Mel Brooks turned 88 today. I was going to put up a post with his photo but I knew some folks would come to this blog, see a photo of him and go, "Oh no! Mel Brooks died!" Well, he hasn't as of 10:31 PM PT and I hope he never does. What a wonderful, funny man.
This is a musical number from the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors when Mel was deservedly toasted and inducted. It was cut down for broadcast. If you look fast, you can see some cast members from his then-current Broadway offering, Young Frankenstein, whose segment was excised from the number, presumably for time. I was surprised to see them include the Spanish Inquisition with Richard Kind. No one expects Richard Kind. But you'll see Martin Short and Matthew Broderick and Harry Connick Jr. and others, and the gent who starts us off is Frank Langella. The best parts of it are the shots of Mel mouthing his lyrics and/or getting emotional…