Happy 99th Birthday to Mel Brooks!

Today we send best wishes to Mel Brooks on his 99th birthday. For almost a century Mel has given us so much laughter that it's hard to list all of the shows, movies and other forms of entertainment that he produced, directed, and acted in.

A recipient of numerous accolades, he is one of 21 entertainers to win the EGOT, which includes an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2009, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2013, a British Film Institute Fellowship in 2015, a National Medal of Arts in 2016, a BAFTA Fellowship in 2017, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2024.  

Here's a summary of his many achievements. He's still active and busy developing new productions, including the sequel to Spaceballs. Go Mel! 

Billy Crystal Gives Mel Brooks the Peabody Career Achievement Award

On June 9, Billy Crystal presented Mel Brooks with the Peabody Career Achievement Award at the 84th Annual Peabody Awards. This makes Mel Brooks the fourth individual to be a PEGOT winner (Peabody, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). 

This ceremony took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate those winners elected to represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2023. 

The presentation included a short video compilation of some of the funniest moments from Brooks' films and TV shows.

Enjoy!

Mel Brooks Receives an Honorary Oscar Award and Tribute From Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane

On January 9 an Honorary Oscar statuette was presented to Mel Brooks at the Academy's 14th Governors Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

At the ceremony, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick honored the iconic producer, writer, and actor with some comedy and song created just for him.

Here is their tribute to Mel Brooks, followed by Brooks receiving the Oscar and giving his acceptance comments.

Enjoy!

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(A tip of the kippah to Esther Kustanowitz for bringing these videos to our attention)

The Ten Commandments Revisited (by Mel Brooks) as We Celebrate Shavuot

The holiday of Shavuot starts tonight and continues tomorrow and Shabbat. In Israel it's only observed for one day. On Shavuot we commemorate the receiving of the Ten Commandments.

One of Mel Brooks' funniest bits is a scene from his 1981 film A History of the World: Part 1, in which Brooks, in the role of Moses, comes down from Mount Sinai carrying three tablets containing 15 commandments, only to drop one of the tablets, losing the last five commandments as the tablet shatters into bits.

The scene is short, and the third tablet containing the five lost commandments is visible for only a few seconds. We always assumed that the writing on the tablet was some random Hebrew letters, because we never got a good look at them.

But when we watched a PBS tribute to Brooks on which they played this clip, we were able to see it on a 55 inch screen in high definition. All we had to do to read the words on the tablets was to push the pause button. And there they were -- the long lost shattered five commandments.

Here's a translation of the five: You can interpret them any way you want -- that's what we've been doing to the surviving Ten Commandments for thousands of years. But our favorites are Lo Tatzkhik or Lo Titzkhak - obviously an inside joke by the Brooks crew, Lo Tikneh - perhaps the basis for not buying retail, and Lo Teshaber - irony of ironies - as the tablet fell to the ground and broke into tiny pieces.

11. Lo Ta'avor - You shall not pass.
12. Lo Tatzkhik - You shall not make people laugh or Lo Titzkhak - You shall not laugh.
13. Lo Tikneh - You shall not buy.
14. Lo Talunu - You shall not stay. (But the third letter may be a resh, which makes translation difficult.)
15. Lo Teshaber - You shall not break. 

We had posted this originally in 2013 and invited our readers to give their interpretations. You can read them here.

Here's the full clip. Enjoy!

We'll be observing Shavuot tomorrow and Shabbat. We'll be back Sunday with our usual mix. Chag Sameach and Shabbat shalom!

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Happy 96th Birthday to Mel Brooks and a Look at His Narration of "The Automat" Documentary

Yesterday Mel Brooks celebrated his 96th birthday. The actor, comedian and filmmaker's career spans over seven decades, and he is known as a creator of broad farces and parodies widely considered to be among the best film comedies ever made. 

He began his career as a comic and a writer for Sid Caesar's variety show Your Show of Shows (1950–1954) alongside Woody Allen, Neil Simon and Larry Gelbart. With Carl Reiner, he created the comic character The 2000 Year Old Man. He wrote, with Buck Henry, the hit television comedy series Get Smart (1965–1970). 

And Mel is still going strong. Last year he narrated what he calls a meshuganeh documentary called The Automat,  

Featuring an original new song that Brooks wrote and performed, The Automat, which premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival, tells the 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. 

From the perspective of former customers entertainer Mel Brooks, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Horns, the Hardarts, and key employees - we watch a business climb to its peak success and then grapple with fast food in a forever changed America.

The documentary, written by Michael Levine and directed by Lisa Hurwitz, is available for streaming on Kanopy, a service provided free of charge through most public libraries and universities.

Enjoy!

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Mel Brooks Reflects on His Remarkable Life in Show Business in His New Book "All About Me"

Shortly after publication last year of his new biographical book All About Me, Mel Brooks was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on ABC News. 

The 95-year-old actor, comedian, film producer, director and screenwriter has had a career in show business that’s spanned over seven decades. His new memoir tells his journey of a lifetime.

In the interview, Brooks reflects on his career and offers anecdotes about the creation of some of his most memorable films.

Enjoy!

