Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Jewish comedian Mel Brooks.
Mel Brooks
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Culture Why Carl Reiner Was The Dreamiest Boss I Ever Had
At 26, after taking dictation and guff from assorted people in show business with egos ranging from inflated to absurdly inflated, I met Carl Reiner. On talk shows he’d seemed like an incredible mensch, so when I heard from a friend that his secretary was leaving, I desperately wanted her job. Reiner would be respectful…
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Fast Forward Mel Brooks Cuts Robocall for Grand-Nephew Running for New York State Senate
— If you live on Long Island and your phone rings, answer it — it might be Mel Brooks. The legendary comedian recorded a robocall for his great-nephew, Todd Kaminsky, who is running for State Senate in New York’s 9th District, on the South Shore of Long Island. Kaminsky is a Democrat running for re-election; he won…
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Fast Forward Mel Brooks Warned by President Obama: Don’t Sell Arts Medal on eBay
President Barack Obama awarded 24 American giants of the arts and humanities with medals on Thursday, lauding their accomplishments – and sharing some laughs. Comedian Mel Brooks, who Obama has said he admires for his over-the-top Western satire “Blazing Saddles,” dropped to one knee as if receiving a knighthood after he was given his official…
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The Schmooze Mel Brooks Shares Sweetest Memories of Gene Wilder
(JTA) — Mel Brooks and the late Gene Wilder — who collaborated in films such as “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein” — had a famously decades-long friendship. When Wilder passed away on Monday, Brooks was one of the first celebrities to offer a Twitter eulogy, “one of the truly great talents of our time.” Brooks got…
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Fast Forward Mel Brooks ‘Still Reeling’ From Death of Gene Wilder
Mel Brooks got emotional while sharing stories about the late Gene Wilder — his longtime friend and frequent collaborator — with Jimmy Fallon Tuesday on “The Tonight Show.” “He was sick, and I knew it. He was such a dear friend,” Brooks said. “I expected it; I expected he would go. But I don’t know….
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Fast Forward Mel Brooks Leads Parade of Stars Mourning Loss of Gene Wilder
It was a sad day in Hollywood on Monday as the world learned that Gene Wilder, one of the most beloved comic actors of the ’70s and ’80s, had . The Jewish star, born Jerome Silberman and known for his roles in an array of classic films — from “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”…
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News It’s Hitler in Yiddish as Mel Brooks Gem ‘The Producers’ Returns to Stage
True story. About a decade ago, a Jewish businessman — Siberian born, but Brooklyn raised — ran into Mel Brooks at the Joe Allen restaurant in Manhattan’s Theater District. “Vos macht a yid?” the man asked Brooks in Yiddish. “How’s it going?” Taking on a Yiddish intonation, Brooks replied. “Shhh …” he said. “I’m not…
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The Schmooze How 100 Years of Jewish Jokes Shaped Modern Humor
Not that it should come as any surprise, but Vulture’s recent list of merely affirms the widespread assumption that much if not most of what passes for contemporary humor was and remains directly or indirectly forged out of the tragicomedy of Jewish culture. With roots going back to the Old World badkhns through Yiddish vaudeville…
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