It may be fifty years since we started laughing at one of cinema's most perfect comedies, but its origins actually stretch back even further... Beyond the 1930s and the beloved horror film it was lampooning, and, remarkably, beyond even the origins of cinema itself.
The year is 1874. In the small mid-west frontier town of Rock Ridge, former gunslinger-turned-hopeless-alcoholic Jim 'The Waco’ Kid sat scribbling outside the sheriff’s office. State Governor, William J. Le Petomaine, happened to be passing and asked the laconic sharpshooter what he was writing. The Waco Kid said, "I have this idea for a movie." The Guv peered over his shoulder and asked, "Oh, what’s it called?" Jim looked up, squinting in the sunshine, and said, "Young… Frankenstein".
(Photo: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty)
The year, in fact, was 1973. The governor is Mel Brooks, and Gene 'Willy Wonka' Wilder is The Waco Kid. The Warner Brothers lot had been transformed into the town of Rock Ridge, and the pair were coming off their lunch break midway through the shooting of Blazing Saddles.
Director Mel Brooks was more than six years from his Oscar win, for writing his directorial debut The Producers (beating out no less than Stanley Kubrick). He’d made one film since then, the well-received The Twelve Chairs, but neither picture had made much money at the box-office - the stage version of The Producers would eventually become a Broadway phenomenon, but that was decades away.
Wilder’s presence in his spoof western had been happenstance, a last-minute replacement for actual alcoholic, Gig Young. Gene had gotten Mel out of a major bind, and Brooks knew a good idea when he heard it.
With Saddles in the can, Brooks buried himself in the editing booth during the day, while spending nights in Wilder’s hotel room with copious amounts of Chinese food, hammering out a first draft of the script. They both agreed that this would be no mere ‘spoof’ (not that there’s anything wrong with that, Exhibit A being Blazing Saddles). Young Frankenstein would be three things: a spoof, homage and sequel to the original Frankenstein horror pictures starring Boris Karloff.
And…it would also be filmed in black and white, just like the 1931 picture.
The studio, Columbia Pictures, were up for it…until they heard that last bit. No way would they spend two million dollars on a film that’s not even in colour. Mel and Gene refused to budge. So Columbia walked - they regretted their short sightedness when Blazing Saddles broke big at the box office the following year, and everyone wanted to be in business with the duo. Alan Ladd Jr., then head of Twentieth Century Fox, also knew a good idea when he heard it (Exhibit B: Star Wars, already in development at Fox), and greenlit the monster movie with half-a-million more than even Warners were willing to pony up.
The miracle of serendipity now spent, hard decisions had to be made. But the movie gods' smile became a guffaw - they must’ve read the new draft of the script - now it had a song and dance number - and the alchemy of art occurred: the casting. It’s one thing finding the right actor for a role, but with this movie you had the double jeopardy of creating an ensemble. It was essential everybody worked well together to pull off both tone and comedy. With Gene Wilder himself as Dr. Frankenstein (pronounced ‘Fronkenstein’), the characters lined up thusly: Marty Feldmen as Igor, Terri Garr as Inga, Clores Leachman as Frau Blucher. Kenneth Mars as Inspector Kemp, Peter Boyle as The Monster and the delectable Madeline Khan, who would be Oscar nominated for her unforgettable turn in Blazing Saddles, as the mad doctor's fiance Elizabeth. Plus, a bonus mega-star appears as The Blind Man, who I won't spoil in case you haven’t seen the picture - you really should - as they’re not completely recogniseable and deliver one of the best lines in the film.
All parts in place, now to stitch them together. It’s often said - and is often proved true - the easier the shoot, the worse the movie. What followed on the soundstages of Twentieth Century Fox were three months of cinematic joy. The cast was so perfect, so funny, that they collectively elevated the material to greatness. I mean, just look at the outtakes.
Usually all improvising happens in rehearsal, is written into the script then shot on the day. The chemistry on this set was so potent, nobody could resist improvising live on camera; very expensive, but at this level of riffing, oh so fruitful.
On the last day of filming, Mel Brooks found Gene Wilder scribbling again in a corner of the studio. "I’ve got some more ideas for scenes," he said. Mel put a hand on his shoulder, "It’s over, Gene. We’re done."
"But, Mel. I don’t want it to end."
Young Frankenstein was released the same year as Blazing Saddles and became a smash the world over. Mel Brooks was now Hollywood's premiere comedy film maker. Horror fans, comedy fans and the general public all fell in love with it. Such was its impact, both Gene and Marty 'Igor' Feldman won a chance to become directors themselves in the following years.
Speaking of years, the original Frankenstein film came out in 1931; Young Frankenstein in 1974. Only forty-three years later. Which makes it longer today, the movie's fiftieth anniversary, than the gap between the original 1930s picture and its 1970s parody. Not that it matters, mind. We all may be destined for the grave, but the laughs live on. They keep us alive.
So, if you’re blue and don’t know where to go to, go see this…Puttin’ on the Riiiiiiitz!
A 50th anniversary re-issue of Young Frankenstein is at the Irish Film Institute, Dublin from Friday October 4th.
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