His parody of Hitler in the landmark 1968 movie "The Producers" was just the beginning for American actor Mel Brooks. The 95-year-old actor is still on a roll.
Mel Brooks in 2006Image: picture alliance/dpa/J. Martin
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US comedian Mel Brooks' films
The American comedian with Jewish roots broke with a taboo in the 1960s with his parody on Adolf Hitler. That made him world famous and parodies became his trademark.
Image: Imago
'The Producers'
Mel Brooks, made his film debut with "The Producers," which became an instant hit in 1968. The parody on Hitler and the Nazis, embellished with ribald jokes, music, dancing and bitter punchlines, broke all taboos just 23 years after the end of World War II. To what extent the Nazi era may be parodied continues to be an ongoing point of discussion, particularly in Germany.
Image: Imago
'Blazing Saddles'
His third film, "Blazing Saddles," firmly established Mel Brooks as a master of parody in 1974. The film marked Brooks' starting point for poking fun at all kinds of film genres. In "Blazing Saddles," he parodies the most American film category of all: the Western.
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'Young Frankenstein'
Brooks produced yet another hugely successful film that same year, the horror film parody "Young Frankenstein," shot at the locations used in the famous "Frankenstein" movie of 1931. Like the original, it was also produced in black and white. Mel Brooks, at the peak of his career, got the whole world to chuckle at his version of film's most famous monster.
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'Silent Movie'
In the 1970s, Brooks was so well known in Germany that his name was incorporated into the title of one of his hits. The German version of "Silent Movie" was entitled "Mel Brooks' letzte Verrücktheit: Silent Movie" (Mel Brooks' ultimate craziness). Following his earlier success with a black-and-white film, he had now produced a soundless film which was a loving homage to the silent film genre.
Image: Imago/United Archives
'High Anxiety'
In 1977, Mel Brooks even dared to poke fun at cinema icon Alfred Hitchcock, the master of psycho thrillers. Alluding to various Hitchcock works, in particular "Vertigo," Brooks created an intensely funny film with "High Anxiety."
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'History of the World, Part I'
In the early 1980s, Mel Brooks tackled the genre of monumental film with "History of the World, Part I," offering a wild tour through the history of mankind starting with the Stone Age, and ending before the outbreak of World War II. Here, the main victims of Brooks' parodies were the Bible and historical films.
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'Spaceballs'
It was high time Mel Brooks took sci-fi to task as well. Following the global success of the first "Star Wars" films, it was almost to be expected that the master of parody wouldn't spare these box-office hits. More than anything else, "Spaceballs" was intended as a parody on the space epics of George Lucas, while also alluding to other popular science-fiction films like "2001" and "Aliens."
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'Life Stinks'
Mel Brooks' films were, however, not always rewarded with success. His1991, parody on melodramatic romantic comedies, "Life Stinks," flopped at the box office. It seems that the "originals" - such as "Pretty Woman" for example - didn't really lend themselves to being made fun of.
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'Robin Hood - Men in Tights'
Parodies on films set in the Middle Ages proved to be more successful. In "Robin Hood - Men in Tights" (1993), Brooks poked fun at the famous friend of all those suffering from poverty and persecution: Sherwood Forest's own Robin Hood. Just two years earlier, the umptienth (serious) film adaptation of that story, starring Kevin Costner, had been a worldwide success.
Image: Imago
'Dracula: Dead and Loving It'
In 1995, Mel Brooks turned back to the horror film genre, this time to the world's most famous vampire. However, "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" lacked some of Brooks' earlier humor. It became his last film as a director, though he was go on to write and produce a remake of "The Producers" in 2005.
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It's often easier in retrospect to see how an artist has paved the way for others. Nowadays, making fun of anything and everything is commonplace and even Nazi parodies are a dime a dozen.
But it hasn't always been that way, as a look at the work of director and actor Mel Brooks shows.
Born 95 years ago on June 28, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, the entertainer was clearly a pioneer of satire.
The taboo-breaker
Though they may have become more common than in the decades following World War II, taking a humorous look at the Nazis may not be everybody's cup of tea, especially not in Germany. Some jokes about Hitler aren't funny at all – that's at least what some people think, and that's also what some of them probably thought when watching Mel Brooks' breakthrough film, The Producers back in 1968.
Brooks had a phenomenal start in the film world with "The Producers" in 1968Image: Imago
In spite of some criticism, Brooks' work was crowned with success. The US filmmaker with Jewish roots had thoroughly learned his trade on the stage and in television before he became a filmmaker, setting a tone that was all his own.
Some observers have noted the difference between the humor of Mel Brooks and that of Woody Allen. Brooks' jokes are less intellectual and sophisticated, more ribald and even brute.
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A much-acclaimed comedian
In the 1970s and 80s, Mel Brooks conquered a worldwide audience with his very own brand of humor. Furthermore, he was active in several branches of pop culture, theater, cinema and television throughout his life.
In 2001, he also gave proof of his remarkable talent for musicals when a musical version of his debut film, The Producers, hit Broadway, earning him no less than 12 Tonys, making it the most acclaimed Broadway musical ever.
Mel Brooks is one of very few entertainment artists that have received the highest awards in four major cultural spheres: He's won one Oscar and several Tonys, Emmys and Grammys.
Brooks' musical version of "The Producers" was also shown in Germany - here in the Admiralspalast in BerlinImage: AP
Brooks was married to US actress Anne Bancroft, until her death in 2005. She was also an icon of film history, starring as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate opposite Dustin Hoffman.
Keeping up with the times
Despite getting older, Mel Brooks has continued to be actively involved in showbiz, appearing on television and lending his voice to the protagonists of animated films.
When he recently announced the production of a new movie, observers weren't sure what to make of it. But after all, Mel Brooks has always been good for a surprise.
In keeping with his age, Mel Brooks started taking things a bit easier. But that doesn't mean the comedian is ready to retire: He lent his voice to Dracula's father Vlad in the Hotel Transylvania series.
In 2017, Young Frankenstein made a guest appearance on stage in London's West End and in 2019, the comedy special Mel Brooks: Unwrapped ran on HBO. Last year saw the release of The Mel Brooks Songbook, with 23 songs from films and shows.
The nonagenarian is also active on Twitter, where he voiced his support for Joe Biden ahead of the recent US presidential election. In a reference to Donald Trump's coronavirus pandemic policy, he remarked that "when you're dead, you can't do much."
