The other day, a woman in a Facebook movies forum asked if she should see Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles.” I encouraged her to see it, even though I am not a fan of the film.
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Tag Archives: Mel Brooks
The Bootleg Files: Ten From Your Show of Shows
BOOTLEG FILES 933: “Ten From Your Show of Shows” (1973 compilation of sketches from the landmark TV series).
LAST SEEN: On the Internet Archive.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS video and LaserDisc.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It has fallen out of circulation.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Briefly included as a special feature in a now out-of-print DVD.
In 1973, movie audiences were treated to a genuine oddity: a feature film consisting of sketches from a television comedy show that were broadcast in the early 1950s but not seen in the ensuing years. The show in question was “Your Show of Shows,” a 90-minute revue program that dominated Saturday prime time viewing from 1950 to 1954 and lifted its stars Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris into A-list stardom.
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The 10 Best Musical Numbers in Non-Musical Films
Sometimes when you least expect it, a dramatic or comedy film suddenly erupts into a musical number. For the sake of listicle distraction, here are 10 musical numbers from non-musical films that should get you singing along when you least expect it.
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Five More Great Minority Movie Heroes (to Root For)
It’s Black History Month once again, and in celebration of the month, I thought it’d be a great time to continue our saga of Great Minority Movie Heroes. With diversity becoming more prominent in modern pop culture, we’re witnessing an influx of people of color leading epic sagas, and fighting evil. I, for one, am enjoying it. Here are five more Great Minority Movie Heroes you can root for.
Harvey Korman: Number 1 Second Banana
Harvey Korman was one of the funniest supporting comedy actors of all time, brightening up the big and small screen with his memorable performances. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” the funnyman’s son and biographer Chris Korman discusses his father’s career and off-camera life.
Spaceballs (1987)
It makes me laugh quite a lot that modern Hollywood are planning to spoof “Star Wars” when Mel Brooks pretty much supplied the definitive “Star Wars” spoof thirty years ago. You can argue maybe there’s more to offer, but no, Mel Brooks did it first and best. He mocked the characters, he mocked the plot holes, and he even mocked the rampant consumerism that George Lucas partook in when “Star Wars” became a cash cow. “Spaceballs” involves the evil President Skroob kidnaps Vespa during an arranged marriage, in an effort to steal planet Druidia’s fresh air. The evil Lord Dark Helmet is assigned to complete the task of sucking Druidia’s air, and hires Lonestarr and his pal “Barft” (The mog, a half man and half dog) to find Princess Vespa when she escapes the arranged marriage.
Norman Lear: Another Version of You
Part of the “American Masters” documentary series, “Norman Lear” is a very bittersweet look in to a man who changed culture and television as we know it. Before Norman Lear, not many television shows and mainstream television networks were willing to step forward and address issues that confronted social and economic problems. Norman Lear is a man who grew up in a troubled family and spent a lot of his life remolding television in to a medium that could change how we think and ask us to reflect on our lives. Mr. Lear used a lot of his own experiences to help create some of the most important television series of all time. From “All in the Family” which brought important issues to our homes through comedy, “The Jeffersons” about changing the racial dynamic in a higher class setting. There was “Maude” which explored a very strong sitcom heroine of the feminist ilk, and “Good Times” which explored the life of a family in poverty.