Mel Brooks is a funny man. While many remember him for his theatrical films, most people forget he also created the television series “Get Smart” (along with Buck Henry) – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Shout Factory has come along with the fantastic DVD set The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection Of Unhinged Comedy that rectifies the misconception of Brooks’ career and offers up something no fan of comedy should pass up.
It is interesting to note the set is not presented chronologically. Disc 1 kicks off with The Hitler Rap”, essentially Mel Brooks promoting the 1983 film To Be Or Not To Be, a rare film he appeared in but didn’t direct or write. It then jumps to 2010’s “Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again” where the funnyman and the former talk show host have a conversation that was recorded and broadcast for HBO.
Over the course of 5 DVD we get a solid overview of Mel Brooks’ career. Spread out over the set is Mel And His Movies, a 5 part documentary (artificially chopped up for the set – get it, 5 parts over 5 DVDs?) looking at his motion picture career. This is a great documentary, but it only tells part of the Mel Brooks story, and that’s where the rest of this set comes in.
The set ends with a sketch from “Free To Be You And Me” a 1974 television special, the soundtrack of which was in almost every Gen-X record collection as a child. Mel Brooks and Marlo Thomas provided the voices for a bit on gender stereotyping that is still relevant today.
The rest of the contents fly all over the chronology of his career. It isn’t until the second DVD we hear about the early stuff with “In The Beginning: The Caesar Years” then on disc 4 we get “Mel’s Television Debut” from 1951. Disc 5 features the best “alpha and omega” of the set with a skit from the 1952 series “New Faces” and footage from his 2012 Hollywood Walk Of Fame Induction.
But is any of this stuff funny? Some of it is an examination of his humor, but the stuff that is flat out comedy still holds up today. Dated? Sure, but still funny. not everything is laugh-out-loud gut-buster funny, and comedy is a subjective medium, but Mel Brooks is undeniably one of the masters, and his long and varied career is proof, and that’s where this set comes in. It is the long overdue proof one needs to make the case for Mel Brooks as a comedic genius.
There is so much here I could make a list, but that’s not going to sway you for or against the set. I can point out some hidden gems such as his appearances on the original run of “The Electric Company” or the “60 Minutes” profile that ran as The Producers was beginning to hit Broadway. We get television pilots for “Peeping Times”, “Get Smart” and “Inside Danny Baker” and his first directorial efforts – commercials. One of the episodes of “Mad About You” where he guest starred is here, as is a look at the 2000 Year Old Man routine he did with Carl Reiner. And lots more.
A number of the items here include a newly created introduction by Mel Brooks to provide a bit of context or additional insight. There’s a nice booklet accompanying the set with pictures and text that is very much worth the time to read. Then there is the CD. A bonus disc of audio is included featuring some songs from some of his films, archival audio from television appearances, and radio commercials. Some of this doesn’t pack quite the punch as the rest of the set, but it is an excellent inclusion.
The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection Of Unhinged Comedy is a fantastic set celebrating and honoring the career of Mel Brooks. It’s not as exhaustive as some might want (with guest appearances on sitcoms, talk shows, etc.) but that’s not what this set is trying to do. Get it and laugh.