Posted on 12/17/2005 11:50:30 PM PST by nickcarraway
Over an anarchic lunch, Mel Brooks wisecracks about everything from the new-found success of The Producers to his wartime high jinks. But the recent death of his wife, Anne Bancroft, has left him bereft.
To slip briefly into luvvie parlance, Mel Brooks is what is known as a trouper. This means he always gets on with the job, come sleet or snow, a goonish smile slathered across his face (even if, in some lights, the smile does look more like a grimace). His old-fashioned trouper qualities manifest themselves in all sorts of ways. At one end of the scale, there is his determination to keep working and talking and travelling, even though it is still only six months since his wife of more than 40 years, Anne Bancroft, died of cancer. At the other end, there is his delightful enjoyment of this room, in Simpson's, an ancient restaurant on the Strand, where we are trying - and just about succeeding - to have lunch together.
Mel, and Mel's people, had hoped to bag a table at the Savoy Grill. But nothing doing. So we have come round the corner to this less swanky establishment. The carpets are busy, and the place is packed with office Christmas parties; I can hardly hear myself speak, let alone catch Brooks's hammy burr. To my left, a woman in a sparkly dress has just taken a photograph of her group (I can only give grateful thanks that her camera is back in her handbag when my guest walks in), and later the maitre d' will proffer a laminated menu for Brooks to sign, which he does, even though the Biro skids over it like a glass on a Ouija board ('Don't worry! I can do it,' he yells, gripping the pen with all his
(Excerpt) Read more at film.guardian.co.uk ...
Mel Brooks is one of the sweetest, most generous people on planet earth.
God bless him.
The writer did a good job of getting across how Brooks' loss of his wife makes everything else seem less than it would have been with her still around.
Thanks for posting this. I have always liked the guy, and the interview is a good one.
I've always liked his goofy comedic genius. He really loved that beautiful and talented wife of his. I think they were soulmates, like Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.
Mel Brooks' character shines through his work. Always funny, never mean. Even his parodies are loving tributes.
The writer makes a comment about how Brooks' comedy isn't as 'enduring' but he has either 2 or 3 spots in the American Film Institutes top 10 comedy films OF ALL TIME.
I like how Brooks honestly doesn't know why "The Producers" hit it so big, especially after he seemed washed up. I don't think anyone can explain it, and he's right, it just hit a nerve with people. Now there's a man with some understanding of reality and not delusions of grandeur and self-importance like many of today's pseudo-stars.
Blazing Saddles will be remembered by the general public far longer than anything Woody Allen has done. Allen will only be remembered by movie critics.
And by parents with underage daughters. The cretin should be living in Bahrain with Michael Jackson.
His original title for The Producers was "Springtime for Hitler". The studio made him change it.
Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein are in our family's DVD collection. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a Woody Allen film with the same distinction. Love Mel Brooks, even though Men in Tights was questionable. I especially love a husband who really loves his wife. To me, it is one of the greatest signs of a decent man.
Young Frankenstein...LOL!
Thanks for posting this. The kid is a big fan, so I sent it on to her.
God bless the internet, it is so much fun. That a conservative web site like this can post an interview in a liberal rag like the Guardian that can be actually good that I can send to my kid. I love this stuff!
Perhaps the folks in the thread will excuse me if I mention that I have never found Brooks funny. "I do bad taste", yes. "With intelligence", no.
Woody Allen is much worse than Brooks though. I would describe Allen as "petulant and parochial".
"He really loved that beautiful and talented wife of his."
Truly, I think he worshipped the ground she walked on. If you watch "Silent Movie", which actually IS silent, so no going to make a sandwich, you realize it is just a paen to Ann Bancroft. It must be amazing to have a person love you that much.
Anybody who gave us "The Producers," "The 12 Chairs," "Get Smart," "Your Show of Shows," "Caesar's Hour," "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein" and the musical of "The Producers" hardly needs to worry that he doesn't have any legacy.
The writer also made a remark about "The Producers" not being as popular in the red states. I'm in Dallas, and when the road company came through this summer, it sold out the cavernous Music Hall for two weeks. It was also one of the greatest things I've ever seen on stage, and I probably see more live theater than TV. Even if you're a 100% heterosexual (me, too, BTW) and think you hate musical theater, you will LOVE this show. Great music, hot chorus babes, and absolutely hilarious script. It's probably the pinnacle of what used to be called "the tired businessman show." Critics diss it because it's not about the tragic plight of singing gay cowboys whose pudding has turned rancid. All it does is really entertain the audience.
I think you are forgetting "History of the World, Part 1". I think that is funnier than "Blazing Saddles", and I have them both. "It's good to be the king"!
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