The 1960s routines of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner are the stuff of comedy legend. In 1961, they created the hilarious "2,000 Year Old Man" skit where Reiner would ask questions like, "Do you know Joan of Arc?" to which Brooks would reply, "Know her? I went with her, dummy!"
Around the same time Brooks married Anne Bancroft, he teamed with her "Graduate" writer Buck Henry to create TV's "Get Smart," starring Don Adams in a 007 spoof with memorable gadgets like the "Cone of Silence" and quotes like "Missed it by that much."
Voted No. 11 on the AFI's Top 100 Comedies of All Time, "The Producers" won Mel Brooks an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It tells the tale of two theater producers (Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel) who devise a scheme to make money by intentionally creating a Broadway flop. Their sure-fire idea? A bubbly musical about Nazi Germany with the song "Springtime for Hitler."
Voted No. 6 on the AFI's Top 100 Comedies, "Blazing Saddles" is perhaps the funniest of all Mel Brooks movies. Not only is it a giant spoof of the Old West, it's a deliciously politically incorrect look at race in America and was co-written by Richard Pryor. Cleavon Little plays a black sheriff who partners with Gene Wilder's white gunslinger, with hilarious support from Slim Pickens unveiling his "Number 6" plan, Harvey Korman "risking a certain Oscar nomination," Madeline Kahn singing "I'm so tired," Alex Karras punching out a horse and Brooks himself struggling with a ball-and-paddle.
Released the same year as "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein" has too many priceless moments to count. Gene Wilder screams "It's alive," Teri Garr mistakes a door-knocker compliment for her own "nice knockers," Cloris Leachman causes horses to neigh, Madeline Kahn is impressed by Frankenstein's well-endowed manhood, Marty Feldman mistakes a "sedative" cry for "seda-give" and Peter Boyle does a Frankenstein tap dance to "Puttin' on the Ritz." Voted No. 13 on the AFI's Top 100 Comedies.
"High Anxiety" was a send-up of all things Hitchcock, with a plot revolving around "Vertigo." While the flick didn't do as well as his other efforts, Hitchcock himself sent Brooks a case of wine to show his appreciation.
After establishing himself as a comedy king, Brooks shifted gears and executive produced David Lynch's drama "The Elephant Man," starring his wife Anne Bancroft. Brooks remained married to Bancroft until her death in 2005.
"History of the World: Part 1" tackles five moments from ancient history: The Stone Age, The Old Testament, The Roman Empire, The Spanish Inquisition and The French Revolution. Memorable scenes include Brooks interrupting The Last Supper and, as Moses, accidentally dropping one of the tablets of the "15 Commandments."
"Spaceballs" provided a spoof character for all of the "Star Wars" staples. Luke Skywalker became Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), Chewbacca became Barf (John Candy), Princess Leia became Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), Darth Vader became Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and Yoda became Yogurt (Mel Brooks), offering the instantly quotable line, "May the schwartz be with you!"
Six years after "The Princess Bride," Cary Elwes returned as another swashbuckler in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." Not only is the title song supremely catchy, the film features a side-splitting cast: Richard Lewis as Prince John, Roger Rees as the Sheriff of Rottingham, Amy Yasbeck as the chastity-belted Marian, Patrick Stewart as King Richard, Dom DeLuise as Don Giovanni, Isaac Hayes as Asneeze and Dave Chappelle as Ahchoo.
As Mel Brooks receives the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award, we’re taking a look back at his side-splitting career.
