It was with
great sadness that we heard of the death this week of Gene Wilder. He was a
comedic actor as well as a screenwriter, director and author. He is probably
best known for his work with director Mel Brooks and pairings with Richard
Pryor. Fans of his films usually all have their own different favorite quotes.
Here’s a nice
Variety article on Gene Wilder
In our store
we have the following of his movies:
New to (or
rediscovering) this actor? Try:
Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory (in our Children’s or Blu-Ray sections) – (G, 1971). Amazon.com
description: “Take an unforgettable, uniquely magical, musical journey through
the deliciously delightful, whimsically wonderful world of Willy Wonka And The
Chocolate Factory. When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) promises
a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky
kids, penniless Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) seeks the priceless golden ticket
that will make him a winner. Thanks to his Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson),
Charlie gets the prize of his dreams! But a far more wonderful surprise than
Charlie ever imagined awaits him. In a land of chocolate waterfalls, giant
lollipops, edible flowers and, of course, Oompa Loompas, it's nonstop,
mouth-watering fun in the timeless fantasy.”
IMDb page where
you can see a trailer and read more details.
The Producers.
(in Comedy or Mel Brooks section) – (PG, 1967). Amazon.com description: A
"startling, stunning, outrageous [and] breathtaking debut" (Los
Angeles Times) from acclaimed writer/director Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein,
Spaceballs), this Oscar®-winning* comedy combines "pure pell-Mel lunacy
[and] wild, ad-lib energy [into an] uproariously funny" (Time) film!
Low-rent Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and his high-strung
accountant, Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), discover that, with the help of a few
gullible investors, they can make more money on a flop than on a hit! Armed with
the worst show ever written ("Springtime for Hitler") and an equally
horrific cast, this double-dealing duo is banking on disaster. But when their
sure-to-offend musical becomes a surprise smash hit, they find themselves in
the middle of a Broadway blitzkrieg! *1968: Original Screenplay.
IMDb page where
you can see a trailer and read more details.
Young
Frankenstein (in the Mel Brooks section – (PG, 1974). From Amazon.com: “If you were to argue that
Mel Brooks's Young
Frankenstein ranks among the top-ten funniest movies of all time,
nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way
that Brooks's previous film Blazing
Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving
tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein
(1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks re-created the Frankenstein laboratory
using the same equipment from the original Frankenstein
(courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to
physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for nonstop comedy.
The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his
effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father.
(He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It.) Assisting
him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but
none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in
creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision
of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks
guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn,
Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after
scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young
Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic,
representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its
payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a
career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for
which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. … And just remember--that's Fronkensteen. -- Jeff Shannon.”
IMDb page where
you can see a trailer and read more details
Already a
fan? Try:
Blazing
Saddles (in the Mel Brooks section) – (R, 1974) From Amazon.com: “The
railroad's got to run through the town of Rock Ridge. How do you drive out the
townfolk in order to steal their land? Send in the toughest gang you've
got...and name a new sheriff who'll last about 24 hours. But that's not really
the plot of Blazing Saddles, just the pretext. Once Mel Brooks' lunatic film
many call his best gets started, logic is lost in a blizzard of gags, jokes,
quips, puns, howlers, growlers and outrageous assaults upon good taste or any
taste at all. Cleavon Little as the new lawman, Gene Wilder as the wacko Waco
Kid, Brooks himself as a dim-witted politico and Madeline Kahn in her Marlene
Dietrich send-up that earned an Academy Award nomination all give this
sagebrush saga their lunatic best. And when Blazing Saddles can't contain
itself at the finale, it just proves the Old West will never be the same!”
IMDb page where
you can see a trailer and read more details
Silver Streak
– (PG,1976) From IMDb:” On a long-distance train trip, a man finds romance but
also finds himself in danger of being killed, or at least pushed off the train.”
IMDb page
Stir Crazy
(in Comedy) – (R, 1980) From Amazon.com: “One of the looniest pictures to come
along in some time! STIR CRAZY teams two of the most brilliant and zany comic
performers today: Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. Skip (Wilder) and Harry (Pryor)
have both been fired from their jobs, so they take off in their van for
California to seek fame and fortune, but somewhere along the way the van conks
out and they're broke and...well, they have to eat, right? So they land a gig
as singing and dancing woodpeckers to promote a bank opening. When two bank
robbers steal their costumes and stick up the bank, guess who gets the blame?
Skip and Harry are carted off to the state pen for 125 years. They try to keep
their sanity and their lives amidst: a sadistic warden, a hulking mass-murderer
and an inter-prison rodeo - all with great hilarity.” IMDb page
Rent one or
several of these, or stop in the store to purchase your own copy. Remember that
any movie on our shelves can be bought for the replacement cost!
