i'm talking about the '68 film. i did see the stage show (without Lane & Broderick) twice and thought it was hilarious but I agree with you that it didn't completely translate to the screen. it sat uncomfortably between proscenium arch and camera and everything seemed a touch heavy-handed.
i reckon this is a particular problem with transferring stage comedy and Michael Frayn's Noises Off suffered from some of the same issues. Fiddler On The Roof likewise (I know it's not a comedy per se) and i suspect even Mostel's involvement might not have saved it (although not using him is still one of the dumbest and craven casting decisions of the last 40 years). But, yes, I was talking about the '68 version which is totally sublime. Leo Bloom: Let's assume, just for the moment, that you are a dishonest man. Max Bialystock: Assume away. ________________________________ From: David Kusumoto <davidmkusum...@hotmail.com> To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Sent: Thursday, 23 February 2012, 23:23 Subject: Re: [MOPO] How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? Yeah, Mel Brooks was king in 1974. BTW, Neil - which "Producers" film are you talking about? The 1968 Oscar-winner with Zero Mostel - or the 2005 musical version with Nathan Lane? Because I gotta tell 'ya, in 2001, I saw the "stage version" of the 1968 film at the St. James - featuring Nathan Lane and Matthrew Broderick - and it was the single most hilarious evening I've ever spent in a Broadway theater. I saw it four times in NY and I was even there for the "return" of Lane and Broderick in 2004. That production still owns the record for the most Tony Awards in history (12). Then the "film version of the stage version" came out in 2005 - and they took out several racial and sexual jokes - and one huge set piece that introduces Max Bialystock. When I saw it, it was big, bright and brassy - but totally UNFUNNY. The gay jokes, characters and songs in particular fell flat - and what felt like joyous fun poking at every stereotype on earth - came off offensively ridiculous. Musicals are a touchy genre on film. In tone, the film bore no resemblance to what I saw in NY. On stage, Nathan Lane is electric. On film, his charisma disappeared. (In real life, he's also abusive toward fans.) The only set piece that worked in the 2005 film was the same one that worked in 1968 ("Springtime for Hitler"); "don't be dumb, be a smarty, come and join the Nazi Party!" Brooks make a mistake letting Susan Strohman - who, unlike Brooks, had NO film directing experience - do that picture. My thought has always been that after all the great notices for the stage musical from the NY Times, Variety, WSJ, the New Yorker, etc., (the latter put it on their cover!) - followed by the record-breaking-awards - Brooks felt obligated to let Stroman direct. Uma Thurman (who can't sing) - was cast as "Ulla" (played by Lee Meredith in 1968), after Nicole Kidman dropped out because of a scheduling conflict. Even so, the film wouldn't have been any better unless Brooks had directed it himself. Very sad what happened. Soon after that, his wife Anne Bancroft died. -----Original Message----- Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:34:40 +0000 From: fab5fre...@btinternet.com Subject: Re: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Brook's has an excellent sense of humour, I would imagine it trancends many cultures. One of the most enlightening stories about his film career was his involvement on The Elephant Man as executive producer, he was responsible for hiring Lynch because Brooks was an admirer of Eraserhead, he also had the good sense not to involve his name in the credits anywhere as he did not want people to get the wrong idea about the film, being known as a comedian and all. I think that tells you allot about the man and the fact that he was very passionate about his art. Simon Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device -----Original Message----- Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:33:35 -0800 From: sa...@comic-art.com Subject: Re: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU absolutely correct it's Springtime for Hitler & Ger-man-y -----Original Message----- Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:13:21 -0800 From: neiljawor...@yahoo.co.uk Subject: Re: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Mel Brooks' best film is The Producers BY A MILE! "Hitler... there was a painter! He could paint an entire apartment in one afternoon. Two coats!" -----Original Message----- From: Doug Taylor <douglasbtay...@hotmail.com> To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Sent: Thursday, 23 February 2012, 21:55 Subject: Re: [MOPO] How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? David, My experience was identical to yours in every way. Shocked, but unable to resist. “Where are all the white women at?” I appreciated Young Frankenstein more than you, perhaps. What a year for Mel Brooks, eh? Regards, DBT -----Original Message----- Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:14:44 -0800 From: davidmkusum...