Brooks pulls off another serious spoof on a classic.
  • DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary: Brooks Looks Back: A Swell Retrospective for Mel 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvddossier.com [Source type: General]

 .Brooks's film resurrected several pieces of dialog from his TV series, as well as from earlier Brooks films.^ Mel Brooks Photos - Mel Brooks News - Mel Brooks Information Mel Brooks Information - TV.com offers all of the latest Mel Brooks news as well as exclusive Mel Brooks photos.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ What makes 'History of the World: Part I' different from other Brooks film is tone, in that it has a more serious sense of humor, put into context, of course.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

Later career

.In 1980, Brooks became interested in producing the dramatic film The Elephant Man (directed by David Lynch).^ He's a very, very gifted man and David Lynch is going to direct Elephant Man."
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Six years ago this past spring, Mel Brooks' musical adaptation of his 1968 film The Producers became Broadway's behemoth, selling more than $3 million in ...
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ In the same vein of these types of stories comes one of Mel Brooks' earlier films, his second directing job (the first being 'The Producers'), with a stockpile of jewelry being hidden inside one in a set of chairs.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 .Knowing that anyone seeing a poster reading "Mel Brooks presents The Elephant Man" would expect a comedy, he set up the company Brooksfilms.^ MEL BROOKS: I grew up in Brooklyn.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ Mel Brooks: Right to lighten it up.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ But as Brooksfilms, not as Mel Brooks, ya know, comedy.
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 .Brooksfilms has since produced a number of non-comedy films, including David Cronenberg's The Fly, Frances, and 84 Charing Cross Road, starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft, as well as comedies, including Richard Benjamin's My Favorite Year.^ In 1980 Brooks formed his own production company, Brooksfilms, to produce films outside his accustomed bailiwick: David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980), David Cronenberg's The Fly I & II (1986, 1989), Richard Benjamin's My Favorite Year , Frances , and 84 Charing Cross Road .

 ^ And she, my mother accepted Anne Bancroft because she was a big star.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ But my wife [Anne Bancroft] was good.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 .Brooks sought to purchase the rights to 84 Charing Cross Road for his wife, Anne Bancroft, for many years.^ But my wife [Anne Bancroft] was good.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 ^ In 1980 Brooks formed his own production company, Brooksfilms, to produce films outside his accustomed bailiwick: David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980), David Cronenberg's The Fly I & II (1986, 1989), Richard Benjamin's My Favorite Year , Frances , and 84 Charing Cross Road .

 ^ He met actress Anne Bancroft in 1961 and married her three years later; their son Maximilian was born in 1972.

 He successfully obtained the rights to the movie and presented them to her as an anniversary gift.
.The 1980s saw Brooks produce and direct only two films, the first being History of the World Part I in 1981, a tongue-in-cheek look at human culture from the Dawn of Man to the French Revolution.^ History of the World, Part I - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia History of the World, Part I is a 1981 film written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ Narrated by one of the greatest men in the history of film, Orson Welles, 'History of the World: Part I' tells the tale of mankind, through numerous historic events, from the dawn of man, a key Biblical moment, to Roman times, the Last Supper and the Spanish Inquisition, to the French Revolution, to possible events in the future.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ NPR : Comedian and Filmmaker Mel Brooks Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick have just returned to Broadway and their starring roles in The Producers -- the show based on Brooks' first feature film.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 .As part of the film's soundtrack, Brooks, then aged 55, recorded a rap entitled "It's Good to Be the King", a parody of Louis XVI and the French Revolution; it was released as a single, and became a surprise US dance hit.^ This far-from-accurate romp teaches the real truth behind the Roman Empire (in which Brooks plays a stand-up philosopher at Caesars Palace), the French Revolution (where he pops up as King Louis XVI), and the Spanish Inquisition (in which monks and nuns participate in a splashy song-and-dance number).
  • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray (Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World Part 1, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Silent Movie, Spaceballs, To Be or Not to Be, Twelve Chairs, Young Frankenstein) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.blu-ray.com [Source type: General]

 ^ As the king in the French Revolution piece, Brooks winks at the audience and pronounces, "It's good to be the king" after engaging in one act of kingly lasciviousness after another.
  • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]

 ^ On a side note, I find it strange that this disc includes additional English, Spanish, and French Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks for a film that has only a single word of dialogue.
  • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray (Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World Part 1, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Silent Movie, Spaceballs, To Be or Not to Be, Twelve Chairs, Young Frankenstein) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.blu-ray.com [Source type: General]

 .His second movie release of the decade came in 1987 in the form of Spaceballs, a parody of science fiction, mainly Star Wars.^ Spaceballs: The farce is with you in this uproarious salute to science fiction (The Hollywood Reporter) that teams comedy legend Mel Brooks with an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy, Rick Moranis and Bill Pullman.
  • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray (Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World Part 1, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Silent Movie, Spaceballs, To Be or Not to Be, Twelve Chairs, Young Frankenstein) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.blu-ray.com [Source type: General]

 ^ John Morris score, which parodies John Williams portentous themes for Star Wars and even Jaws , emerges from all channels with bombast and detail.
  • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray (Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World Part 1, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Silent Movie, Spaceballs, To Be or Not to Be, Twelve Chairs, Young Frankenstein) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.blu-ray.com [Source type: General]

 .Both films featured him in multiple roles.^ He directed only two films in the '80s, History of the World Part I (1981) and Spaceballs (1987), acting in multiple roles in both.

