Mel Brooks--Seriously! - by Sue Matheson (Paperback)

About the Book

" 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. In this collection, 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, and together present a detailed look at one of comedy's most influential voices"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"Matheson has assembled an exegesis of the Brooks canon, with contributions from an international array of academics and scholars. ... Insightful and critically dense, this collection is not for the academically faint of heart. Enthusiastically endorsed for graduate-level pop culture collections."-Library Journal

About the Author

Sue Matheson is a professor of English at the University College of the North in Manitoba, Canada. She is the author, editor, or co-editor of more than a dozen scholarly volumes, specializing in American popular culture and film.