@hotmail.com Subject: Re: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU * I remember when I first saw "Blazing Saddles," I was SHOCKED. It was the foulest and most racist picture I'd ever seen. But I went again and again, each time with a new group of friends. It got funnier even though there's no nudity nor a single f-word in the entire picture. Looking back, it's typical juvenile humor by Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor and their gang of crazy writers that mostly men enjoy. I took my Dad with my brothers to see it and we all howled. But then I took my girlfriend to see it and she hated it. She was OFFENDED. That was the kind of picture it was. (I wonder if other MoPo'ers can share what their experiences were like.) * Hence my mild disappointment when "Young Frankenstein" came out in beautiful b/w. (Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher: "He vas my boyfriend!") It was funny, but "Blazing Saddles" is still the best parody ever. Hell, any movie that introduces a black sheriff riding on a horse decked out in a Gucci saddle (close-up on the Gucci logo), with jazzy music, and then the camera pulls back and you see Count Basie and his orchestra playing that music in the middle of a vast desert - has to be good. Patron on a horse outside a saloon: "You can't park that animal over there! It's illegal!" Mongo punches the horse in the face, knocking both to the ground. Hedley Lamarr going through a law book: "Land snatching! There must be some precedent for this! Land snatching, land snatching, land, land, here it is! Land snatching, see snatch." Hedley Lamarr, recruiting a long line of bad guys, discovers one chewing gum: "Chewing gum in line, eh? I hope you brought enough for everybody." "I didn't know there was going to be so many!" Hedley shoots him. Cleavon Little, observing this while hiding nearby, says to Gene Wilder, "Boy, is he strict." -----Original Message----- Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:49:37 -0500 From: danes...@ptd.net Subject: Re: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Has there ever been a more quotable film? When Sheriff Bart and Jim first meet and Jim is in jail guzzling a bottle of whiskey first thing in the morning: Bart – Man that drinks like that’s gonna die! Jim – When? And later when they are getting to know each other a bit: Bart – Well, Jim, what do you like to do? Jim – Play chess, screw . . . Bart – Well, let’s play chess! You could almost post the entire script! Here are a few more faves: We damn near lost a four hundred dollar hand car! What a nice guy! Pitter baby You Teutonic twat! . . . And always too soon Gabby Johnson’s right! And there is an perfect example of authentic frontier gibberish! Work-work-work –hello boys, haven’t seen you all day! I could go on forever with this movie! Thanks, MD On Feb 23, 2012, at 4:07 AM, jboh...@aol.com wrote: My favorite is Gene Wilder smoking weed and talking in a high voice also the Waco kid's steady hand but he shoots with the other one that cannot stop moving and I love the rendition of I get a kick out of You. Lastly we cannot forget the bean scene...they don't make movies like this anymore. This never happened to the other fella. -----Original Message----- Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:18:26 -0800 From: davidmkusum...@hotmail.com Subject: Re: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Or how about almost all of Gene Wilder's lines as the Waco Kid, a.k.a., "Jim?" To Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little): "What's a dazzling urbanite like you doing in a rustic setting like this?" "I must have killed more men than Cecil B. DeMille." Or this exchange between Madeline Kahn, who does a send up of Dietrich through the whole picture; after an amorous night with Cleavon Little, the first camera shot the next morning shows her character (Lili von Schtupp) holding up a huge phallic-like bratwurst at the breakfast table: Lili: "Would you like another schnitzengruben? Bart: "No thank you. Fifteen is my limit on schnitzengruben. Lili: "Well, how about a little..." (she whispers something in his ear) Bart: "Baby, please! I am not from Havana!" -----Original Message----- From: peter contarino <pcontar...@triad.rr.com To: MoPo-L <MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Sent: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 8:01 Subject: Re: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? My favorite: Slim Pickins at the toll booth- Anybody got any dimes? Someone go back to camp and get a shitload a' dimes. -----Original Message----- From: MoPo List [mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU] On Behalf Of David Kusumoto Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:22 PM To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Subject: How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet? What, no one cares about Hed-ley Lamarr? >"How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet?" Lamarr's (Harvey Korman) final words after he gets shot by Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little) outside of Grauman's Chinese, gazing at Douglas Fairbanks' footprints (Blazing Saddles, 1974). My favorite scene in that picture is when Bart holds a gun to his own neck, playing a stooge hostage who cries out "Help me, somebody help me!" - in front of the clueless and racist townsfolk, who all have the same last name, "Johnson." -----Original Message----- Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:18:02 -0500 From: douglasbtay...@hotmail.com Subject: Re: OT: DiCaprio Helps AMPAS Acquire Best Condition Ruby Slippers from "Oz." To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU "How did he do such great stunts, with such little feet?" OK, that's a softball tossed up there for all to knock out of the park. Regards DBT Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.