 .He also starred in the 1983 remake of To Be or Not to Be, which spawned a highly controversial single that featured as part of the film's soundtrack album (although not in the film itself) - "To Be Or Not To Be (The Hitler Rap)".^ The film closes with coming attractions of "History of the World, Part II" that features a rousing Star Wars parody (anticipating Space Balls) called "Jews in Space" that includes a jaunty theme song.
  • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]

 .The song - satirising German society in the 1940s with Brooks playing Hitler - was banned from both radio airplay and television in Germany due to its deliberately ironic portrayal of the Nazi involvement in World War Two, but was an unlikely hit elsewhere, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1984 and #3 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report) that same year.^ MEL BROOKS: It was called World War two remember?
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ ANDREW DENTON: This was 23 years after the end of World War Two, up until that time Hitler had pretty much been portrayed as a genocidal maniac?
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ Mel Brooks Like his hit musical "The Producers," Mel Brooks is an unlikely combination of innocent optimism, bawdy irreverence and unbridled chutzpah.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Brooks with Anne Bancroft in 1997
.One of his most recent successes has been a transfer of his film The Producers to the Broadway stage.^ I was in heaven from the moment Anne stepped on stage, and even though I don't remember anything about the play, it was one of the most enjoyable nights I ever spent in a theater.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Filled with hilarious spoofs of just about everything that happens in tinseltown, " Silent Movie " is one of Mel Brooks' funniest, most original films.
  • DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary: Brooks Looks Back: A Swell Retrospective for Mel 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvddossier.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Mel Brooks Mel Brooks is known as the grand master of movie satire and is one of Hollywood's most successful filmmakers.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 Brooks also had a vocal role in the 2005 animated film Robots. .He then worked on an animated series sequel to Spaceballs called Spaceballs: The TV Series, which premiered on September 21, 2008 on G4 TV.^ Im working on the animated version of Spaceballs.
  • Steve Friess - Home Page 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.stevefriess.com [Source type: Original source]

 ^ 'Spaceballs' Series Enters G4's Orbit - Mel Bro...
  • Mel Brooks Forum - Topix 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.topix.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.Brooks is one of the few artists who have received an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy.^ From Gary Beach, who played Roger DeBris in "The Producers": One of Beach's fondest memories of The Producers was getting to know the late Mrs. Mel Brooks.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Mel Brooks: Madeline Kahn was one of the greatest comedy artists that ever lived, and she killed them.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ MEL BROOKS: Madeline Kahn was one of the greatest comedy artists that ever lived, and she killed them.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 .He was awarded his first Grammy award for Best Spoken Comedy Album in 1999 for his recording of The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000 with Carl Reiner.^ Brooks, of course, is a show biz grand poobah, but it was an early collaboration with Carl Reiner on The 2,000 Year Old Man , being re-released tomorrow as a boxed set, that first propelled the two friends beyond the writer's room.

 ^ From Stephen K. Peebles , former PR person at Rhino Records: In 1994, as national PR guy for Rhino Records, it was my great fortune to hatch and execute the media campaign for a four-CD boxed set collecting Mel and Carl Reiner's classic "2000 Year Old Man" comedy albums.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Beginning in 1961, a running gag interview between Brooks and Reiner, The 2000 Year Old Man , became wildly popular on five audio albums.

 .His two other Grammys came in 2002 for Best Musical Show Album, for the soundtrack to The Producers, and for Best Long Form Music Video for the DVD "Recording the Producers - A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks". He won his first of four Emmy awards in 1967 for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety for a Sid Caesar special.^ MEL BROOKS: First of all two things.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 ^ The Producers (Mel Brooks) soundtrack review Review of the The Producers soundtrack composed by Mel Brooks.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ Mel Brooks: First of all two things.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 .He went on to win three consecutive Emmys in 1997, 1998, and 1999 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role of Uncle Phil on Mad About You.^ And I was on stage for about three minutes and I just said "Good night," you know, that's...Those are the subjects, I don't have of the jokes."
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 He won his three Tony awards in 2001 for his work on the musical, The Producers. He won Tonys for Best Musical, Best Original Musical Score, and Best Book of a Musical. Additionally, he won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Young Frankenstein. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted #50 of the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. Three of Brooks's films are on the American Film Institute's list of funniest American films: Blazing Saddles (#6), The Producers (#11), and Young Frankenstein (#13).
.Brooks and his wife Anne Bancroft acted together in Silent Movie and To Be or Not to Be, and Bancroft also had a bit part in the 1995 film Dracula: Dead and Loving It.^ Candice says: "Anne Bancroft really blessed me with a great starring role in her movie Fatso .
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 ^ I was a bit lonely and depressed, but renting Anne's movies on the weekends gave me something to look forward to.
  • Anne Bancroft: FAnne Stories 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC fannetastic.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Mel Brooks: No, no I had three kids with my first wife, and one with Anne.
  • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

 .Years later, the Brookses appeared as themselves in the fourth season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm, spoofing the finale of The Producers.^ They performed together in Silent Movie , To Be Or Not To Be , and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), and appeared as themselves on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm .

 It is reported that Bancroft encouraged Brooks (after an idea suggested by David Geffen) to take The Producers to Broadway where it became an enormous success, as the show broke the Tony record with 12 wins, a record that had previously been held for 37 years by Hello, Dolly! at 10 wins. .Such success has translated to a big-screen version of the Broadway adaptation/remake with actors Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane reprising their stage roles, in addition to new cast members Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell.^ NPR : Comedian and Filmmaker Mel Brooks Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick have just returned to Broadway and their starring roles in The Producers -- the show based on Brooks' first feature film.
  • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ The Producers Production year: 2005 Country: USA Cert (UK): 12A Runtime: 134 mins Directors: Susan Stroman Cast: Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell More on this film Mel, and Mel's people, had hoped to bag a table at the Savoy Grill.
  • Mel Brooks: 'I do bad taste with intelligence' | Film | The Observer 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: General]

 ^ And Gene Wilder was a neophyte, a new actor, and uh and he kept coming off stage and kept saying to my wife and me "they're laughing at me, why are they laughing at me?"
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 As of early April 2006, Brooks had begun composing the score to a Broadway musical adaptation of Young Frankenstein, which he says is "perhaps the best movie [he] ever made." The world premiere was performed at Seattle's most historic theatre (originally built as a movie palace), The Paramount Theatre, between August 7, 2007, and September 1, 2007 after which it opened on Broadway at the Hilton Theatre, New York, on October 11, 2007. It has since earned moderate to poor reviews from the critics.
.In interviews broadcast on WABC radio, Brooks has discussed with NYC radio personality Mark Simone the possibilities of turning other works from his creative oeuvre (such as the movie Blazing Saddles) into future musical productions.^ "The output is not as big as my grandfather’s, he had a herring business," says Brooks, whose films include Space Balls , Blazing Saddles and The Producers .
  • American Gangsters: Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner discuss The 2000 Year Old Man - The Ampersand 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC network.nationalpost.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

 ^ It would be far easier to dismiss 'Blazing Saddles' (as well as Brooks' other seminal '70s comedy, 'Young Frankenstein') if it was not for the inspired lunacy its terrific ensemble brings to his often one-note satire.
  • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Young Frankenstein, that you can, you can only work on with one other person.
  • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

 Specifically, in a conversation airing March 1, 2008, he and Simone speculated on what show tunes might be incorporated into a theatrical adaptation of the Get Smart property.
On December 5, 2009 Brooks was one of five recipients of 2009 Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.[6]

Personal life

.Brooks was married to Florence Baum from 1951 to 1961. Their marriage ended in divorce.^ Brooks married his first wife, Florence Baum, in 1951; they had three children before divorcing in 1961.

 Mel and Florence had three children, Stephanie, Nicky, and Eddie.
.Brooks was married to the actress Anne Bancroft from 1964 until her death from uterine cancer on June 6, 2005. They met on rehearsal for the Perry Como Variety Show in 1961 and married three years later, August 5, at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau.^ Bancroft died in 2005 of uterine cancer.

 ^ He met actress Anne Bancroft in 1961 and married her three years later; their son Maximilian was born in 1972.

 ^ Brooks married his first wife, Florence Baum, in 1951; they had three children before divorcing in 1961.

 Their son, Max Brooks, was born in 1972. In 2010, Brooks credited Bancroft as being the guiding force behind his involvement in developing The Producers and Young Frankenstein for the musical theater, citing an early meeting as "From that day, until her death on June 5, 2005, we were glued together."[7]

Work

Brooks at the White House for the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors

Writer/director

Theatre

Other works

See also

Further reading

  • Jeff Rovin. .Cat Angels, Harper Paperbacks, ISBN 0-06-100972-5
  • Parish, James Robert.^ Vote Up Vote Down It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks by James Robert Parish .
    • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks (2007) Wiley ISBN 0471752673

References

  1. ^ Parish, pp. 16–17
  2. ^ AFI's list
  3. ^ "Mel Brooks Biography (1926-)" at Filmreference.com
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ [2]
  6. ^ Mel Brooks laughs his way to Kennedy Center honor - washingtonpost.com
  7. ^ Carucci, John (2010-03-03). "Brooks recalls Anne Bancroft as wife, collaborator". San Francisco Chronicle. 

