I only knew Mr. Brooks from his absolutely hilarious and brilliant movies. Here's to Mr. Brooks, his great contributions to comedy and, most of all, his outstanding service in WW II.
Posted on 11/11/2024 10:31:37 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
November 11 could be the final Veterans Day for many of the World War II vets, now well into their 90s. Filmmaker Mel Brooks, 98, is one of them.
Actor, comedian, composer and filmmaker Mel Brooks was born Melvin James Kaminsky in 1926. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York.In time, Brooks’ war experience would work its way into his movies. In The Producers (1967), Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) aim to rip off investors by serving up a surefire flop. They buy the rights to “Springtime for Hitler,” by Nazi vet Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars) and hire Roger De Bris (Christopher Hewitt) by some accounts the worst director who ever lived. De Bris finds the script fascinating.In 1944, he was drafted into the Army. Due to his high scores on his military entrance exam, Brooks was placed in the Army Specialized Training Program at Virginia Military Institute, where he learned combat engineering and other fighting skills.
Twelve weeks later, he was sent to basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
In November 1944, he arrived in France and then Belgium, serving as a forward artillery observer with the 78th Infantry Division.
A short time later, he was transferred to the 1104th Engineer Combat Group, participating in the Battle of the Bulge. He was sent to the forward edge of the battle areas, helping to clear German land mines so Allied forces could advance. On five occasions, Brooks’ unit had to fight as infantry and suffered casualties doing so.
In Germany, the unit was the first to construct a bridge over the Roer River, and they would later build bridges over the Rhine River.
By April 1945, Brooks’ unit was conducting reconnaissance missions in the Harz Mountains of northern Germany. Days later, the war ended.
In May 1945, Brooks recalled seeing starving Jewish refugees who had escaped the concentration camps. Brooks said this left an indelible impression on him as he is Jewish. He said he felt lucky to be an American.
A short time later, Brooks was honorably discharged from the Army as a corporal.
I only knew Mr. Brooks from his absolutely hilarious and brilliant movies. Here's to Mr. Brooks, his great contributions to comedy and, most of all, his outstanding service in WW II.
The Producers too, but my fave was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
LOL...great scene. Time to watch “The Producers” again. Such a great film.
Brooks always said there had been an avalanche of serious movies about the Nazi horrors, and if he made yet another one, it would have been buried under the pile. ‘The Producers’ could not be ignored, and nobody who saw it will ever forget it. Sheer genius on the part of Brooks.
Kenneth Mars was as well.
My favorite Brooks quote...
“Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die”
James Doohan (Scotty in Star Trek) lost a finger during the Normandy invasion. The Star Trek camera team did a good job of hiding, but there was one scene where his missing finger was showing.
LOLOL...that “Love Power” scene is so funny! I’d totally forgotten it. Need to watch The Producers again real soon.
Wow, another great unsung vet. Thanks.
I was too busy watching the girl with the guitar.
> A short time later, he was transferred to the 1104th Engineer Combat Group, participating in the Battle of the Bulge. <
Two relevant Mel Brooks quotes:
“I was a combat engineer. Isn’t that ridiculous? Two of my least favorite things are combat and engineering.”
And when asked about the Battle of the Bulge: “It was very noisy. I could hardly get any reading done.”
Gotta love Mel!
I got to meet Doohan at a con a week and a half before 9/11. Very nice man.
It has been reported that when the Germans played propaganda recordings over loudspeakers Brooks responded by setting up his own sound system and played music by Al Jolson, a Jewish musician. He supposedly also did this in Europe on the front lines within sight of the German army.
wy69
It has been reported that when the Germans played propaganda recordings over loudspeakers Brooks responded by setting up his own sound system and played music by Al Jolson, a Jewish musician. He supposedly also did this in Europe on the front lines within sight of the German army.
wy69
The guy applauding was actually the choreographer.
Ahhhhahahahahahaha! The woman sitting on the right of the guy whose mouth opens in shock! That was hilarious!
I am so stealing that!
United States 1104th Engineers Combat Group explodes a German pillbox in Marienbe...HD Stock Footage [11/2/1944]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XczqZmKjHmM
Winter for Poland and France....
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