# I spent the evening with Mel Brooks last night **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 12, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211 "2016-06-12T19:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/1 "2016-06-12T19:33:24Z")
The Riverside theater in Milwaukee showed Blazing Saddles to a sold out crowd last night, and after the show, Mr. Brooks (who turns 90 later this month) came out on stage to talk about making the movie, his career, and life. Quite the event, to be amongst 2,400 other fans of his, cheering and singing along to the show. It brought home to me just how much is lost when watching such great flicks in isolation. But even more amazing was Mr. Brooks, who despite his age and the presence of a nice cushy easy chair onstage, was constantly on his feet, telling his tales, cracking jokes, and just being amazing. He shared tidbits about how he approached John Wayne to play the part of the Waco Kid, but was turned down. (Wayne had loved “The Producers” and thought the script was funny as hell, but that Wayne’s fans would never accept him in such a ribald, profane part.) He confirmed that the line “excuse me Ma’am but you’re sucking on my arm” was indeed delivered but cut from the movie as being a gag too far. And also confirmed that he was willing to drop the whole project when Richard Pryor could not be cast as Sheriff Bart due his legal problems at the time. But he was talked out of that by Mr. Pryor himself. He told how he assured Madeline Kahn that it wasn’t ‘that kind of casting interview’ when he asked her to show him her legs. And then asked himself afterward "Why _couldn’t_ it have been that kind of interview? :smack: He said he got the best advice ever about making movies from Slim Pickens, who told him to take every opportunity that came along to just _sit down_. He talked about his borscht belt days, his work with Sid Caesar, his days growing up in NYC. An amazing evening, thanks to the Mrs. who thought it’d be a great way to celebrate our 35th anniversary. And it was. To quote Lili Von Schtupp: “What a nice guy!” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/2 "2016-06-12T19:36:50Z")
How lucky can one man be? Spending your days with hardened criminals and your nights with celebrities. The only thing missing was a nice batch of fresh ginger beer. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/3 "2016-06-12T19:38:06Z")
Did you talk to him directly? If so, what did you say? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/4 "2016-06-12T19:44:11Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Did you talk to him directly? If so, what did you say? No, I did not. The event’s moderator had solicited written questions from the audience and read a few, but I didn’t even put one in. Best reply to an audience question was when asked whether he preferred boxers or briefs. With almost no hesitation he just replied “depends”. 🆒 I would have asked him if he would have liked to have worked more with Gene Wilder. To me it always seemed that Brooks brought more out of Gene that I saw manifested in a lot of Wilder’s other movie roles, and that also Gene seemed to tamp down some of what I considered to be Brooks’ excess zanyness. Brooks did talk about Wilder a fair bit. The event was falling on Gene’s birthday yesterday, and Wilder has quite a following in Milwaukee as he’s a native of the city. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/5 "2016-06-12T19:48:23Z")
It sounds wonderful. I hope that Brooks’ people are recording the evenings. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/6 "2016-06-12T19:48:59Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > How lucky can one man be? Spending your days with hardened criminals and your nights with celebrities. The only thing missing was a nice batch of fresh ginger beer. Missing only because I didn’t mention I’d enjoyed a nice Sioux City GB earlier that day. I also hang out with celebrity criminals. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/7 "2016-06-12T19:51:54Z")
:green with envy smilie: ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/8 "2016-06-12T19:58:19Z")
Good for you and the missus! Mel Brooks is one of my all-time favorite human beings! ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/9 "2016-06-12T20:16:04Z")
I’ve understood that Richard Pryor was given a writing credit, and I always wanted to ask: “which jokes did he write?” None, in particular, seem to be exactly his style. I know the peanut gallery is getting ready to screen, “Duh, Arkcon, all the jokes that don’t call Bart a ni—” But it doesn’t have to be that way, Richard Pryor could have come up with a really funny, racist joke and decided – this is the venue to let it out, and highlight the satire. Its getting later and later for me to ask that question, however. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/10 "2016-06-12T20:24:33Z")
Blazing Saddles will never be forgotten. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/11 "2016-06-12T20:38:07Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > I’ve understood that Richard Pryor was given a writing credit, and I always wanted to ask: “which jokes did he write?” None, in particular, seem to be exactly his style. Last night Brooks did say that he hired Pryor essentially to tell him which uses of the N word were acceptable and which were not. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/12 "2016-06-12T20:41:15Z")
Lucky dog! I’d always heard it told that Richard wrote the Jewish jokes and Mel wrote the black jokes. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/13 "2016-06-12T21:47:09Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Blazing Saddles will never be forgotten. 😃 No, it will be suppressed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/14 "2016-06-12T22:00:03Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > I’ve understood that Richard Pryor was given a writing credit, and I always wanted to ask: “which jokes did he write?” None, in particular, seem to be exactly his style. I’ve heard that Pryor wrote most of Mongo’s lines. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/15 "2016-06-12T22:28:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve heard that Pryor wrote most of Mongo’s lines. Seriously. And Brooks said exactly that same thing last night. Emphasizing that “mongo only pawn in game of life” was from Pryor. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/16 "2016-06-12T23:01:56Z")
Cool! Thanks for sharing. Long live Mel Brooks! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/17 "2016-06-12T23:04:57Z")
What a great experience! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/18 "2016-06-12T23:33:43Z")
Sounds great. Congrats! “Tell me, is that a ten-gallon hat, or are you just enjoying the show?” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/19 "2016-06-13T01:58:59Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > No, it will be suppressed. How so? it’s in the National Film Registry. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211/20 "2016-06-13T06:25:05Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > To quote Lili Von Schtupp: “What a nice guy!” Surely you mean “Vot a nice guy!”? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spent-the-evening-with-mel-brooks-last-night/757211.md?page=2)