External links

Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) 1960–1969
I. A. L. Diamond and Billy Wilder (1960) · William Inge (1961) · Ennio de Concini, Pietro Germi and Alfredo Giannetti (1962) · James Webb (1963) · Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff (1964) · Frederic Raphael (1965) · Claude Lelouch and Pierre Uytterhoeven (1966) · William Rose (1967) · Mel Brooks (1968) · William Goldman (1969)
(1940–1949) · (1950–1959) · (1960–1969) · (1970–1979) · (1980–1989) · (1990–1999) · (2000–2009)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Billy Friedberg / Nat Hiken / Coleman Jacoby / Arnold Rosen / Leonard Stern / Tony Webster (1957) · Sam Denoff / Bill Persky / Carl Reiner (1964) · Hal Goldman / Al Gordon / Sheldon Keller (1966) · Mel Brooks / Sam Denoff / Bill Persky / Carl Reiner / Mel Tolkin (1967) · Chris Bearde / Phil Hahn / Jack Hanrahan / Coslough Johnson / Paul Keyes / Marc London / Allan Manings / David Panich / Hugh Wedlock / Digby Wolfe (1968) · Allan Blye / Bob Einstein / Carl Gottlieb / Cy Howard / Steve Martin / Jerry Music / Murray Roman / Cecil Tuck / Paul Wayne / Mason Williams (1969) · Gary Belkin / Peter Bellwood / Thomas Meehan / Herb Sargent / Judith Viorst (1970) · Herbert Baker / Hal Goodman / Larry Klein / Bob Schiller / Norman Steinberg / Bob Weiskopf / Flip Wilson (1971) · Bob Ellison / Marty Farrell (1971) · Art Baer / Roger Beatty / Stan Burns / Stan Hart / Don Hinkley / Ben Joelson / Woody Kling / Mike Marmer / Arnie Rosen / Larry Siegel (1972) · Anne Howard Bailey (1972) · Joseph Bologna / Renee Taylor (1973) · Bill Angelos / Roger Beatty / Stan Hart / Robert Hilliard / Woody Kling / Arnie Kogen / Buz Kohan / Gail Parent / Tom Patchett / Larry Siegel / Jay Tarses (1973) · Fay Kanin (1974)
Complete list: (1957-1974) · (1975-2000) · (2001-present)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series
Roscoe Lee Browne (1986) · John Cleese (1987) · Cleavon Little (1989) · Jay Thomas (1990) · Jay Thomas (1991) · David Clennon (1993) · Martin Sheen (1994) · Carl Reiner (1995) · Tim Conway (1996) · Mel Brooks (1997) · Mel Brooks (1998) · Mel Brooks (1999) · Bruce Willis (2000)
Complete list: (1986–2000) · (2001–present)
Mel Brooks
Feature films
The Producers (1968) · The Twelve Chairs · Blazing Saddles · Young Frankenstein (1974) · Silent Movie · High Anxiety · History of the World, Part I · Spaceballs · Life Stinks · Robin Hood: Men in Tights · Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Productions
Television programs
Get Smart · When Things Were Rotten  · Spaceballs: The Animated Series
Broadway productions
Collaborators
2009 Kennedy Center Honorees

Quotes

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From Wikiquote

.Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky on 28 June 1926) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter.^ Born: Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York, 28 June 1926.
  • Mel Brooks - Actors and Actresses - Films as Actor:, Films as Actor, Director, and Scriptwriter:, Films as Executive Producer:, Publications 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.filmreference.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Mel Brooks News: Melvin “Mel” Kaminsky (born June 28, 1926), Brooks was born Melvin K..
  • Dave Bruback, Grace Bumbry, Mel Brooks, Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen In 2009 Kennedy Center Honors 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC blog.taragana.com [Source type: General]

 ^ Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky to parents of Russian Jewish origin in Brooklyn, New York on 28 June, 1926.
  • BBC - h2g2 - Mel Brooks - Director, Actor, Writer and Producer - A650594 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bbc.co.uk [Source type: General]

Contents

12 Chairs

.
  • Chorus: "Hope for the best.^ The big chorus "Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst" is based on the same source that Brahms used for his Hungarian Dance No.
    • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray - Mel Brooks 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdbeaver.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Chorus : "Hope for the best.
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     Expect the worst. / Life is a play. We're unrehearsed."

Blazing Saddles

Main article: Blazing Saddles
.
  • Jim "The Waco Kid" (Gene Wilder): "My name is Jim, most people call me...^ Jim (Gene Wilder, Stir Crazy ), who was formerly known as The Waco Kid, a cowboy who had the fastest hands in the world.
    • DVD Verdict Review - The Mel Brooks Collection 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdverdict.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Jim "The Waco Kid" ( Gene Wilder ) : "Then we're awake, but we're very puzzled."
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Main article: Blazing Saddles Jim "The Waco Kid" ( Gene Wilder ) : "My name is Jim, most people call me...
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     .Jim."
  • Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little): "Mornin', ma'am!^ And suffice it to say that these are his two most soulful movies, in that we care deeply about Sheriff Bart and Victor Von Frankenstein, because of the genius performances of Cleavon Little and of Gene Wilder.
    • PopMatters Film Feature | Fart Jokes, Nazis, and Genius: Mel Brooks as Anti-Serious Auteur 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.popmatters.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ Sheriff Bart ( Cleavon Little ) : "Since I am your host and you are my guest what are your hobbies?
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Sheriff Bart ( Cleavon Little ) (Waking up a drunk Jim in jail) : "Are we awake?"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     .And isn't it a lovely mornin'?"
    Old Woman: "Up yours, nigger!"    ^ And isn't it a lovely mornin'?"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Old Woman: "Up yours, nigger!"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ And isn't it about time you replaced your old worn out VHS copy of " High Anxiety ?"
    • DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary: Brooks Looks Back: A Swell Retrospective for Mel 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvddossier.com [Source type: General]
    .Jim "The Waco Kid" (Gene Wilder) [consoling Bart afterwards]: "What did you expect?^ Jim "The Waco Kid" ( Gene Wilder ) [consoling Bart afterwards] : "What did you expect?
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ "You've got to remember," comments the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder) at one point about the dim-witted racist townspeople, "that these are just simple farmers; these are people of the land, the common clay of the new West.
    • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]

