Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Jewish comedian Mel Brooks.
Mel Brooks
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Film & TV How an Orthodox 6-Year-Old Became the Star of ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’
When five-year-old Asher Blinkoff strode off into the audition room, his father, Saul, was a little nervous. An old pro of the movie industry, Saul has directed several films himself and worked for Walt Disney Animation Studios before that. He knew what to expect, but to leave his son in a room full of strangers…
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The Schmooze Is That a Mel Brooks Joke in the New Frankenstein Trailer?
Among the many iconic lines from Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein,” (“Walk this way;” “Would you like to roll in the hay;” “Frau Blucher”) one always stands out for me. It’s the one spoken by Dr. Frederick Frankenstein when, upon meeting his assistant Igor for the first time, he corrects his pronunciation. The exchange goes as…
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The Schmooze Let’s Make ‘Spaceballs: The LEGO Set’ Happen!
“Who knows? God willing, we’ll all meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.” Sadly for Yoghurt, the Yoda-spoof of Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs” (1986), there was no Spaceballs 2, but the quest for money lives on! Well, maybe. Introducing the submitted to Lego’s “Ideas” crowd sourced suggestion platform. User NvdK offered the concept…
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The Schmooze Can ‘2000 Year Old Man’ Live Without Mel Brooks?
Photo: Blake Ezra Comedy history was made in 1961 with the creation of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner’s classic routine, “The 2000 Year Old Man.” Brooks played the oldest Jewish man in the world, interviewed by Carl Reiner in a series of skits that appeared on television and five award winning albums. Topics ranged from…
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The Schmooze Mel Brooks Making London Debut
Getty Images Think Yiddish, dress British is getting a revamp: Mel Brooks is about to make his solo London debut. According to [the Telegraph]( (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/11445043/Mel-Brooks-first-ever-London-show-announced.html ‘the Telegraph’)), the 88-year-old will bring his particular brand of Jewish comedy to The Prince of Wales Theatre “for an evening of storytelling about his childhood memories and Hollywood anecdotes,…
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Culture The Secret Jewish History of Richard Pryor
● Becoming Richard Pryor By Scott Saul Harper, 608 Pages, $27.99 Richard Pryor’s personal history has already been relentlessly mined by numerous biographies as well as in the comedian’s stand-up acts and memoir. Still, Scott Saul’s new biography “Becoming Richard Pryor” adds a lot of new information. In his author’s note, Saul takes particular pride…
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The Schmooze Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Ricky Gervais Talk About Hitler
Put a couple of Jewish comedians in a room together and it’s only a matter of time before one of them mentions Hitler. This “Single Shot” montage from “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” just proves the point. Watch Jerry Seinfeld make fun of the ultimate Big Bad with Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Barry Marder, Ricky Gervais…
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The Schmooze In New HBO Special, Mel Brooks Is in Fine Form
“Good evening ladies and Jews.” That, Mel Brooks explains, is the way he used to start his shtick in the Catskills resorts where he honed his craft. It’s also how he begins his outstanding January 31 HBO stand up (and given his 86 years, partly sit-down) special, “Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen.” Brooks offers…
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