Product Description
This book traces the extraordinary life and career of Mel Brooks, who has ridden a wave of show business success perhaps unsurpassed by anyone of his generation. Offering many insights into the wacky world of Brooks and his many collaborators, as well as an intimate look into his successful marriage to the brilliant and beautiful actress Anne Bancroft, It's Good to Be the King might just be the most delightful, engaging, and entertaining biography you'll ever read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Interesting Reading
An enjoyable, interesting and light hearted biography of Mel Brooks, one of my favorites. I loved the book and especially enjoyed the detailed recaps of his encounters as a writer with Sid Cesare and his adoration and love for his departed wife Ann Bancroft, also a favorite. All Mel has to do is just talk and he's funny. The book is definitely a "Keeper".

Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst
Wouldn't it be great if the dust jackets of books posing as biographies were required to disclose the percentage of original research that was devoted to their development? WARNING! THIS BOOK CONTAINS 10% ORIGINAL MATERIAL AND THE REMAINING 90% IS STUFF YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW FROM READING THE SAME BOOKS THE PERSON WHO WROTE THIS READ. Or something like that. I'm just saying.

Compounding that flaw in Parish's Brooks work is the absence of annotation. The author presents ideas and events as fact, and essentially leaves it to the reader to ponder their source or accuracy.

How can you claim to have written a biography of Mel Brooks without having interviewed the living individuals who shaped his career? Like Carl Reiner? Sid Caesar? Gene Wilder? His children? His writing collaborators? Oh wait, sorry, Parish says he did interview Charlie Callas, the rubber-faced actor/comedian who had a cameo role in High Anxiety. But Parish identifies him as "Charles Callas." Charles? Does he even know who Charlie Callas is?

As recently as one week ago, I still harbored the naïve misconception that it was impossible to write a dull biography of Mel Brooks. But no more. Then again, maybe I'm missing the joke, and maybe this is a parody of The Producers: start with a lackluster writer, interview absolutely nobody whose experiences with Mel Brooks bear on the way his life developed, invite the public to invest in the result, and hope you make a lot of dough.

Or, maybe it's a satire of Mel's song from The Twelve Chairs: "Hope for the best, expect the worst."

"The definitive biography of a comedic genius"
This book is highly recommended for anyone who is a hard core aficionado of Mel Brooks-Robert James Parrish has written what I would consider to be the definitive biography of a true comedic genius.

Definitive Bio on Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks has had an incredible career in television, films, and theater. James Robert Parish's book puts it all in perspective. Believe it or not, there have been many setbacks and failures in the life and career of a man most of us think of as hugely successful. Parish, who has written many fine Hollywood biographies, does an excellent job of telling the story of Brooks' life, extensively covering the personal and professional. It's an interesting, entertaining book that also includes a nifty section detailing Brooks' entertainment credits. I particularly enjoyed the behind-the-scenes information about the making of Young Frankenstein as well as the gossip concerning his improbable marriage with Anne Bancroft.

Mel Brooks Dissected
The life of Mel Brooks has been a scattered affair with Sid Caesar highs and Robin Hood lows. In between has been a rogues gallery of memorable screen characters from Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) in The Producers to Madeline Kahn's unforgettable Lili von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles with many others along the way including the best film work Dom DeLuise has ever done. This book delves into them all, including Brooks himself, perhaps his best character of all.
It's a page turner and includes an illuminating look at one of Hollywood's strangest marriages, that of Brooks to the incredible Anne Bancroft. (Whe he told his mother he was marrying an Italian Catholic divorcee, he couldn't hear her reply as her head was in the oven.) Brooks comes across as an egomaniacal funnyman who's always wanted to make people laugh on his own terms. There was a time when his name was movie gold and it's still golden if a bit tarnished by his stage musical of his biggest success The Producers, a low point in tastelessness even for Mel. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the laugh-out-loud story of two scheming men, Bialystock, a shady producer, and Bloom, his nervous accomplice. Together they come up with the ultimate con: raise more money than needed, produce a show that is bound to flop, and pocket the change. Of course, all best laid plans are subject to be mucked up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Great pictures and behind-the-scenes info
Besides the complete script and some wonderful production photos, what makes this edition so special are Mel Brooks' "hand written" notes off to the side.Inserted throughout the text, they tell great behind-the-scenes anecdotes about lines that were cut or revised out-of-town, things that happened in rehearsal, and the show's evolution from film to stage musical.

