My Mel Brooks Five

I had so much fun coming up with my five favorite Bill Murray Movies last week that I decided to compile another list. As time goes on, I'm sure I'll have a lot of variety, and I can share anything from my five favorite songs to my five favorite sandwiches to my five favorite detergents. This week I'm tackling films again, this time my favorite Mel Brooks movies:

1) Spaceballs: I wouldn't argue that this is his best movie, only that it's my favorite and one I've seen many times. There are certain movies that geeks will memorize, and this sci fi spoof ranks pretty high, certainly within the top five. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5? That's the combination on my luggage! But that's a list for another day, as we go to plaid and get on with this list at ludicrous speed, right after my favorite Spaceballs scene:


2) Young Frankenstein: Despite the fact that my ex-girlfriend described it as her favorite comedy, it took me a few years to get to it, at least in its entirety; I had seen parts of it on television over the years. Once I saw Peter Boyle's version of Puttin' on the Ritz as the monster, I had to pause until I could see and breathe again. That and his scene with a blind Gene Hackman and the hot soup get me every time.


3) High Anxiety: This hilarious Hitchcock send-up is probably the only Brooks movie I've seen almost as many times as Spaceballs. From the birds to the shower to the tower the movie delivers laughs in familiar Hitchcock settings, and you can't go wrong with Korman, Leachman and Kahn. My favorite character was always Ron Carey's loyal driver Brophy. You knew Brooks' character could count on him and he'd get him out of any jam, even if it meant blowing up a picture really big....

4) Blazing Saddles: Excuse me, while I whip out this Cleavon Little classic that probably ranks on #1 on most people's lists, and would rank higher on mine if I was more into the West than outer space. It's probably the riskiest and most irreverent, if not the funniest, and includes Brooks' best posse of regulars.

5) History of the World Part I: Another thing I admired about Brooks was how he never lampooned the same thing twice. You could be in the old West, or a murder thriller, or an old horror movie, or a silent movie, or a swashbuckling Robin Hood tale. With History of the World, he manages a nice anthology of the old times leading up to all the periods and genres spoofed in his other works. It's kind of like three or four really funny movies in one, with a sly continuity and a lot of quickly delivered witticisms to reward the careful ear. It promised a sequel and, though not serious, left us wishing those previews were real. Brooks has some of his best deliveries too, such as in the Commandments scene:

“...these FIFTEEN....TEN! TEN Commandments for all to obey!” I love that bit.