     ^ I found the performances by Gene Wilder more brilliant than an a by Kampbell-Kid .
    • Holy Schwartz!!! Yogurt to return with SPACEBALLS 2'!' -- Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.aintitcool.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     .'Welcome, sonny'? 'Make yourself at home'? 'Marry my daughter'? You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers...^ If something doesn’t work, you’ve got to dismantle the wall and start all over again to make sure the bricks are interfacing and that they architecturally support the idea.
    • Mel Brooks Movie Producer - Interview with Comedian and Filmaker - Esquire 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.esquire.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Many of these are much more entertaining than you'd expect because Brooks narrates them; he makes them little comic wonders in their own right.
    • Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks Collection) (1974) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdmg.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Leonard: He doesn't want you to take a piece of his, all these years you've supported this kid and now he doesn't want to give anything back.
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     these are people of the land... the common clay of the New West. .You know – morons."
  • Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little): "Excuse me while I whip this out."
  • Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little): "Where the white women at?"
  • Railway Worker : "You shifty nigger!^ Sheriff Bart ( Cleavon Little ) : "Where the white women at?"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ And then we tried to work out the age of the dog to see like, you know, like "Well if it, if it's, if it's one, then how much is that in dog years?
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ And, and if you want to get tickets you can push little old ladies out of the way and get those tickets.
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     .They said you was hung!"^ They said, ‘You’re kidding!
    • Entertainer Mel Brooks discusses his ‘Blazing’ career | Daily Trojan 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC dailytrojan.com [Source type: General]

     ^ They said you was hung!"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ I said, “I want to go back to television where they don’t review you.” Lucky I decided to do another movie and kept going.
    • Mel Brooks Sends "Young Frankenstein" On the Road - Speakeasy - WSJ 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC blogs.wsj.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
    .Sheriff Bart : "And they was right!"
  • Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little) (Waking up a drunk Jim in jail): "Are we awake?"^ Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is up to earballs in a land grabbing scheme and convinces the governor (Mel Brooks) to send in a black sheriff Black Bart (Cleavon Little) to the white bread town of Ridge Rock so that property values will fall and townspeople will up and leave.
    • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray - Mel Brooks 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdbeaver.com [Source type: General]

     ^ These offer the usual kind of goof-ups and bloopers, but they're a little more compelling than usual.
    • Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks Collection) (1974) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdmg.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Bart teams up with drunken gunslinger Jim (Gene Wilder) to save the town, while facing racism from the very people he's trying to help.
    • SoundtrackNet : DVD Review - The Mel Brooks Collection (Blu-ray) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.soundtrack.net [Source type: General]
    .Jim "The Waco Kid" (Gene Wilder): "We don't know.^ Main article: Blazing Saddles Jim "The Waco Kid" ( Gene Wilder ) : "My name is Jim, most people call me...
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Jim (Gene Wilder, Stir Crazy ), who was formerly known as The Waco Kid, a cowboy who had the fastest hands in the world.
    • DVD Verdict Review - The Mel Brooks Collection 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdverdict.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Jim "The Waco Kid" ( Gene Wilder ) : "Then we're awake, but we're very puzzled."
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     Are we black?"
    .Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little): "Yes we are."^ Sheriff Bart ( Cleavon Little ) : "Where the white women at?"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ The plot had black sheriff (Cleavon Little) unite with an alcoholic sharpshooter (Wilder) to clean up a corrupt Old West town.
    • Mel Brooks | St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture | Find Articles at BNET 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC findarticles.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Sheriff Bart ( Cleavon Little ) : "Since I am your host and you are my guest what are your hobbies?
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    .Jim "The Waco Kid" (Gene Wilder): "Then we're awake, but we're very puzzled."
  • Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little): "Since I am your host and you are my guest what are your hobbies?^ Sheriff Bart ( Cleavon Little ) : "Since I am your host and you are my guest what are your hobbies?
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Sheriff Bart ( Cleavon Little ) (Waking up a drunk Jim in jail) : "Are we awake?"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Jim "The Waco Kid" ( Gene Wilder ) [consoling Bart afterwards] : "What did you expect?
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     .What do you like to do in your free time?"^ Glue is a free service that helps you find your next favorite thing.
    • http://getglue.com/movie_stars/mel_brooks 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC getglue.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ Since you're an industry person feel free to use the forum at http://actorschecklist.com/phpBB2 to get your message out.
    • Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein The Musical on MySpace Comedy - Comic Clips, Funny Videos & Jokes 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.myspace.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ Go ahead, add us to your bookmarks — it’s not like you don’t have enough links already!
    • Can I get an “Amen?” Fox unleashes The Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-ray, December 15 « Insomniac Entertainment 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC insomniacentertainment.com [Source type: General]
    .Jim "The Waco Kid" (Gene Wilder): "Oh you know, play chess...screw."^ If you say one, if I said Marty Short, then Gene Wilder, who is still with us would be very upset.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ What like if he's 14, oh maybe we should leave on the sci-fi channel?", you know, "But he's not really a sci-fi dog," you know.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ If you say one, if I said Marty Short, then Gene Wilder, who is still with us.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]
    Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little): "Well let's play chess!"

