Mel Brooks as a Native American Yiddish speaker.

Mel Brooks got emotional while sharing stories about the late Gene Wilder — his longtime friend and frequent collaborator — with Jimmy Fallon Tuesday on “The Tonight Show.”

“He was sick, and I knew it. He was such a dear friend,” Brooks said. “I expected it; I expected he would go. But I don’t know. When it happens, it’s still tremendous. It’s a big shock. I’m still reeling from that: no more Gene. I can’t call him. And he was such a wonderful part of my life.”

Brooks recalled first meeting Wilder when the actor was starring in a play, “Mother Courage,” with Brooks’ wife, the late Anne Bancroft. Insecure about not being taken seriously, Wilder asked “Why are they always laughing?” to which Brooks hilariously replied, “Look in the mirror, blame it on God.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The two worked together for the first time on “The Producers,” a film they weren’t sure would ever get financing (the satirical comedy celebrated Nazi Germany).

“I took the script, and I said, ‘Gene, we got the money. We’re going to make the movie. You are Leo Bloom,’” Brooks recalled. “He burst into tears and held his face and cried. Then I hugged him. It was a wonderful moment.”

Wilder went on to nab a supporting actor Oscar nomination for the role and starred in two other iconic Brooks films: “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein.”

This marked Brooks’ first televised interview since Wilder died on Monday of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. “One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship,” he tweeted after learning about the death.—Variety.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount