Mel Brooks--Seriously!: Essays on the Films, Television Shows and Standup

A National Medal of Arts winner, Mel Brooks has kept us in stitches for 70 years, laughing at the human condition. Brooks is well known for his New York Jewish humor, but as Roger Ebert says, the engines that drive his comedy have rarely been noticed.

This work offers new insights into Brooks’ creative genius. Fifteen scholars discuss the social satire and genre parody that fuel well-known films like The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, and History of the World, Part I, along with deep dives into overlooked films like Twelve Chairs, Silent Movie, and Life Stinks. The essays herein cover how Brooks’ comedy developed, his standup roots, Get Smart, and his work as a producer for The Elephant Man and The Fly, and more, together presenting a detailed look at one of comedy’s most influential voices.

Sue Matheson is a professor of English at the University College of the North in Manitoba, Canada.