A brief in-print interview with Mel Brooks, including mention of a new HBO special he has debuting tomorrow night. I would love to see Brooks interviewed by someone familiar enough with his past interviews to not let him get away with repeating stories he's told many times before. Sid Caesar trying to pull the cab driver through the little side window in the cab has now been "performed" more times than the Soliloquy from Hamlet. Which I guess makes sense since it's funnier…but Mr. Brooks is 86 and has been in show business for more than 65 years. I'll bet he has other anecdotes.
By the way: Brooks is often referred as the creator of the TV series, Get Smart. Just for the record, the actual credits read, "Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry." Mr. Henry has stated on several occasions that they were supposed to say "and" instead of "with" and that Mel's agent pulled a fast one. Nevertheless, Brooks was not the sole creator.
But he's still a treasure. On the slim chance that this will be read by anyone involved with next year's Academy Awards ceremony, I'd like to make a suggestion: Best Director presented by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. I know they're always trying to "young" up the Oscars but there's room for one nod to Old Hollywood besides the obligatory audience shot of Mickey Rooney…and the audience would go banana-wackie to see those two guys walk out together. Come on! It's late in the show and an important award so you don't have to worry about any young viewers tuning out…and late in the show is when you need the kind of energy jolt and laughs that would provide.
Mel and Carl presenting Best Picture. Or the screenwriting awards. But something.