FARK.com: (7236316) Mel Brooks, 86, on why he changed from writer to director and his philosophy of directing comedy

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		Mel Brooks, 86, on why he changed from writer to director and his philosophy of directing comedy (dga.org)		89
		More: Cool, Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles, human beings, Young Frankenstein, Get Smart, carl reiner, Gene Wilder, film directors

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4092 clicks; posted to Entertainment » on 27 Jul 2012 at 11:59 AM | Favorite | share:

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ElvisThroop		2012-07-27 10:28:55 AM

Really enjoyable interview

Kevin72		2012-07-27 11:11:32 AM

PSA: Mel Brooks is not Mel Blanc.

Sybarite		2012-07-27 11:24:35 AM

Tip 1: Don't be surrounded by Assholes.

DjangoStonereaver		2012-07-27 11:43:00 AM

I have a copy of the raw audio of an interview Mr. Brooks did for a major news organization a few weeks
before he got THE PRODUCERS won its Tony awards.

It not only is pretty much a "DVD commentary" for the original Broadway cast, it also has some of the
funniest stuff I have ever heard, bar none, made up on the spot due to spontaneous technical glitches
that he riffed off.

The man is not just a national treasure, he's a world treasure.

Kevin72		2012-07-27 11:45:49 AM

Always remembering that Mel Brooks was married to Mrs. Robinson for 40+ years.

unyon		2012-07-27 11:49:52 AM

I can hardly wait for "History of the World, Pt II". Any day now.

AdolfOliverPanties		2012-07-27 11:58:00 AM

unyon: I can hardly wait for "History of the World, Pt II". Any day now.

"Jews In Spaaaaace...."

Gunny Highway		2012-07-27 12:05:35 PM

Never mind that shiat....

Hawk24		2012-07-27 12:05:58 PM

AdolfOliverPanties: unyon: I can hardly wait for "History of the World, Pt II". Any day now.

"Jews In Spaaaaace...."

See.....Hitler on ice!

DubyaHater		2012-07-27 12:19:49 PM

Gunny Highway: Never mind that shiat....

Here comes Mongo!

Ow! That was my feelings!		2012-07-27 12:19:52 PM

Genius...

Blazin' Saddles
Young Frankenstein
History of the World, Part I
Spaceballs
The Producers

Farking genius

don't understand		2012-07-27 12:28:30 PM

I LOVE THIS MAN!

saintstryfe		2012-07-27 12:32:19 PM

Hawk24: AdolfOliverPanties: unyon: I can hardly wait for "History of the World, Pt II". Any day now.

"Jews In Spaaaaace...."

See.....Hitler on ice!

See.....A viking funeral!

/this was the single most interesting link from Fark in a month.

hbk72777		2012-07-27 12:35:34 PM

Poor guy lost his wife and almost all of the actors he worked with are gone like Khan, Hines, Little, Feldman Candy, Korman, Boyle, DeLuise, Neilson, Mars. He just doesn't seem to be the same anymore when you see him in interviews.

/Life Stinks is very underrated

Oldiron_79		2012-07-27 12:41:47 PM

Ow! That was my feelings!: Genius...

Blazin' Saddles
Young Frankenstein
History of the World, Part I
Spaceballs
The Producers

Farking genius

Robin Hood Men in Tights
Dracula Dead and loving it

Tax Boy		2012-07-27 12:46:06 PM

Silent Movie has the best scene ever, where they're sitting around a table looking at pictures of sexy starlets, and the table rises.

Jim from Saint Paul		2012-07-27 12:48:42 PM

My vote for the funniest scene in movie history.

/when I started reading the headline I thought he would be dead
//*phew*

CarnySaur		2012-07-27 12:50:19 PM

High Anxiety.

ZMugg		2012-07-27 12:50:59 PM

Tax Boy: Silent Movie has the best scene ever, where they're sitting around a table looking at pictures of sexy starlets, and the table rises.

www.thestranger.com

Disagrees.

_NO!

FTFM

KingKauff		2012-07-27 12:53:29 PM

Jim from Saint Paul:Robin Hood Men in Tights

THIS!

/did you say Abe Lincoln?

carlb		2012-07-27 12:54:10 PM

This was an Amazon deal a couple of days ago. Picked it up for $28.99. It's missing "The Producers" and "Spaceballs," but it's got everything else of his I care to watch (and I run hot and cold on "Spaceballs")

Looks like I'm going to have my very own Mel Brooks film festival next week!

phlegmmo		2012-07-27 12:54:43 PM

Met him once when I worked at 20th Century Fox. Nicest, most down-to-earth guy you could imagine. No pretenses at all.