History of the World, Part I

Main article: History of the World: Part I
.
  • Josephus (Gregory Hines): "I'm Josephus, and I'm the main course over at the Colosseum!"
  • Count de Monet (Harvey Korman) [consistently mispronounced as "money"]: "Bearnaise, do we have any of those delicious raisins left?"^ Count de Monet: It is said that the people are revolting.
    • Mel Brooks: 'I Am a National Treasure' | Drudge Retort 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.drudge.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ Count de Monet 16.
    • Mel Brooks Collection [8 Discs] - Widescreen Dubbed Subtitle - DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bestbuy.com [Source type: General]

     ^ [Blows a raspberry ] Count de Monet: "Don't be saucy with me, Bearnaise."
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    Bearnaise (Andréas Voutsinas) : "You ate yours. These are mine."
    .Count de Monet: "Au contraire, they are mine!^ Harvey Korman is the lecherous Count de Monet.
    • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray - Mel Brooks 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdbeaver.com [Source type: General]

     ^ While her father does get released, Louis manages to alternate attempts with Count de Monet (Harvey Korman, Blazing Saddles ) to "do it" with Rimbaud (the Mademoiselle, of course).
    • DVD Verdict Review - The Mel Brooks Collection 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdverdict.com [Source type: General]

     ^ With the help of Count de Monet (Harvey Korman), Louis gets a servant (also Brooks) to stand-in for him while he goes into hiding.
    • SoundtrackNet : DVD Review - The Mel Brooks Collection (Blu-ray) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.soundtrack.net [Source type: General]

     I paid for them! Hand them over!"
    .Bearnaise [sotto voce, mimicking]: "'I paid for them!^ Bearnaise [ sotto voce , mimicking] : "'I paid for them!
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     .They're mine!'"^ They're mine!'"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     [Blows a raspberry]
    .Count de Monet: "Don't be saucy with me, Bearnaise."
  • Count de Monet: "It is said that the people are revolting"
    King Louis XVI (Mel Brooks): "You said it.^ Count de Monet: It is said that the people are revolting.
    • Mel Brooks: 'I Am a National Treasure' | Drudge Retort 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.drudge.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ Mel Brooks: Thank you, thank you.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ Thank you so much Mel Brooks.
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     .They stink on ice."
  • Impoverished Paris Street Merchant (Jack Carter): "Rats, rats for sale.^ They stink on ice!
    • Mel Brooks: 'I Am a National Treasure' | Drudge Retort 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.drudge.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ They stink on ice."
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ They stink on ice.
    • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     Get your rats. .Good for rat stew, rat soup, or the ever-popular ratatouille."
  • Other Street Merchant:"Nothing, I have absolutely nothing for sale!"
  • King Louis XVI [prior to his arrest]: "It's good to be the king.^ Good for rat stew, rat soup, or the ever-popular ratatouille ."
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ King Louis XVI: You said it!
    • Mel Brooks: 'I Am a National Treasure' | Drudge Retort 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.drudge.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ Impoverished Paris Street Merchant (Jack Carter): "Rats, rats for sale.
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     .(Also used in Robin Hood- Men In Tights and The Producers [Musical])"
  • Tomás de Torquemada: "It's better to lose your skullcap than your skull."
  • Moses (Mel Brooks): "God has given us these fifteen- (after dropping one of the tablets)Oy.^ Robin Hood: Men In Tights – feature film .
    • Can I get an “Amen?” Fox unleashes The Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-ray, December 15 « Insomniac Entertainment 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC insomniacentertainment.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) .
    • SoundtrackNet : DVD Review - The Mel Brooks Collection (Blu-ray) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.soundtrack.net [Source type: General]

     ^ "Robin Hood - Men in Tights is the most well made movie from Mel Books ever."
    • Amazon.com: All Mel Brooks Films VHS & DVD 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.amazon.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     .Ten-ten commandments!"
  • Revolutionary Leader(Cloris Leachman):And now, let us end this meeting on a high note.^ Revolutionary Leader ( Cloris Leachman ): And now, let us end this meeting on a high note.
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ The big finale (a teaser for the never-created Part II ) at least ends the film on a high note.
    • SoundtrackNet : DVD Review - The Mel Brooks Collection (Blu-ray) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.soundtrack.net [Source type: General]

     ^ (Proceeds to sing a sharp high note, followed by the rest of the revolutionaries.
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     (Proceeds to sing a sharp high note, followed by the rest of the revolutionaries.
  • Jail Inmates: Eighty fff....Eighty fff....Eighty fff....Eighty fff....Eighty Six!

Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Main article: Robin Hood: Men in Tights
.
  • Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle): "Man, white men can't jump!!"
  • King Richard (Patrick Stewart): "From this day forward, all toilets in this kingdom shall be known as...'John's'!"
  • Little John: "Let's face it - you've got to be a man to wear tights!"
  • Man In Front of Castle: "Hey Abbot!"
  • Townspeople: A black sheriff?^ With the help of his friends Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle), Little John (Eric Kramer, True Romance ) and Will (Matt Poretta, Kate's Addiction ), they do what they can to try and win the town back, along with Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck, Home for the Holidays ).
    • DVD Verdict Review - The Mel Brooks Collection 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.dvdverdict.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Leonard: He doesn't want you to take a piece of his, all these years you've supported this kid and now he doesn't want to give anything back.
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     ^ It's Good To Be The King Rap (Pts.1&2) / I Can't Let You Go / Dancing Tight / I Can't Turn Away (12") .
    • Mel Brooks Discography at Discogs 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.discogs.com [Source type: General]
    Blinkin: He's Black?!
    Ahchoo: Why not? .It worked in Blazing Saddles.
  • Robin Hood: Watch my back!^ I watched Blazing Saddles again with my sons recently.
    • Mel Brooks: 'I Am a National Treasure' | Drudge Retort 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.drudge.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ While this is certainly the best that Blazing Saddles has ever sounded, the mix could still use some work, and I do wish that the original track had been included for reference purposes.
    • The Mel Brooks Collection Blu-ray (Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World Part 1, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Silent Movie, Spaceballs, To Be or Not to Be, Twelve Chairs, Young Frankenstein) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.blu-ray.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Of all the Mel Brooks films to connect to in the budding years of my film obsession, 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' may have been the perfect fit for me.
    • Blu-ray Review: The Mel Brooks Collection | High-Def Digest 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC bluray.highdefdigest.com [Source type: General]
    Achoo: Yo' back just got punched twice.
  • Will Scarlet Blinkin, fix your boobs, you look like a bleeding Picasso.
  • Blinkin Aaahhhh, you lost your arms in battle, but you grew some nice boobs (Blinkin gropes the Venus De Milo statue left behind after creditors take away Loxley Castle)
  • Robin Hood: Because unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with a English accent.
  • Sheriff of Rotingham King illegal forest to pig wild kill in it a is!

Spaceballs

Main article: Spaceballs
  • Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis): "I see your schwartz is as big as mine."
  • Radar Officer (Michael Winslow): "I've lost the sweeps, the bleeps, and the creeps!" [Explains via vocal sound effects]
    Dark Helmet [aside to Colonel Sandurz]: "That's not all he's lost."
  • Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis): "What? .You went over my helmet?"
  • President Skroob (Mel Brooks): "What the hell, it works on Star Trek!"
  • Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis): "What's the matter Colonel Sandurz...^ Mel Brooks: But once in awhile you meet somebody and they would tell you, some shtick like the Cone of Silence.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ MEL BROOKS: Yeah, well I was a street corner comic you know.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ It was only a matter of time before Mel Brooks turned his attention to science fiction films.
    • SoundtrackNet : DVD Review - The Mel Brooks Collection (Blu-ray) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.soundtrack.net [Source type: General]

     chicken?!"
  • Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis): "I knew it, I'm surrounded by Assholes." (This follows everyone on the bridge announcing that their last name is "Asshole.")
  • Lonestar (Bill Pullman): "That's all we needed, a Druish Princess!"
    Mel Brooks in the director's Commentary : "I'm both proud and ashamed of that line"
  • Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis): "So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."

The Producers

Main article: The Producers (1968 film)
Main article: The Producers (2005 film)
.
  • Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel): "That's it, baby, when you've got it, flaunt it, flaunt it!"
  • Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel): "I'm wearing a cardboard belt!"
  • Stormtrooper Mel (Mel Brooks): "Don't be stupid, be a smarty / Come and join the Nazi Party!"
  • LSD as Adolf Hitler (Dick Shawn): "Heil Baby!"
  • Lead Tenor Stormtrooper (John Barrowman): "Springtime, for Hitler, and Germany / Winter, for Poland and France!"
  • Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel): "How could this happen?^ MEL BROOKS: But comedy is lively, comedy is joy, and that's what keeps us going, we've got to look forward to little, little happiness's.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ In the recent annals of Broadway, no one can compete with what Lane and Broderick achieved as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, the crooked duo who conspired to pocket a fortune by staging the worst play ever written, Springtime for Hitler.
    • Nathan Lane: Hollywood, homophobia and Mel Brooks - Features, Films - The Independent 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.independent.co.uk [Source type: News]

     ^ LSD (protesting vehemently) I lieb you baby, I lieb you.
    • The Producers Script - Screenplay from the Mel Brooks movie 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.script-o-rama.com [Source type: Original source]

     I was so careful. .I picked the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast.^ I picked the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast.
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     .Where did I go right?"
  • Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder): "Actors are not animals!^ Leo Bloom ( Gene Wilder ) : "Actors are not animals!
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Where did I go right?"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ By over-financing a certain flop, the producers Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) can keep the extra money they did not need to produce the play without fear of investigation by the IRS. .
    • BBC - h2g2 - Mel Brooks - Director, Actor, Writer and Producer - A650594 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.bbc.co.uk [Source type: General]

     .They're human beings!"^ You can't kill the actors -- they're not animals, they're human beings!
    • The Producers Script - Screenplay from the Mel Brooks movie 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.script-o-rama.com [Source type: Original source]

     ^ They're human beings!"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    .Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel): "They are?^ I always knew Zero was Max Bialystock and I always new that somehwere there was Leo Bloom.
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     ^ Max Bialystock ( Zero Mostel ) : "How could this happen?
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     ^ Max Bialystock ( Zero Mostel ) : "I'm wearing a cardboard belt!"
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]
    • Mel Brooks - Wikiquote 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC en.wikiquote.org [Source type: General]

     Have you ever eaten with one?"

