We are gathered here today to celebrate the moviemaking of another wonderful actor we have lost - Gene Wilder.
Gene Wilder, born Jerome Silberman, had an extremely successful career. This was despite the fact that most of his movies were flops. He was in a handful of hit movies - each one of them was seminal works in their own way. The crazy thing, though, is that he was in a shit ton of stinker movies. Movies that folks don't even know existed (or have forgotten). I think he had more flops than hits, but his hits were ginormous (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, for instance).
I have a warm spot in my heart for some of the borderline stinkers (I always loved Silver Streak with Richard Pryor and Jill Clayburgh) but the movies I thought of immediately upon losing him were the films he made with Mel Brooks. These movies are pure genius. So it's these I wanted to see.
The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein. That's a ridiculously amazing line up.
I've seen all of these multiple times in my youth. I mean MULTIPLE times. Each of them are very different than the other, and so so funny. Like LOL-in-my-house-alone funny. The magical thing about Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks partnership is the heart they brought to these films. What I didn't realize when I was young and amused (yet slightly horrified) at the truly audacious shit in these movies was that these would have been nothing...they would have been Porky's...without that heart.
Now I'm expecting that all of you have seen at least one of these films. If you haven't seen them all, I highly recommend that you do. Completely worth your time.
As I watched this time, I was also struck by how many of these amazing actors show up in multiple Mel Brooks films (Gene, Madeline Khan, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman). He also had a strong base of brilliant character actors that he used frequently (Kenneth Mars, Liam Dunn). You got to hand it to Mel Brooks - he obviously knew talent when he saw it, grabbed it and hung on. Christopher Guest HAD to have been influenced by this recipe for success:
Get a smart, collaborative, hilarious, amazing bunch of performers together. Check.
Give them a sturdy foundation (a story with heart) on which to build their performances. Check.
Let them improvise scenes and ideas. Check.
Hilarity ensues. Check check check!
Obviously I focused on Gene Wilder when I watched this time. Some things about him:
-His eyeballs. Wow. Just beautiful. They take up half his face! They are soulful and expressive. Sometimes adorned with eyeliner. (Which just makes them more lovelier, actually. Yes, I'm a girl of the 80s.)
-His hair. Oh Gene. I wish I knew you then. I would introduce you to the haircare regime I've adopted and your locks would be your friend, not your enemy. Sure I use 6 different products (5 for washing alone) but whatevs. Alas, that wasn't meant to be. Frizz it is.
-His mouth. Small, well formed, so delicate. Together with the eyes it created a perfect canvas to create every performance. There's also an almost lisp which adds to the overall vulnerability and is very appealing.
-His talent. We all know him from films, but he actually started in theatre. In fact, he met Brooks because he was in a play with Anne Bancroft (Mel's girlfriend at the time). His films are primarily comedies. What makes him so very special is how nuanced his performances are. He seems to approach his characterization as if the story were a drama (he tears up in Blazing Saddles!). The characters he creates 100% believe in everything they are doing which makes his performances real and makes the comedy so brilliant.
The Producers - released in 1968
- Favorite quote: "Don't be stupid, be a smarty. Come and join the Nazi party!"
- Brooks fact: This is the first film he directed. He had only directed one play prior to this.
- Wilder fact: Gene was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor! His first film!
- Mel wrote it as a play within a play originally, which I think is why there are so few locations (first 20 minutes are all in Bailystock's office).
- Brooks loved the idea of laughing at a dictator.
- Roger Ebert wrote, "I remember finding myself in an elevator with Brooks and his wife, actress Anne Bancroft, in New York City a few months after The Producers was released. A woman got onto the elevator, recognized him and said, 'I have to tell you, Mr. Brooks, that your movie is vulgar.' Brooks smiled benevolently. 'Lady,' he said, 'it rose below vulgarity'." (from Wikipedia)
(My drink pairing for this would be a gin martini. Think "bar in any theatre district" for inspiration.)
Blazing Saddles - released in February 1974
- Favorite quote: (so many!!) "Raise my rent!" (my brother John used to say that all the time)
- Another favorite quote: "Someone needs to go back for a shitload of dimes!"
- ANOTHER favorite quote: Really everything that Lily von Shtupp says!
- Wilder fact: He and Cleavon Little rode horses to the premiere. And stayed on them to watch!
- Richard Pryor was going to play Sheriff Bart but the studio backed off of him because of his history of drug arrests, etc. John Wayne was set for Wilder's part of the Waco Kid. Kind of glad neither of those stuck. Wayne wouldn't do it because it was too naughty (bad for his wholesome image) but was excited to see the finished project. He told Mel he'd be first in line to see the film.
(I'm gonna go out of a limb and give you a food pairing this time. Franks and beans. LOTS of beans. Wash it down with some sarsaparilla. Then clear everyone from the room.)
Young Frankenstein - released in December 1974 (1974 was a good year for Gene and us!)
- Favorite quote: (again, SO many) "Roll, roll, roll in ze hay!"
- Another favorite quote: "Could be worse." "How?" "Could be raining." (I used that one A LOT when I was younger)
- ANOTHER favorite quote: "He could have an enormous schwanzstucker." "That goes without saying" "Voof"
- OMG, one more: "Taffeta, darling." "Taffeta sweetheart."
- Brooks fact: Mel originally didn't want the "Puttin' on the Ritz" scene. Wait, WHAT? Wilder fought so hard for it he nearly burst into tears. Mel said "okay, if you feel that strongly about it, it's bound to be great." (I'm a million percent paraphrasing here)
- Wilder fact: This was originally his idea although he and Brooks shared writing credits. I think you can tell, though, because while clearly Brooks sticks in the sophomoric humor (not dissing, just saying), the script is so thoughtful and heartfelt. They both felt very strongly that they would honor Mary Shelly (author of original Frankenstein novel) and James Whale (director of original Frankenstein film).
- One of my favorite things about this movie is that Brooks and Wilder approached the man who did the original Frankenstein sets in the 1930s, Kenneth Strickfaden, to see if he had any of the sets. They were all just sitting in his garage. He let them take the sets and he even set it up for them!
(My drink pairing for this movie is a shot of Jaegermeister.)
And to wrap this up, I want to do a shameless plug for my niece D'Arcy Carden. I've watched this kid in a myriad of school plays. She's always amazing - I've known this for a long time. Now the world will, because you can watch her in an NBC sitcom - The Good Place.
Watch this if you know what's good for you. :)
My takeaways -
#1 - 2016 has been a hell of a year. I'm ready to move on, thanks.
#2 - I didn't mention Gene and Gilda being married because he was married a bunch of other times too. What I appreciate about him, however, is his private life was just that - private.
#3 - I re-watched Willy Wonka recently. Goddammit that's a good movie.
xoxo....hashtagSueslife