KingKauff		2012-07-27 12:55:18 PM

High Anxiety is a classic.

Basily Gourt		2012-07-27 01:00:27 PM

FTA-

Q: Blazing Saddles also makes frequent use of the "N-word." Could you get away with that today?

A: Never. If they did a remake of Blazing Saddles today, they would leave out the N-word. And then, you've got no movie. And I wouldn't have used it so much if I didn't have Richard Pryor with me on the set as one of my writers. And Cleavon Little [as Sheriff Bart] was great. Even though it was allowed, I kept asking Cleavon, 'Is that all right there? Is that too much there? Am I pushing this?' and he'd say, 'No, no, no, it's perfect there.'

That right there is all you need to know about society today. We've turned into a collection of quivering pantywaists, afraid to say anything even midly offensive, lest some PC asshole gets the vapors.

Basily Gourt		2012-07-27 01:03:52 PM

~~midly~~ mildly offensive

honest to christ, an edit button would be so nice.

bingethinker		2012-07-27 01:09:49 PM

Well, duh. A writer gets his work butchered by the director. As a director he has more control.

ertznay		2012-07-27 01:11:36 PM

The Twelve Chairs is one I really like, but seems to be totally unknown.

rogue49		2012-07-27 01:20:26 PM

If it could get Mel to do another movie...

Fark it, I'll do non-union crew work...and get a ton of people to join.
It will be just as funny making it, as watching it.

Spadababababababa Spadina Bus		2012-07-27 01:26:53 PM

Best interview I've read in a long time. For the rest of the day, I'll be reading everything in Slim Pickens's twangy tone. Thanks, subs.

NuttierThanEver		2012-07-27 01:28:17 PM

Basily Gourt: FTA-

Q: Blazing Saddles also makes frequent use of the "N-word." Could you get away with that today?

A: Never. If they did a remake of Blazing Saddles today, they would leave out the N-word. And then, you've got no movie. And I wouldn't have used it so much if I didn't have Richard Pryor with me on the set as one of my writers. And Cleavon Little [as Sheriff Bart] was great. Even though it was allowed, I kept asking Cleavon, 'Is that all right there? Is that too much there? Am I pushing this?' and he'd say, 'No, no, no, it's perfect there.'

That right there is all you need to know about society today. We've turned into a collection of quivering pantywaists, afraid to say anything even midly offensive, lest some PC asshole gets the vapors.

I wish Mel could have gotten with Dave Chappell before he lost his mind to write a sequel. Not just because I enjoy a good N-ear joke but because I would love to see them have Sherrif Bart get elected Governor. I think it would be humorous to see how a conservative white population would react to a man of color in executive office.

StrikitRich		2012-07-27 01:28:55 PM

It's good to be the director...er King!!

A Screaming Man with Two-Toned Shoes		2012-07-27 01:33:25 PM

Hawk24: AdolfOliverPanties: unyon: I can hardly wait for "History of the World, Pt II". Any day now.

"Jews In Spaaaaace...."

See.....Hitler on ice!

JUDAS. _{How 'bout a beverage?}

AnotherBluesStringer		2012-07-27 01:35:08 PM

ZMugg: Tax Boy: Silent Movie has the best scene ever, where they're sitting around a table looking at pictures of sexy starlets, and the table rises.

[www.thestranger.com image 500x292]

Disagrees.

NO!

FTFM

Apparently, Mel Brooks called Marcel Marceau to described the scene, then asked him if he would say "no" in the film, and Marcel refused. I believe his reply was, "I can't say that...I'm FRENCH. It would have to be 'non.'"

/May not be an exact quote.
//It's from memory. Too lazy to Google.

Durendal		2012-07-27 01:46:20 PM

carlb: This was an Amazon deal a couple of days ago. Picked it up for $28.99. It's missing "The Producers" and "Spaceballs," but it's got everything else of his I care to watch (and I run hot and cold on "Spaceballs")

Looks like I'm going to have my very own Mel Brooks film festival next week!

Huh? I have that set and Spaceballs is included. It doesn't have The Producers, Life Stinks, or Dracula: Dead and Loving It.

Fano		2012-07-27 01:46:54 PM

Ow! That was my feelings!: Genius...

Blazin' Saddles
Young Frankenstein
History of the World, Part I
Spaceballs
The Producers

Farking genius

High Anxiety!