Just To Be Clear

This is a soundtrack of the original 1968 movie "The Producers."It is not a soundtrack of the movie that was made from the musical that was adapted from the original movie "The Producers" (whew).That may be good or bad, depending on your point of view.

The original movie wasn't really a musical, altho it was about a musical and had some music.Therefore, this CD is mostly dialog.The 3 main pieces of music of interest are "Springtime For Hitler,""Love Power," and "Prisoners Of Love."These are all great works of musical comedy, but, considering the price, that's not much for the money.

I decided to buy this because: 1> for some strange reason, digitally transferring the audio of these songs from my DVD didn't work quite right; 2> I absolutely loved the (original) movie and these songs, and 3> I thought it might have a snippet or two extra that I might want (such as when Dick Shawn sings "1+1 is 2, 2+2 is 4, I feel so bad 'cause I'm losing the war") - it doesn't.

Well, I got the songs I needed - at a pretty exorbitant price - maybe it'll be worth more someday as a collector's item.I do like that they included Zero's "That's our Hitler!" at the end of Love Power.

Also, just for the record, if you only know "The Producers" from the stage or the 2nd movie, you really should watch the original The Producers (Deluxe Edition).In my humble opinion, it is much, much, better (in fact, one of the finest movies ever made), albeit less musical. Unfortunately, many people are only interested in something new or "hot," so that's how you can make money today - by perversely reworking something sublime into an inferior product.

The Producers : The Book, the Lyrics, the story behind the biggest Hit in Broadway History
IF you LOVE Mel Brooks. IF you LOVE the stage show " The Producers" . IF you LOVE the music,BUY BUY BUYTHIS BOOK. This is a MUST have for ALL "The Producers " fans.This book is the Guide to what is the most stimulating show I have EVER seen.
Based on the process of turning the original " The Producers " ( Gene Wilder )movie into a Stage show, along with cast selection and music ( The entire score and lyrics ByMEL BROOKS . HIMSELF ).
JUST BUY BUY BUYTHIS BOOK.

It even tells youhow to spell Ullas' 1st name correctly, wow wow wow wow.Got to go , Its almost 11.

Love POWER!
On my C.D. list for Christmas is this HILLAROUS C.D. I've always been a weird producer fan thinking that the movie is actually better than the stage show- despite the lack of 1968 songs. This C.D. is annoyingly funny.

"Love Power"has always been my favorite song in the movie- I laugh each time I see it in the movie. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed this Christmas for this wonderful C.D. I'm still a little disappointed that Mel Brooks cut the character and the song from the show.

Although there are only two songs with complete lyrics. This is still a soundtrack that any "Producer" fanatic will enjoy and I personally like the "Springtime For Hitler" song in the movie more than the actual one put into the show. You also catch a glimpse of Mel Brooks voice as the Nazi "Come and be a smartie and join the Nazi party."

By all means hit that buy now button and laugh yourself silly with these two songs!

Lucky enough to remember when this was FUNNY, not...
... KITCHY fodder for the limp-wristed masses.

(PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE CD OF THE ORIGINAL FILM, SO IF YOU HAVE TO RATE ME, BASE IT ON THAT!)

I loved this movie. I watched it at a time when the Vietnam War was waning in in 1975 here in Chicago, as it was playing on WGN TV on the late late late show. Apparently, even the censors were asleep at the time, but God bless em, this was the perfect time to see him. Mel's brand of humor reminds me of a time when they used to use brown paper bags to wrap up the porn in.

