Mel Brooks Moves to Walk of Fame

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Over 30 years after opening our ears to the musical quality of franks-and-beans flatulence, actor and director Mel Brooks will finally receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 83-year-old “Blazing Saddles” director, will place his hands in cement on April 23.
Brooks, who was born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, won an Oscar in 1969 for his screenplay for “The Producers,” a musical, that features a satirical riff on the Nazi Party in a song called “Springtime for Hitler.” Although, he is perhaps most popular for his comedic directing and acting roles in cult classics like the 1987 “Star Wars” spoof “Spaceballs” and the horror-film parody “Young Frankenstein.”
One of only 12 entertainers to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, Brooks will be the 2,406th celebrity to receive a star.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