Young Frankenstein

Main article: Young Frankenstein
.
  • Igor (Marty Feldman): "My grandfather used to work for your grandfather.^ So I did my first movie, 'Silent Movie', with Don DeLuise and Marty Feldman, and then after that I did 'High Anxiety'.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ And then we segue to the doctor who wants nothing to do with you know, my grandfathers work was crazy and he lives for the transference of intelligence from one brain to another.
    • Steve Friess - Home Page 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.stevefriess.com [Source type: Original source]

     Of course the rates have gone up."
  • Igor (Marty Feldman) (limping off): "Walk this way" - and Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) limps off after him.
  • Dr. Frankenstein: (Gene Wilder): "Igor, would you give me a hand with the bags?"
    Igor: (Marty Feldman): "[doing a Groucho Marx] Certainly, you take the blonde and I'll take the one in the turban."
  • Igor: (Marty Feldman): "Sed-a..."
    Inga: (Teri Garr): "Sed-a..."
    Igor: (Marty Feldman): "Dirty word! He said a dirty word!"
  • Dr. Frankenstein "Damn your eyes!"
    Igor (pointing at his lazy eye) "Too late!"

The 2,000 Year Old Man (and sequels)

.
  • As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.
  • If they [presidents] can't do it to their wives, they do it to their country.
  • Tragedy is when I cut my finger.^ He's also responsible for my favourite definition of comedy: 'Tragedy is when I cut my finger.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ Mel Brooks As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.
    • Mel Brooks Video Showcase 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.squidoo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     ^ MEL BROOKS: "Tragedy is when I cut my finger.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     .Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.
  • [explaining that Paul Revere was Anti-Semitic] He was scared they were moving into the neighborhood.^ Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.'
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die".
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ I think about Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor and although they had been around before you, you really moved them to another level.
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     ."They're coming, they're coming.^ And Gene Wilder was a neophyte, a new actor, and uh and he kept coming off stage and kept saying to my wife and me "they're laughing at me, why are they laughing at me?"
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     ^ The reviews come out and they're uniformly raves -- the kind of notices no one dares to dream about.
    • Second Act / Mel Brooks proves 'your muse has no age' 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.sfgate.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

     .The Yiddish, they're coming"
  • After I eat asparagus...
  • You know Cuneiform?^ You know they yell, they yell.
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 38: Mel Brooks (19/04/2004) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]
    • ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 163: Mel Brooks (14/04/2008) 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.abc.net.au [Source type: Original source]

     ^ So, you know, you can be as serious as you want to be, they're going to laugh at you."
    • Brookslyn :: A Mel Brooks Fan Site :: Print :: Leonard Lopate Interview Transcript Aug 25 2004 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.brookslyn.com [Source type: General]

     ^ You don't know what you're doing.
    • The Producers Script - Screenplay from the Mel Brooks movie 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.script-o-rama.com [Source type: Original source]

     You know Sanskrit? It's neither of those.
  • Angel of Death ain't kissing me! I'm full of garlic!
  • It's Wheird, there's an H in there. .Gotta hit that H otherwise they think I'm some sort of a kook!
  • [on ancient poetry] Nog Nog!^ Some actors have said its almost like they think theyre watching television.
    • Steve Friess - Home Page 10 January 2010 13:18 UTC www.stevefriess.com [Source type: Original source]

     Mkellen bebog! V'luch Matuch Maluch M'tog!
    • Translation: Beans Beans! The musical fruits! The more you eat...
  • [on the greatest invention] Liquid Prell.

To Be Or Not To Be (1983)

  • Excuse me, is this England? (while in a Hitler costume, after crash landing in England at the height of the Battle of Britian)

About

  • Mel is sensual with me. He treats me like an uncle - a dirty uncle. He's an earthy man and very moral underneath. He has traditional values.

See also

External links


Simple English

File:Mel
Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926[1]) is a Jewish American actor, comedian, writer, film director, and producer. When he was born in Brooklyn, his name was Melvin Kaminsky.

He has directed, produced and written several films. Most of these are comedies that make references to other films. Some of his films include Young Frankenstein, The Producers, Blazing Saddles, History of the World: Part I, Silent Movie, Spaceballs and Men in Tights

Brooks is one of the few people to have won Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Awards. Most of those were for The Producers, which was both a movie and a musical.

References

  1. ↑ imdb.com
Retrieved from "http://yak.rapint.com/wiki/Mel_Brooks"

Citable sentences

Up to date as of December 29, 2010

Here are sentences from other pages on Mel Brooks, which are similar to those in the above article.








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