It always has been a guilty pleasure to watch this film, laugh at the humor, and sing along with the actors. This CD captures the essence of the film, the heart of his message - it was as if the lyrics, the tone, and the actor's very intonations were possessed by the vision Mel tossed out after looking into himself and at the world when he penned these tunes, and think about it - in the late 60's! Who was confronting racism, gay sexism, and the Jewish question? Secondly, who could do it with such brave humor and didn't fear the reprocussions?

This CD contains over a dozen tracks of spoken lines from the film, and to listen to Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder's interaction witrh the wonderful diologue is to listen to the genius of Mel Brooks' zenith of comedy. In this CD is also included the true ability Mel had in making his special brand of comedy work - it was simply to make it as campy as hell by including MUSICAL NUMBERS ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST! Yes, I was laughing about Hitler, and Goebbels ( "I loves my little joe") and yes, I was shocked at first, but who wasn't?

This CD of the movie is giving us some of the greatest parody tunes of ALL TIME - "Springtime For Hitler," "Prisoners Of Love," "Love Power," and the spoken word of Zero Mostel - ULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLA! ('I met her at the public library.') I can listen to this CD in the car, at home, ANYWHERE.

(I can also watch this film on DVD - a bit dated, yes, but it represents a time when this was still edgy - but I will stand by this and gladly watch this over and over til it cracks.)

(On a personal note: I am saddened at what Mel Brooks did by making this film about a failed play into a musical about a failed play!!!

I consider it to be one of his all-time masterpieces and part of his holy trilogy of his genius -

"The Producers" is followed by "Young Frankenstein" and of course the gem on his cap, "Blazing Saddles." He will NEVER be able to top himself, because once you've been to the mountaintop, how can you go any higher?)

PLEASE! Buy this CD and LISTEN to it and remember a time when anyone could go out and try to be daring, try and amaze, listen to every second of this CD - I own a copy, and heartily endorse it!

A play based on a film based on a play? Only in New York.

Sad. ... Read more

Product Description
In a millennial update of the comedy classic, the legendary team of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner revive the 2000-Year-Old Man, who is raring to give his take on the issues of our time. "Among the true classics of modern comedy."--Steve Allen.Amazon.com Review
In 1960, two young, little-known comedians released an album of largely improvised sketches in which a journalist interviews a 2,000-year-old man. The journalist was Carl Reiner; the crotchety Jewish Methuselah was Mel Brooks. The album was a hit, giving a huge boost to both of their careers. It was followed by three more records over the next 13 years, as well as numerous "2,000-year-old man" TV appearances by the pair. Now, after a 24-year hiatus, Brooks and Reiner have revived the 2,000-year-old man in honor of the millennium, soliciting his views on everything from voice-mail trees to rap music--from the Mars landing to infomercials. While the format doesn't have the breakthrough freshness it did in 1960--and while jokes about being old may have a more poignant edge now coming from these two--Brooks and Reiner are still very funny men, and The 2,000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000 is a welcome visit with them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

The Very Good Book
I've said it before, I'll say it again, Mel Brooks is a comedical genius. This book is a great short read. Whether you're new to this 2000 year old man or you're a long time fan this book is hilarious. Much of it is rewording of the old acts that Mel did with Carl Reiner. They make fun of everyhting from the new miracle diets to God to sex. There's even a section called See Moses Run. The humor is if anything very Jewish which is great, if you understand Judaism.
If you like Brooks humor, buy this book. It's good for a gift if you get it along with the accompanying CD under the same title as the book or the Complete 2000 Year Old Man 4 disc set.

Short & sweet
Yeah, It is a short read. Yeah, I bought it for US$2.50 equivalent. Yeah it is a lot of rehash.

It is still real funny. Funnier if you have a knowledge of history, the Bible and ancient comedy.

Yuck!
I Paid a little less than 2 dollars for this book at a discount book store and that is just about what it is worth! Some of the jokes aren't funny ! I whited out all the inappropriate references which where unfunny andfrequent! Don't buy this book unless you prefer filthy and unfunny humorbooks! Mel brooks and Carl reiner can be very funny when they get theremind out of the gutter. That is why I bought this book! I wish I hadn't

Even the title page is funny!
Yes, a lot of it is rehashed from the original routines on the records, but it's still pretty funny stuff - and if the title page made me laugh then it must be pretty funny!

You do have to be a Mel Brooks fan in orderto appreciate this book.If you're not, then you just won't like it, nomatter how much I or anyone else recommends it.But if you are, then beprepared for some fall-down roll-on-the-floor howls.

It's thin.I laughed. Call me a schlemiehl!
True, it's about a two hour read for most -- five for me but I tracethe words with my finger as I read. On the plane, I laughedaloud. There was some whispering and the woman next to me changed her seat. Some of it may be recycled shtick but it still seems fresh. Most I've never seen/heard and I have listened to the Old Man CDs. I'd say there's fifty belly laughs, ten chortles, one guffaw, three titters and a smile.It will give you a few hours of delightfully outrageous grumpy old Jewish man humor. I should know. Buy it. Read it. Laugh. Eat your oatmeal and let me alone already.END ... Read more

Product Description
A behind-the-scenes story with more than a touch of theatrical magic about it, A Year with The Producers is a book for actors and theater fans everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Well written, backstage look at musical theater
This book is an interesting little backstage look at Broadway musical theater by one of the faceless, hard working, (struggling to be) up and coming, supporting performers. Twice in the beginning of this book, written in 2001, he notes how impressed he was with the show 'Crazy for You', and in 2007, when I first saw him perform, it was as the lead in (you guessed it) 'Crazy for You'.

Denman is aversatile guy, onstage as singer, dancer, actor, and offstage as choreographer, playwright, tap dance teacher, and (based on this book) quite a good writer. From the credits shown on his web site and based on what I saw at North Shore Music Theater (near Boston) Denman has made good progress in the years since writing this book toward his stated goal of moving up to principal performer.

Video of Denman (paired with Amanda Watkins) in the North Shore Music Theater production of Crazy for You is available on YouTube (search phrase "Jeffry Denman".

[...]

"Springtime for Disappointment"
I have several friends who were in the original cast of "The Producers". When visiting them back in 2002, one of my friends told me about Jeffry's book he was writing. Being one of the biggest Mel Brooks fans on the planet, I was really quite anxious to read it. About 25 pages into it, I realized that it should have been titled "A Year With 'The Producers' featuring MYSELF". I thought the book would have been much more interesting if it had been less about an unknown actor/writer, and how many names he could drop ,and more about people we've actually heard of.
The thing I found most disappointing was that more than a couple of times, Denman starts to tell us something interesting that someone said but then uses phrases like "but I'll keep that to myself", or "but I won't print that here". Then WHY write a book like this if you're not going to tell us the good stuff. That's the stuff we want to hear!
My other let down was that the final entry of the book was on September 10, 2001. I think the book could have benifited if Dehnman had written about how the show was effected by the events of 9/11. Seemed like a no brainer to me. I wonder why he chose to stop there?
In short, don't waste your time with this one. Buy the coffee table book that actually does have funny stories about Mel and the other interesting characters that somehow Jeffry didn't notice were around for that year.

All about him, not the show
This book is a great example of why editors are so important.It seems this author didn't have one. The journal should have been the starting point of a book, not the end product. Instead of giving us the excruciating details interesting to no one but Mom and Dad(he started singing "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" when his girlfriend was running late, whoopee), I expected some real insights into how Broadway-level theatre is created.OK, we get that it runs at a breakneck pace and that all the chorus kids think they could get the dance steps faster and better than the real stars.We get that this author hates it when stars get star treatment and the chorus is left out in the cold.(He did seem to enjoy the star dressing room when he got it for a couple of days, though, didn't he?)I can't believe we got so few stories about Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Mel Brooks... I mean, come on, Jeffrey, your long-winded description of your last performance of Cats is not what someone buying "a year with the Producers" wants to know about.Bottom line: this book is like your co-worker's vacation pictures from Niagara Falls.A complete bore.

a fun look at life backstage
this is a great book for anyone interested in any aspect of the theatre.It is an intimate look at the process, how actors live and work.

A Fantastic Read
If Jeffrey Denmans Broadway career goes into a tailspin (which I highly doubt) he could definetely get a job as an author. This book to say the least is impossible to put down. I read it in one sitting. Not only is it a brilliant look into the minds of Denman, Mel Brooks, Susan Stroman, and others, but it is a indispensable look at professional theatre and the toils and work that go into 3 hours of an amazing theatrical experience. ... Read more

Product Description
Mel Brooks is often regarded as one of Hollywood's funniest men, thanks to such highly successful films as The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein. Both critics and fans have, however, noticed that his films have a tendency to turn out much like the jokes that comprise them--hit-or-miss, one minute shoot-the-moon brilliant and the next minute well short of laughs. This work is devoted entirely to Mel Brooks' work, good and bad, as a writer and director of big screen comedies. It provides a thorough synopsis and thematic analysis for each of his twelve films: The Producers (1968), The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World--Part 1 (1981), To Be or Not to Be (1983), Spaceballs (1987), Life Stinks (1991), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995). The analyses include consideration of each film in relation to his other films to find common themes. Complete cast and production credits are provided for each film. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

thourough and interesting
I am a big fan of Mel Brooks and this is a complete and well illustrated guide to his films. It goes right up to Spaceballs and you get a sence of Mel Brooks. Recomended! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best book spanning Brooks work
Each chapter is devoted to a piece of work/period in Mel's life. The chapter on Blazing Saddles really hits the spot on Brook's humor. Anyone who questions Brooks' "taste" will be enlightened after readingthis! ... Read more

Product Description
Spotlights four popular comedians and discusses their roles in the renaissance of the comedy film. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

FUNNY
I looked all over for this album and was so happy that Amazon had it. I loved this when I first had it years ago and still laugh at it now. VERY funny

Still crazy after all these years
Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks created this most classic of comedy albums - and each and every one in the collection falls into the category of "must have."

I was a kid when I heard them originally, found them again (on tape) 20 years ago when my own kids listened and laughed along with me.

I was delighted a couple of years ago to finmd them on CD -the tapes had long ago disintegrated.

The humor remains the same. Absolutely laugh out loud, irreverent, clean, topical.

If you love Mel Broioks' movies (who doesn't?) you'll find ample precedent in these albums. (My least favorite, "History of the World", seems to have been "inspired" by these albums, but doesn't come close.)

Some, no most, comedy albums get stale and tired after a listen or two; not these. I pull them out every 6 months or so, and laugh again. Caution: Do NOT play these in a moving vehicle; the laughter and tears in your eyes might cause an accident.

Comedy Classic Gem.
It's hard to believe, but Mel Brooks' career starting taking off when he teamed up with Carl Reiner to do comedy albums.Long before YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN or THE PRODUCERS or BLAZING SADDLES, Brooks was a kind of stand-up comic who worked best doing ad-lib with a partner and Reiner was the perfect partner.I first heard about this album from my Dad and he told me it was a great piece of comedy. Though some of the material on the album might not seem as fresh to young audiences today, it's still classic comedy. The perfect timing between Brooks and Reiner is unbelivable.Reiner had the hardest job, having to keep playing the straight man to whatever Brooks threw out, but he never lost his beat.Younger audiences might not be able to fully appreciate the genius of the classical comedy album, but for those who have an appreciation for true comedy and haven't been warped by the "era of irony", 2000 YEARS WITH CARL REINER AND MEL BROOKS is worth listening to.

Mel Brooks stick to satire
This was not at all what I thought it was. I thought "Hey Mel Brooks, I could use a good laugh." But it wasn't that funny. The lesbian line being the exception. If you're looking for classic Mel Brooks then go see History of the World Part 1

Not as great as I expected
The album is only 37 minutes, which is the first disappointing thing about it, but not the only. Unfortunately, a lot of the humor seems timely, as in: it wasn't funny to me because this isn't the sixties. I think a lot of the references and humor are based aroundissues of that time or characters of that time. Our concepts of folksingers, of artists, of actors have all changed--perhaps not terribly much,but the cultural landmarks have shifted since this album. The 2000-year-oldman is pretty good, but not even that was as hilarious as I had been led tobelieve. I'm going to give the album to my dad, as he knows the times (andthe material) first-hand and I'm sure would appreciateit much more thanI. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very funny in some parts.... Very tamed in others
As you shouldve guessed, the book is based on the great movie. The book started off funny as hell, kind of giving you an idea of what was happening that you didnt see int he movie, and is almost somthing you would have liked to see in the movie... but then there's other things that where funny in the movie... but seem very weird to read somthing different in the book... or when your memory serves well and you remember a scene in the movie.... and instead of reading that, you read how a 5 minute scene has been worded down to "they had a fight, then he won, he hit the self destruct butten, and got out of there" ...those arnt the exact words, but you get the point. Not to mention that some things in the movie arnt in the book, which just left me wondering "one of the funniest things about the movie, and they leave it out??"

It's not a very big book, it will only take you a short period of the day to read it! it's about 120 pages long, but its not even the size of a DVD case. It's ok reading for a fan of Spaceballs's like myself to read somthing based on a favorite movie. But dont pay alot for it.

May da shwartz be with ya

Very Funny
I absolutely LOVED the movie and the book was really good too! Good effort by R.L. Stine (who was quite a new author at the time).

Very Funny
I actually found this book just as good the movie, very humorous. Sure, it's not as profanity-laced as the movie because of the ages of people reading the book, but it still comes across as really good. Yogurt rules!

Spaceballs - the novelization (! )
If you ever saw the Mel Brooks' movie _Spaceballs_, you MUST remember how Yogur told the good guys what did he do: MERCHANDISING. From that point on, every scene in the movie has an Spaceballs product: the Spaceballs towel,the Spaceballs toilet paper, the Spaceballs lunch box, etcetera.

And herewe have the Spaceballs novelization. As a novel, it's not noteworthy at all- if you simply watch the movie, you'll enjoy it better and use lesstime.

However, it does work as a joke, by taking the merchandising maniawithin the movie into real life. Leave it in your library, among your SFbooks, and wait for someone to ask you of they can have a look at yourlibrary... ... Read more

Product Description
From the creators of the record-breaking Broadway sensation The Producers, Young Frankenstein is based on the Oscar-nominated smash-hit 1974 film. A wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend based on Mel Brooks' classic comedy masterpiece, the story follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that's Fronkensteen) as he attempts to complete his grandfather's masterwork and bring a corpse to life. Together with his oddly shaped and endearing helper Igor (that's Eye-gor), his curvaceous lab assistant Inga, and in spite of his incredibly self-involved madcap fiance, Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster - but not without scary and quite often hilarious complications. With such memorable tunes as "The Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and "Puttin' on the Ritz," Young Frankenstein features music and lyrics by the three-time Tony Award winner Mel Brooks, book by Brooks and three-time Tony Award winner Thomas Meehan, and is directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Good Score from a Good Musical
I bought this album as a birthday present for my mother, since she was fond of the number "He Vas My Boyfriend." This not only had that song, but all of the numbers from the soundtrack are included as well, including the dialogue portions, which is a major bonus. Overall this is a good set of sheet music from the show, which I have seen and enjoyed, and I would recommend it to anyone who could use audition music, such as the aforementioned Weill/Brecht parody and "Deep Love," "Alone" (cut from the show but an enjoyable number nonetheless), and "Surprise!" ... Read more