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Biography of Mel Brooks, From Stand-up to Film

A short biography and critique of Mel Brooks and his works.

There is something about comedies that keeps the audiences coming back for more. Parodies and satires, in particular, seem to be a favorite with the crowds. Among the many directors of this genre, one distinct name stands out among the rest.

Mel Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky, on June 28, 1926, in Brooklyn, NY. A son of a Russian Jewish family, Mel grew to be known as the grand master of movie satire and one of Hollywood's most successful filmmakers. Brooks' career began in the forties in the military, where he was known to respond to German propaganda broadcasts by doing an Al Jolson imitation of "Toot Toot Tootsie." After completing his military service, Brooks became a standup comedian in the Catskills, where he changed his name so he would not be confused with the musician Max Kaminsky. Although he got little profit there, Mel Brooks got much personal satisfaction from his performances.

After years of standup comedy, Brooks decided to move on and try his luck in television. He began his television career as a writer for Sid Caesar's television variety program "The Admiral Broadway Revue," which later became "Your Show of Shows," and then later "Caesar's Hour." It was at this time that he received his first major award - a Writing Emmy for "The Sid Caesar, Imogen Coca, Darl Reiner, Howard Morris Special." Brooks left Caesar in the mid fifties and moved on to produce a few plays, and some TV shows.

Finally, Brooks moved to the big screen, and wrote his first movie, "The Critic," which earned him an Oscar. His first major movie, "The Producers," earned him another academy award for "Writing, Story, and Screenplay." He went on to write and produce a variety films, many of which were comedies. Three good examples of his satirical humor are "Spaceballs" (1987), "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993), and "Dracula: Dead and Loving it" (1995). All three films make fun of classic movies, and are ideal examples of Mel Brooks' humor.

"Spaceballs," the earliest of these three movies, is a spoof of science fiction movies such as "Star Wars," and "Alien." It not only pokes fun at these movies, but also at the movie-making industry. The movie is filled to the brim of slapstick jokes, witty comments and one-liners, and just plain fun. Some of these jokes go by so fast that watching the movie just one time is simply not enough to get them all. The film contains many references to other movies and events, and ridicules moneymaking schemes of the movie-making business, such as merchandizing.

The plot basically parodies "Star Wars" - the evil race of Spaceballs, led by President Skroob (Mel Brooks) and Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), come up with a diabolical plot to steal the air from planet Druidia since they will have used up their own supply of air in 20 years. They kidnap the Druish Princess Vespa, and it's up to Lone Star (Bill Pullman) and his mog - half-man, half-dog - Barf (John Candy) to save her. The witty dialogue mocks "Star Wars" ("So, we meet at last for the first time for the last time!"), and the characters range from satirical versions of science fiction characters (i.e., the all-feared, powerful Darth Vadar becomes the short Dark Helmet, who is constantly attempting to be evil and failing), to just plain unusual creations (i.e. space mobster Pizza the Hutt, a big pile of pizza, who hunts down Lone Star throughout the entire film only to end up having to eat himself). All in all, as movie critic Matthew Anderson writes, "'Spaceballs' is just one gag after another in one of the greatest parodies of all time."

Like "Spaceballs," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" parodies a well-known story and movie. The film starts in Jerusalem, with Robin (Cary Elwes) chained in a prison and planning his escape with a fellow prisoner named Asneeze (Isaac Hayes). After their heroic escape, Robin swims (yes swims) home. Once he gets home, the familiar plot of "Robin Hood" begins to unfold, mixed with many gags and jokes. Robin fights Little John (Eric Allan Kramer) on a bridge, takes on the evil sheriff of Rottingham (Roger Rees), tries to win over the heart of Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck), and shows off at an archery contest, all of which is done with a never-ending stream of jokes, puns, and mockery. Accompanied by his faithful sidekick Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle), Robin must face the Sheriff, who is a parody of Alan Rickman's sheriff in the Costner film, Prince John (Richard Lewis), and the evil witch Latrine (Tracey Ullman) who has a secret crush on the sheriff.

The film is hilariously funny and the pace is quick and never slows down. There are many twists that have been added to the story, such as Robin's blind servant, Blinkin (Mark Blankfield), who provides an endless stream of comic relief. Although the film is original, some of the jokes are a bit overused and have been put into effect in previous films. In fact, much of the material in the movie bears a resemblance to "Spaceballs." This does not keep it from being extremely funny and silly nevertheless. "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" makes fun of everything that is humanely possible, twisting almost every line to create a comic effect.

By the time "Dracula: Dead and Loving it" was made, the gags and jokes that Brooks used in his movies were beginning to get repetitious and a bit too much for the viewers to bear, and the movie did not go over well with the critics. Critic James Berardinelli calls is "a toothless parody that misses more often than it hits."

"Dracula: Dead and Loving it" is a mixture of all the various films that were made of Bram Stoker's book Dracula. English businessman Renfield (Peter MacNicol) travels to Transylvania to pay a visit to the mysterious Count Dracula (Leslie Nielsen). During his stay, Renfield falls under Dracula's spell, and the two go on to England, where Dracula finds his first two victims: Lucy (Lysette Anthony) and Mina (Amy Yasbeck). When Lucy begins to show symptoms of a strange illness, her guardian, Dr. Seward (Harvey Korman), and his assistant, Jonathan Harker (Steven Weber), seek the aid of Professor Van Helsing (Mel Brooks).

What follows is a string of overused puns and jokes, and many references to Brooks' past movies. Of course, after all the movies that he had made before coming out with this, one can't blame him for running out of material. By itself, the movie is hilarious anyway, with much slapstick humor and funny witticism. There are many good lines (Van Helsing: "She's Nosferatu!" Renfield: "She's Italian?") and a few original quips. Although those who had seen previous movies by Mel Brooks might be disappointed, people who like satiric comedy and had ever seen any of the versions of "Dracula" will enjoy it.

The movie especially mocks Bela Lugosi and his "Looks into my eyes" routine. Watching the 1931 version of "Dracula" makes this movie more enjoyable. Some of the jokes are not as apparent and are hard to get without having first watched Tod Browning's "Dracula." Brooks even mimics the special effects that were used to turn Lugosi into a bat in the 1931 movie. Unlike Browning's film, however, Brooks' movie is fast-paced and filled with music.

Mel Brooks has come a long way and has made many masterpieces throughout his career, from "Blazing Saddles" (1974) to "Young Frankenstein" (1974). Three hilarious examples of his parodies are "Spaceballs" (1987), "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993), and "Dracula: Dead and Loving it" (1995). The material might seem stale after watching all of these movies and some of Brooks' other works, but each on their own, they are all masterpieces and are all uproariously funny. Despite what some critics have to say, I say Mel Brooks has still got it.