“That’s why the film works because he made Wonka so unpredictable”, said Ostrum. His beloved wife Anne Bancroft. According to NPR, decades after the film’s release, countless of children continue to watch the movie and learn of Gene Wilder.
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Brooks and Wilder’s first professional collaboration was 1967’s “The Producers”, of which Wilder was initially skeptical, Brooks said. It was the two words at the top of the page that caught Mel’s eye in particular, “Young Frankenstein”.
Already planning a double feature of “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles” this weekend as part of its Fall Throwback schedule, the McHenry Outdoor Theater will host a “Gene Wilder Tribute Weekend”.
While visiting Jimmy Fallon last night, Brooks told the stories of his old friend, lamenting that he could no longer pick up the phone and call Gene. What was meant to be a celebratory interview took on a more meaningful resonance, but this being Brooks, was no less amusing because of it.
Brooks recalled numerous famous stories about his relationship with Wilder. But I don’t know. And he was such a dear friend. With lines as “There is no life I know / To compare with / Pure imagination / Living there, you’ll be free / If you truly wish to be”, the song is a ideal fit to pay homage to Wilder. It’s a big shock, you know. I’m still reeling from no more Gene.
When Gene Wilder passed away at 83 on Monday, many of us wondered how his director/friend, Mel Brooks, was handling the loss of someone so special to him. When he went backstage, Wilder asked him, “Why are they always laughing?”
He said: “He was the pro and I was the rookie”.
Wilder’s response: “Oh yeah, you’re going to get the money. Yeah! You’re going to get the money!”. And he burst into tears and held his face and cried. Brooks called it a “wonderful moment”. He explained that Frankenstein’s grandson didn’t want anything to do with making a monster. “And he’s fighting it, but it’s in his blood, ‘” Brooks said.
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The two worked together for the first time on “The Producers”, a film they weren’t sure would ever get financing (the satirical comedy celebrated Nazi Germany).
