If you ever watched any comedy on television, then you have to thank Sid Caesar for that because he is the forefather for all of it. Last week, the great comic passed away and Conan wanted to honor a man that should not be forgotten. When Conan O’Brien was 10 years old his father took him to see a Best Of for Caesar’s sketch comedy, Your Show of Shows, and it was then that he knew he wanted to get into comedy.
So yesterday, Conan had Caesar’s former writer and great friend, Mel Brooks, on the show to remember his greatness. He did so by sharing stories about TV’s first Improv comedian and how some of television’s most memorable moments came about. Brooks also told us stories about their lives together when the cameras weren’t rolling and they were just as funny. Like the time the funny man, who was also extremely strong, lifted up a car that was parked in his spot and placed it on the sidewalk. Too bad the paparazzi wasn’t around then to capture that moment because what a sight it must’ve been.
As great as it was to hear all of these stories, the tribute was made even better as the TBS late night show shared clips from Sid’s career so that those who didn’t know him, could find out how truly brilliant he was. It also helped those of us who knew who he was to remember what a visionary he sincerely was.
As I sat in the audience yesterday, I was in awe. I went to see one of my idols, Mel Brooks, in person, but I came away with so much more. As soon as I got home, I played on YouTube for hours and watched several of Sid Caesar’s sketches throughout the year.
So today take some time to watch Brooks and O’Brien talk about about Caesar, and then when you are done play on YouTube to see exactly what they were talking about. It will definitely make your day so much better.
Thank you to Conan O’Brien and Mel Brooks for a truly impactful night.
If you are a huge fan of Mel Brooks like me, then American Master’s Mel Brooks: Make a Noise is a must watch for you tonight at 9p on PBS.
The 90 minute special takes a look at Brooks’ illustrious career with the comedic genius doing long sit down interview about his life and work. Not only do we hear him talk about his life and his movies in the present, we get the opportunity to see him talk about both with past interviews throughout his long amazing career. We also get to hear from the people (Carl Reiner and his son Rob Reiner, Nathan Lane, Cloris Leachman, Matthew Broderick and so many more) who he has worked with and what they think makes him so special. When you hear his late wife Anne Bancroft talk about how magical their marriage is and how they met, it will bring a tear to your eye. But believe me there are plenty of more laughs during the 90 minute retrospect that includes interviews from today and yesteryear along with clips from his television shows and movies.
The show starts off with Mel Brooks talking about what got him interested in show business. Then he talks about his first role at just 15, and let’s just say it didn’t go well and there is a good reason why it didn’t work for him. Then we start to hear about how he got his start in the biz and working with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows. He next talks about the struggles of making Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. We also find out how some of the classic scenes of his movies came about. For example Gene Wilder’s freak out scene in The Producers was thanks to having coffee after a long day of work, something he very rarely drank.
There are so many interesting tidbits in the American Masters special, that you are going to want to watch Mel Brooks: Make a Noise tonight at 9p on PBS from the beginning until the end because you don’t want to miss a single reveal of his comedic genius mind.
And if you can’t get enough of this history of Mel Brooks: Part 1 and want to watch it again and again? Then you can own the DVD tomorrow from Shout Factory and it is yours to enjoy whenever you want.
Bialystock and Bloom are bidding farewell to Broadway. The Producers will play its final performance at the St. James Theatre on Sunday, April 22 after 33 preview and 2,502 regular performances. Mel Brooks' next musical, Young Frankenstein, will be the next tenant at the theater. "The last six years working on this show have been pure joy for me," Brooks said in a statement. "There is not a single person who has ever been involved with this production to whom I am not gratefully indebted to for their talent, devotion and support during the run of The Producers."
There were rumors that Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick were going to reprise their roles one last time, wonder if now that they announced the closing date they will announce that too?
Bialystock and Bloom are bidding farewell to Broadway. The Producers will play its final performance at the St. James Theatre on Sunday, April 22 after 33 preview and 2,502 regular performances. Mel Brooks' next musical, Young Frankenstein, will be the next tenant at the theater. "The last six years working on this show have been pure joy for me," Brooks said in a statement. "There is not a single person who has ever been involved with this production to whom I am not gratefully indebted to for their talent, devotion and support during the run of The Producers."
