Mel Brooks

September 16, 1996

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Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, on June 28, 1926, Brooks has become one of the great comic talents to come out in the past five decades. Originally, he was a writer for Your Show of Shows, one of the finest comedy variety programs of the 1950's. He was also the succesful creator of a hit TV series (Get Smart). His first film was the inspirational comedy, The Producers (1968), a movie that redefined the meaning of the word "slapstick". His later successes included the cowboy and horror film spoofs, Blazing Saddles (1974) and Young Frankenstein (1974). His next film Silent Movie (1976), though a box-office failure, has become something of a cult classic among film critics and various comedians.

His influences are endless. Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, Tati, Laurel & Hardy, etc. He also has plenty of people who he has definitely made an impression on, including the famed Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams (Naked Gun). However, the years of the 1950's, 1960's and early 1970's were the good years of Brooks career. His recent efforts, Spaceballs (1987), Life Stinks (1991) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) have meet with unenthusiastic public and critical reaction, and it seems that Brooks' films may become stuck back in the 1950's. Because he surly hasn't added anything new to his recent work. But let's remain optimistic. Anything's possible, and maybe I'll be proven wrong. That's a definite maybe, considering where Brooks' career is going in the 1990's.

My rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 7

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