# Mel without Mel **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342 "2009-02-25T07:58:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/1 "2009-02-25T07:58:29Z")
In a recent thread someone mentioned _Spaceballs_, and how unfunny Mel Brooks was, playing Yogurt. Don’t get me wrong - I l ove Mel’s films, but I’ve often felt that Mel’s performances IN them to be the weakest parts. There are exceptions of course - The Guv in Blazing Saddles springs to mind (he seems to do better in minor supporting roles) - but I wonder - who could have played these roles better? Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/2 "2009-02-25T09:26:09Z")
I’ve never heard anyone complain about Yogurt or President Skroob, in particular. I have noticed that Spaceballs seems to get an undeserving amount of hate for some reason. I think it’s one of the funniest movies of all time. Forget the ring! I found it in a cracker jack box! (I use variations of that all the time in real life.) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/3 "2009-02-25T15:44:43Z")
I liked Mel in Spaceballs. “I can’t make decisions! I’m a president!” “Geez! Why didn’t any one tell me my ass was so big?” “Muuukk muck puuck . . .” “You can read it?” “No, I was just clearing my throat.” “Yogurt the wise?” “Please! Don’t make a fuss.” ---
**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:** [February 25, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/4 "2009-02-25T16:41:32Z")
Mel should never direct Mel. As a secondary character he isn’t a bad actor. As a director, he peaked with his first film and has been spiralling downwards ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/5 "2009-02-25T16:56:16Z")
It’s good to be the king ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/6 "2009-02-25T17:02:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > As a director, he peaked with his first film and has been spiralling downwards ever since. \ SNAP OUT OF IT, MAN! You’re talking gibberish! Blazing Saddles? Young Frankenstein? _History of the World Part I?_ And that’s still the early period. Mel Brooks is a comedy hero to not one but 2 or 3 generations. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/7 "2009-02-25T17:37:20Z")
But _The Producers_ is still his best film. _Young Frankenstein_ and _Blazing Saddles_ are right up there as well. After that things start to go south. _History of the World_ was episodic, with a mix of strong and weak sections. _High Anxiety_ was flawed and suffered from a too-cute script. _Spaceballs_ was late and insipid, with obvious jokes and crappy casting. The less said about _Men In Tights_, the better. I’ve repeatedly called _Blazing Saddles_ “the funniest movie ever made.” But for sheer movie-making perfection, _The Producers_ has it beat. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/8 "2009-02-25T18:07:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _Spaceballs_ was late and insipid, with obvious jokes and crappy casting. The less said about _Men In Tights_, the better. Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights weren’t “clever” like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, but they were fucking hilarious, and that’s all that matters for a comedy. Now if you want to strike Dracula: Dead and Loving It from history, you’ll get no argument from me. Except for Lucy’s death scene, that was hilarious. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JWzzX4lLPnU/hqdefault.jpg ""Dracula - Dead And Loving It" movie clip") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWzzX4lLPnU) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/9 "2009-02-25T18:28:22Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Now if you want to strike Dracula: Dead and Loving It from history, you’ll get no argument from me. Except for Lucy’s death scene, that was hilarious. I agree it wasn’t the greatest movie but it had its moments. Leslie Nielson did some good physical comedy and there were a few good quotes in there. I loved it when someone asks Van Helsing if so-and-so is a suspect and he says “No! But leeeeeeeaning towards yes.” ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/10 "2009-02-25T18:43:44Z")
_Men In Tights_ was carried more by the actors than Mel, I’ll say. _Spaceballs_ is cheesy fun, but _Men In Tights_ is riotous mainly due to the actors’ delivery of their lines. The British actors in particular really got into it. “He _deered_ to kill a king’s dare! …_sigh_ Dared, to kill, a king’s, _deer_.” I was about to say that I remember _Dracula_ being no worse than _Spaceballs_, but then I watched the link **Justin** provided. If that’s the best the movie has to offer, then yeah, it’s definitely the weakest of his movies. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/11 "2009-02-25T19:05:26Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > But for sheer movie-making perfection, _The Producers_ has it beat. “I’m wearing a cardboard belt” gets mentioned in our family from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-without-mel/487342/12 "2009-02-25T19:38:11Z")
You don’t go to a Mel Brooks movie for the acting. And the story is only there so the jokes have a place to sit. I love, love, love Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, History of the World and Spaceballs are both very good. Been a long time since I’ve seen High Anxiety, but I remember it being pretty funny. Men in Tights is meh, and Dracula I didn’t enjoy at all. But lets not forget about Silent Movie which is hilarious. I also found To Be or Not To Be pretty funny. I recently heard part of the 2,000 year old man skit he did with Carl Reiner. The 2,000 year old man says he thinks Paul Revere was an anti-semite because he rode through the streets warning that the Yiddish were coming. Almost peed myself laughing.