ZMugg		2012-07-27 01:59:18 PM

AnotherBluesStringer: ZMugg: Tax Boy: Silent Movie has the best scene ever, where they're sitting around a table looking at pictures of sexy starlets, and the table rises.

[www.thestranger.com image 500x292]

Disagrees.

NO!

FTFM

Apparently, Mel Brooks called Marcel Marceau to described the scene, then asked him if he would say "no" in the film, and Marcel refused. I believe his reply was, "I can't say that...I'm FRENCH. It would have to be 'non.'"

/May not be an exact quote.
//It's from memory. Too lazy to Google.

According to TV Tropes, you are (mostly) correct, sir.

_{different word order, same point}

TeddyRooseveltsMustache		2012-07-27 02:03:28 PM

What a nice, thoughtful interview.

Pentaxian		2012-07-27 02:27:44 PM

IMHO Madeline Kahn was one of the sexiest women ever. Not only good looking, but smart, and funny, and great voice.

thenicoleproject.files.wordpress.com

/"O sweet mystery of life i have found you"

StoPPeRmobile		2012-07-27 02:40:11 PM

Pentaxian: IMHO Madeline Kahn was one of the sexiest women ever. Not only good looking, but smart, and funny, and great voice.

[thenicoleproject.files.wordpress.com image 267x400]

[2.bp.blogspot.com image 276x400]

/"O sweet mystery of life i have found you"

Yeeeeeeesssssssss!

DjangoStonereaver		2012-07-27 02:41:29 PM

ertznay: The Twelve Chairs is one I really like, but seems to be totally unknown.

We saw it for English class when I was a sophmore in high school.

As funny as it was, it is also proof that, had he wanted to make straight drama he'd have been almost as good
as he was doing comedy, I think.

Crewmannumber6		2012-07-27 02:43:15 PM

Fano: High Anxiety!

Ooooooooooh, Ziety!

StoPPeRmobile		2012-07-27 02:43:43 PM

DjangoStonereaver: ertznay: The Twelve Chairs is one I really like, but seems to be totally unknown.

We saw it for English class when I was a sophmore in high school.

As funny as it was, it is also proof that, had he wanted to make straight drama he'd have been almost as good
as he was doing comedy, I think.

Comedy is hard. See Shakespeare.

Crewmannumber6		2012-07-27 02:48:56 PM

StoPPeRmobile: DjangoStonereaver: ertznay: The Twelve Chairs is one I really like, but seems to be totally unknown.

We saw it for English class when I was a sophmore in high school.

As funny as it was, it is also proof that, had he wanted to make straight drama he'd have been almost as good
as he was doing comedy, I think.

Comedy is hard. See Shakespeare.

Dying is easy, comedy is hard

EngineerBoy		2012-07-27 02:49:20 PM

From IMDb trivia:

After promising to edit out several 'offensive' scenes such as the infamous farting sequence, Mel Brooks in fact never cut a single scene except one: after the room is darkened and Lilly informs Bart "It's TWUE! It's TWUE!", Bart quietly states "You're sucking on my elbow".

Awesome...

You'd turn it off when I was halfway across		2012-07-27 02:51:08 PM

Before reading the interview I'm kind of hoping the answer is;

a) to attract women.
b) money
c) ability to realise his artistic vision

... in that order.

/Yes, the farting cowboy scene is art.

StoPPeRmobile		2012-07-27 03:12:15 PM

You'd turn it off when I was halfway across: Before reading the interview I'm kind of hoping the answer is;

a) to attract women.
b) money
c) ability to realise his artistic vision

... in that order.

/Yes, the farting cowboy scene is art.

I always get the warped ones.

Skr		2012-07-27 03:16:37 PM

Mel Brooks is amazing. Really makes me sad that I haven't found any other writer/directors that can make a funny film like him.

/had really hoped for a Spaceballs followup after the SW prequel trilogy happened.

sprawl15		2012-07-27 03:21:10 PM

Skr: Mel Brooks is amazing. Really makes me sad that I haven't found any other writer/directors that can make a funny film like him.

/had really hoped for a Spaceballs followup after the SW prequel trilogy happened.

He probably realized there is no greater possible mockery of the prequels than themselves.

President_Skroob		2012-07-27 03:32:57 PM

I'm still holding out for "Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money".

Mucus Mule		2012-07-27 03:41:13 PM

From imdb:
Served as a corporal with the U.S. army in North Africa during World War II, where one of his duties was defusing land mines before the infantry moved in.

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