Though Mel Brooks knew Gene Wilder was sick, he said it was still a big shock when his longtime friend died this week at the age of 83. ‘They’re always laughing, ‘ he said.
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Next up on Saturday is Young Frankenstein, for which Wilder and Brooks co-wrote the screenplay and bagged an Oscar nomination for their trouble.
Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last night (August 30), Brooks paid tribute to Wilder as his “dear friend”. He also talked about writing the role of Leo Bloom from “The Producers” for Wilder, and how the latter said Brooks would never get it produced. “But I don’t know, when it happens it’s still tremendous”. “I wanted to come out with a cane and come down slowly, have it stick into one of the bricks, get up, fall over, roll around, and they all laugh and applaud. I look at the top and it says, ‘Young Frankenstein.’ And I say, ‘What the hell is that?”‘ He said, ‘Well, I had an idea. I expected he would go. It’s what I felt when I watched him.
“I’m still reeling from no more Gene, I can’t call him (anymore)”. He also includes Edgar Wright’s eulogic response to Wilder’s death: “A moment of silence for the master of the comedic pause”.
“I took the script and I said to Gene, ‘We got the money”.
Renowned actor Peter Ostrum, who portrayed the character of Charlie opposite the famous character Willy Wonka played by Gene Wilder, mourns the death of his late friend and co-star, stating that his demise is nearly like “losing a parent”.
“He burst into tears and held his face and cried”, Brooks remarked. “It was a wonderful moment”, the Oscar victor recalled.
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The whole chat is well worth your time and gives a greater insight into why Wilder became more and more selective about his projects in the latter stages of his career.