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Mel Brooks' "History of the World, Part II" is Coming to Hulu in 2022 as an 8-Part Series

In 1991 Mel Brooks released "History of the World, Part I", one of the funniest movies of all time.  For 40 years we've been waiting for the sequel, "History of the World, Part II".

Chock full of winking and tongue-in-cheek Jewish references, the original film presented Brooks playing parodies of famous characters in historical events, from the Stone Age to the Inquisition.

This week Variety confirmed that Brooks has a deal with Hulu to write and executive produce the sequel as an eight-segment series, with production to begin in Spring 2022.

As Joe Otterson wrote in Variety,

Brooks, a comedy legend and EGOT winner, wrote and directed “History of the World, Part I” in addition to appearing onscreen in five different roles. Those included King Louis XVI and his piss boy doppleganger as well as the stand up philosopher Comicus. The film also featured stars like Gregory Hines, Dom De Luise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, and many more.

Brooks’ comedy films are consistently ranked among the best of all time, such as “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “The Producers,” and “Spaceballs.” He later adapted both “The Producers” and “Young Frankenstein” as critically-acclaimed stage musicals. He has also produced several hit films, most notably David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man.”

Brooks has not revealed the historic events that he will be spoofing in the series, but we can get an idea by revisiting some scenes from the original, as seen in this trailer. Enjoy!

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Wishing Mel Brooks a Happy 95th Birthday

Mel Brooks turned 95 yesterday and his birthday triggered good wishes from other big names in the entertainment industry. 

Born Melvin Kaminsky in 1926, Brooks is known as a creator of broad film farces and comedic parodies. Brooks began his career as a comic and a writer for Sid Caesar's variety show Your Show of Shows (1950–1954) alongside Woody Allen, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. Together with Carl Reiner, he created the comic character The 2000 Year Old Man. He wrote, with Buck Henry, the hit television comedy series Get Smart, which ran from 1965 to 1970.

In middle age, Brooks became one of the most successful film directors of the 1970s, with many of his films being among the top 10 moneymakers of the year they were released. His best-known films include The Producers (1967), The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), Spaceballs (1987), and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). A musical adaptation of his first film, The Producers, ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2007 and was remade into a musical film in 2005. 

Here are two short birthday greeting videos from Sarah Silverman with Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel.

Happy Birthday, Mel !!!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Nostalgia: Mel Brooks as a Waiter at the Last Supper

One of Mel Brooks' funniest bits is a scene from his 1981 film A History of the World: Part 1, in which Brooks, in the role of a waiter, is assigned to serve a group attending a private supper in Jerusalem.

He enters the room to find Jesus and his disciples sitting around a long table. Oblivious to the background of the diners and unsuspecting of the significance of what would later be seen as a seminal event, he asks for their dinner orders and whether the diners want separate checks.

When Leonardo da Vinci enters to capture the Last Supper in the famous painting, Brooks manages to insert himself into the picture.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Jackie Mason, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner in the 1960s

Today we take a deep dive into the comedy pool and come up with an undated video clip of two performances that brought back funny memories of the early days of comedy.

A very young Jackie Mason takes the stage in the first clip showing his interaction with the audience that would become very familiar in the 1960s.  

Then Dick Shawn introduces Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner in an early episode of the 2000 year-old man. They did their shtick many times on The Ed Sullivan Show and other TV variety programs but every segment was unique.

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Enjoy!

Wacky Wednesday Movie Clip: Mel Brooks as the Rabbi and Mohel in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"

In his 1993 musical adventure comedy film Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Mel Brooks parodied the Robin Hood story featuring comedic references to previous Robin Hood films, particularly Prince of Thieves.

The film also features Brooks in a minor role; He plays the rabbi-mohel-wine merchant who gives Robin and his merry men a lesson in circumcision.

Enjoy!

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Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: First Appearance of 2000 Year Old Man on Ed Sullivan Show

The 2000 Year Old Man skit that Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks performed for many years on records and TV began as a joke between the two of them that they shared at parties.

After their first record album became a hit in 1960, they made a TV appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1961. 

We have posted a few versions of the routine on Jewish Humor Central over the years, but today we are sharing their very first performance on Sullivan's show.

Each performance is a treasure because while Reiner had a fixed set of questions that he asked, Brooks always ad-libbed and never gave the same answer twice.

Here is their original sketch from 59 years ago. Enjoy!

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Remembering Carl Reiner - Producer, Director, Actor and Interviewer

The world of tasteful, professional comedy has been in mourning since Carl Reiner died Monday at the age of 98.

Reiner, who worked extensively with Sid Caesar and Mel Brooks in Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, was the quiet genius who played the straight man to the often loud and boisterous characters played by Caesar and Brooks in their innovative sketch comedy.

Reiner's career spanned seven decades. In addition to his collaborations with Caesar and Brooks, he was also best known as the creator, producer, writer, and actor on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

His contributions to Hollywood included his acting in films such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963); The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966); and the Ocean's film series (2001–2007). He also had great success as a film director and writer and in the 1970s and 1980s. He co-wrote and directed some of Steve Martin's most successful films, including The Jerk (1979), and also directed notable comedies such as Where's Poppa? (1970), Oh, God! (1977), and All of Me (1984). 

