Mel Brooks: A Living Interruption

The 2,000 year old man turns 100 today. Age really is just a number to Mel, because he’s still making all of us buckle over with laughter. While many know his jokes by heart or have watched Spaceballs countless times, most people don’t know about his selfless acts towards young Hollywood of his time. Mel put in the work to become the biggest comic, actor, writer, director, and producer, but his biggest accomplishments come from stepping out of the spotlight.

Growing up in 1920s Brooklyn, Melvin Kaminsky was constantly searching for a laugh from friends, family, and neighbors. Being the youngest of four, it was his duty to outshine his three older brothers. At age 14, Mel got a gig in the Catskills as a busboy for the summer, where he met friend and future co-writer, Sid Caesar. Mel spent the summer understudying and making bad jokes, as often as he could. When the US entered World War II, all four Kaminsky brothers headed for France, leaving their mother behind in Brooklyn. Mel’s battalion was responsible for removing booby-traps from buildings and defusing land mines in Nazi Germany. At the end of the war, Brooks became a comic who toured Army bases and was put in charge of the entertainment. In June of 1946, Brooks was honorably discharged from the Army.

Mel came home and drove straight to the Catskills to keep working at being a comic. Back at the Borscht Belt, Mel got in contact with his mentor, Sid Caesar. Sid would do his best to give Mel writing gigs whenever he could. Finally in 1950, Mel joined Sid’s incredible writing team for Your Show of Shows. The writing roster included Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show), Neil and Danny Simon (The Odd Couple), Mel Tolkin of (All in the Family), Woody Allen (Annie Hall), and Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H). Mel worked hard during his time at Show of Shows, but he craved more and expressed this need to his good friend, Carl Reiner. The two broke out of the writer’s room and became the comedic duo that created the 2,000 Year Old Man and a James Bond television spoof, Get Smart. His next move, while unpredictable, would shake up the Hollywood business forever.

Mel’s next big project, The Producers, needed a leading man to star with Zero Mostel. Gene Wilder, who was in and out of off-Broadway productions, came at the suggestion of Mel’s then-girlfriend, Anne Bancroft. Gene was just the man Mel needed. Later on, when asked if he knew meeting Mel was a significant moment in his life, Gene responded, “When God spoke to Moses the first time, if you asked him, was that significant in your life?” Gene never left Mel’s side, and the two continued their teamwork with the movie Blazing Saddles. During their wild West production, Wilder asked if Brooks could produce his new script, Young Frankenstein. The two worked tirelessly to perfect the script, to get it just right. The success of the movie is a testament to their friendship and trust in each other.

Now considered a breakout director, Mel wanted to get into more serious productions as a producer. An old assistant director, Jonathan Sanger, brought the script for The Elephant Man to his attention, and Mel knew he had to finance this movie and see it through. What he needed was a director who could tackle this heavy script. Sanger suggested a young director by the name of David Lynch. Sanger and Lynch set up a viewing of Eraserhead for Brooks and at the end of the movie, Brooks burst through the doors of the viewing room, ran into Lynch’s arms, and said to him, “I need you to direct Elephant Man. You’re the only one with the empathy to do it.”

Mel has worked with some of the greatest leading men, including Burt Reynolds, James Caan, and Paul Newman in his film, Silent Movie. In 1987, when it came time to cast the lead role of Lone Starr for Spaceballs, Brooks was looking at Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. But again, at the suggestion of Anne Bancroft, he pulled another future movie star out of Broadway, none other than Bill Pullman. Only ever having done one film, Bill was guided and encouraged by Mel through the entire production. Thanks to Brooks, Pullman entered the ranks of Hollywood fame. Mel ended up doing the same for Dave Chappelle in 1993. At just the age of 19, Chappelle made his debut on the big screen in Brook’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Later, GQ asked Mel about his discovering Dave; he said “It’s very important for us who’ve been through it to help young people that we think are talented.”

Mel Brooks undoubtedly understood that in the business of Hollywood, the only way in was through any available open door. Well, he got in with quite the entrance, and he left all the windows wide open and all the lights on, so the rest of us knew the way home.