Mel Brooks

She gave me nine cents.

I mean, she gave me three bottles, which...

three cents on each deposit bottle at Mr. Shanus's grocery store.

I had nine cents.

I needed another penny.

And I said, Mom, I need another penny to get into the movies.

It must have been about, you know, seven or eight.

And she said, I don't have it.

So she went, she knocked on Mrs. Miller's door.

She said, Mrs. Miller, we don't have any cash in the house.

Can I have a penny?

So I cherish those movies because they really lifted my spirits and are indelibly engraved in my brain as important steps in my world education.

I always thought, you know, that Alfred Hitchcock was the very best director who ever directed films.

And when I was doing, I had the idea for High Anxiety.

I wrote him a letter saying basically, dear Mr. Hitchcock, you know, I do genre parodies and I, in my estimation, you are a genre and that you're just amazing and I would like to do a movie dedicated to you and based on your style and your work.

And he called me and he said, I love Blazing Saddles.

I think you're a very talented guy.

And I come to my office.

I came to his office at Universal.

And he told me to come back every Friday at a quarter to 12 because at 1230 we would eat.