The Making Of ‘Young Frankenstein’
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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This is Fresh Air. I'm David Bianculli. In 1974, Mel Brooks directed and co-wrote one of the greatest film genre parodies in movie history. Actually, two of them. Blazing Saddles, his Western parody, came out in February of that year. And in December, Young Frankenstein premiered, brilliantly lampooning and celebrating horror movies in general and James Whale's 1930s Frankenstein movies in particular. Because until December, it's still technically the 50th anniversary year of that monster movie comedy. And because today is Halloween, we decided it would be a Halloween treat to devote today's show to young Frankenstein. Before that film, writer-director Mel Brooks already had cast Gene Wilder in two of his best comedies, The Producers and Blazing Saddles.
While filming that latter movie with Brooks, Gene Wilder started sketching out an idea for a movie of his own. It was a comic version of Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein, conceived to have him play the starring role as the grandson of mad scientist Victor Frankenstein. Wilder asked Brooks to co-write and direct it, and they began work on it immediately. Young Frankenstein was shot in black and white, and Brooks was so faithful to the pace and look of Wales' original films, he even tracked down and used the original lab equipment from the Frankenstein movies. He also assembled an astounding cast in support of Gene Wilder. Two previous Oscar winners, Cloris Leachman and Gene Hackman, eagerly accepted minor roles.
What is the historical significance of 'Young Frankenstein'?
And also in the cast were Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Terry Garr, and Marty Feldman. In an early scene, Wilder, as the scientist's grandson, is met at the Transylvania train station by his future lab assistant, played by Feldman. Dr. Frankenstein.
Frankenstein. You're putting me on.
No, it's pronounced Frankenstein. Do you also say Froderick?
No.
Frederick. Well, why isn't it Froderick Frankenstein? It isn't. It's Frederick Frankenstein.
I see. You must be Igor. No, it's pronounced I-gor. But they told me it was Igor. Well, they were wrong then, weren't they?
On today's show, we'll listen to archive interviews featuring Gene Wilder, Terry Garr, Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle, and Mel Brooks himself. We'll start with Gene Wilder, who spoke with Terry Gross in 2005. He recalled how he and Mel began collaborating on Young Frankenstein.
I was writing every day, and then Mel would come to the house and read what I'd written, and then he'd say, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, okay, but... We need a villain or we need whatever it was. And we'd talk a little bit and then he'd go away and I would write all the next day. And he'd come and look at it. And then one day when he read the pages I'd written about Dr. Frankenstein and the creature sing and dance to Putin on the Ritz. He said, are you crazy? This is frivolous. You're just being frivolous. Well, my temperature rose, and after 20 minutes or so of arguing, my color went from red to, I think, blue or purple. I started screaming. And then all of a sudden he said, okay, it's in. And I said, well, why did you put me through this?
And he said, I wasn't sure if it was right. And I thought, if you didn't argue for it, then it was wrong. And if you did, it was right. So you convinced me.
Well, this is such a classic scene.
I mean, you as Dr. Frankenstein are presenting in a theater your creation, you know, the Frankenstein monster played by Peter Boyle. And you're both in top hat and tails. You introduce him. Then you sing a duet of putting on the Ritz and, you know, do a little soft shoe.
How did Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks collaborate on the film?
And it's really such a wonderful scene. So how did you come up with a way to, with an excuse to do it, with the plot point to get in the production number? Because we had to convince the scientific members of Transylvania that with the procedure I was using on the creature, he could be taught to be a civilized human being.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:54
2
What is the historical significance of 'Young Frankenstein'?
1:54–4:50
3
How did Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks collaborate on the film?
4:50–8:43
4
What unique filming techniques were used in 'Young Frankenstein'?
8:43–9:56
5
Who were the standout cast members in 'Young Frankenstein'?
9:56–20:24
6
What memorable scenes highlight the humor in 'Young Frankenstein'?
20:24–47:56
Speakers
9 identifiedMore from Fresh Air
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