Reiner's interviewing skills were honed on Your Show and Shows and Caesar's Hour when as an earnest roving reporter, he coaxed hilarious answers from Sid Caesar's loony characters such as The Professor, a daffy expert who bluffed his way through his interviews.
 
If we had to pick a favorite role, it would be as the interviewer of Mel Brooks in his largely ad-libbed portrayal of The 2000 Year Old Man. This now classic skit started out as a joke that Reiner and Brooks performed for their friends at parties. There are many versions of how this joke ended up as a series of live performances and records.

Reiner started bringing a tape recorder to the parties as Brooks never said the same thing twice. George Burns suggested to the two that they put their material on an album, but only Steve Allen managed to coax the two to record it in his studio.

In this video clip from The Conan O'Brien Show, Reiner recounted the chain of events that led to the worldwide success of The 2000 Year Old Man.

Enjoy!!

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How Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner are Coping with Coronavirus Lockdown

For millions of Americans, these are challenging times. For some insight into resilience from a generation that survived a depression and world war, Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz turned to funnymen Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. 

Via cyberchat, the two comedy writers, who first met in the 1950s ("Call it laugh at first sight"), talked about enduring World War II and coming out on top. 

Mankiewicz also talked with "Star Trek" actor and activist George Takei (who as a child was detained in a Japanese-American internment camp in the 1940s) about what Americans look for when facing an uncertain future.

Enjoy!

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Wacky Wednesday Comedy Delight: Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar and the Invention of Music

In Sefer Beresheet (Genesis 4:21) we read that Jubal (Yuval) was the ancestor of all who played the lyre, which is a stringed instrument, and the pipe. 

In his History of the World: Part 1, his hilarious take on world history, Mel Brooks came up with an alternate version of how music was created. 

Casting comedian Sid Caesar as an early caveman, Brooks has him accidentally discovering music by dropping a large rock on the foot of a fellow caveman and observing the "notes" that come out of his mouth as he screams with pain.

Enjoy!

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Comedy Showcase: Mel Brooks Interviewed on Comedy and Love

In an recent episode of CBS Sunday Morning, Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz sat down with director and comedy writer Mel Brooks, now 93, who opened up about his politically-incorrect films like Blazing Saddles and The Producers, and whether they could be made today.

In the interview, Mel talks about his relationship with his soul mate, actress Anne Bancroft, with whom he was married for 41 years until her death in 2005. 

Enjoy!

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Jiminy Glick (Martin Short) Interviews Mel Brooks in a Talk Show Parody

In May 2003, comedian Martin Short, playing his role as interviewer Jiminy Glick, got to ask comedy legend Mel Brooks a series of questions about his life and his most popular shows.

The interview was one of many conducted by Short wearing a fat suit on his series of talk show parodies. The common thread of the interviews, which ran from 2001 to 2003 on TV, was that the Glick character usually knows nothing about his guests and hurls veiled insults at them during his interviews.

The interview covered many bases and aspects of Brooks' life, including living in poverty in Brooklyn and singing Dancing in the Dark in the wrong key in the Catskills. 

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner in "The Two Hour Old Baby"

Fifty-eight years ago in 1961, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, riding high on the success of their comedy album The 2000 Year Old Man, couldn't resist producing a follow-on album called 2000 and One Years with Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks.

One of the funniest tracks on this album is The 2 Hour Old Baby, in which Carl Reiner finds his way into the maternity ward of the UCLA Medical Center to interview a two hour old baby who was born with the power of speech and intelligence.

The nurses have told him that the baby has been speaking nonstop since he was born and Reiner, the interviewer, has been given permission to ask questions of the baby, who is played by none other than Mel Brooks.

We don't have video for this skit, only audio, so you'll have to be content listening to the audio and looking at the album cover. It's still a riot, and we hope you'll enjoy the dialogue.

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

A Joke to Start the Week - Mel Brooks Tells a Joke

It's another Monday, and time for another Joke to Start the Week.

Most of the Monday jokes that we've been posting have come from Old Jews Telling Jokes, rabbis and congregants at comedy nights at synagogues around the country, attendees at some of our shows, and our own retelling of the classic old jokes.

But occasionally we stumble upon a joke from one of the masters, and today we share a joke that was told on stage last year at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas by none other than the great Mel Brooks.

Here's the setup: A guy walks in to a public library and says: "I want a cheeseburger, double french fries, and a large Coke. And then...

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - Mel Brooks Tells a Joke on Stage in Las Vegas

It's the first Monday in July, and we're up in the Berkshire Mountains performing five Jewish humor programs for seniors enjoying the summer at the Berkshire Hills Adult Vacation Center. 

We're also trying to find more joke tellers up here and more old jokes to share with you in the coming weeks and months. We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, here's a joke to start the week told by one of the masters of the medium. Mel Brooks was on stage at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas a few months ago and he told this oldie but goodie.

Here's the setup: A guy walks into a public library and says "I want a cheeseburger, double french fries, and a large Coke." And then...

Enjoy!

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