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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
A book written by Mel Brooks and about Mel Brooks cannot be anything under 5 stars. I probably laughed and smiled through the whole thing. I might have liked it more if he included more of his private life, but then it would have been a much longer book. This is just about his TV shows, movies, and plays, although he does discuss his early life before show business, like being in WWII and his dad dying when he was only two. I actually have not watched many of his shows. I have only seen Get Smart, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men In Tights but those left enough of an impression that I figured his book would be good. Actually, I forgot one more. When my son was little there was a show on PBS and Mel Brooks voiced the head sheep and it was hilarious. I remember Mel Brooks came on after or before the show and told the kids to ask their parents about who he is. I thought that was so funny! One of Mel's first jobs was at the sour cream station at a lodge. He just had to refill it every time it was low. (I love sour cream so that stuck with me.) It was a very enjoyable read.
"I was satirizing specific genres, but I was also paying tribute to them at the same time."
When Obama put the big, beautiful medal around my neck he said, "to Mel Brooks, for a lifetime of making the world laugh."
"I still think that the best thing in the world is saying something funny, and then having an audience explode with laughter. I will never grow tired of that. It's magical."
"You can survive when things are bad if you have a sense of humor."
"I was satirizing specific genres, but I was also paying tribute to them at the same time."
When Obama put the big, beautiful medal around my neck he said, "to Mel Brooks, for a lifetime of making the world laugh."
"I still think that the best thing in the world is saying something funny, and then having an audience explode with laughter. I will never grow tired of that. It's magical."
"You can survive when things are bad if you have a sense of humor."
Mel could have used a stricter editor — did "Life Stinks," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" and "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" really each deserve its own chapter? But if you don't mind Mel tooting his own horn and reproducing whole scenes of dialogues from his movies verbatim, there's plenty of great stories here his fans will love hearing about from the horse's mouth. (And if you can, listen to the audio version read by the man himself. Mel Brooks sings!)
funny
informative
medium-paced
Loved it. Funny as heck and so insightful. What a life this man has had!
A sweet, funny memoir read by the author himself. I am embarrassed to say I’ve only seen his movie Spaceballs, but now totally want to go watch his others. Mr. Brooks is pretty amazing and sharp as a tack for a man in his mid 90s writing and reading the audio for this book.
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Listening to this was an enjoyable experience. Brooks narrates the audiobook himself, and his enthusiasm and oomph is infectious. If he has this much energy at 90+, no wonder he was so prolific and so successful.
I felt the best part of this book was the first third, when Brooks was recounting his youth in Brooklyn, the Borscht Belt, and the Army and then his first big hits on radio and television. It is perennially fascinating to me how we still have contact through a world almost-gone-by through people like Brooks, who truly are living history.
I was less enamored of the other two-thirds of the book, which contained a lot of Brooks recounting big chunks of the plots of his movies with little bits of trivia thrown in. Maybe his editor should have reminded him that anybody reading this likely very familiar with the plot of Blazing Saddles and doesn't really need to hear a summary + dialogue. Then again, it's his book!
I felt the best part of this book was the first third, when Brooks was recounting his youth in Brooklyn, the Borscht Belt, and the Army and then his first big hits on radio and television. It is perennially fascinating to me how we still have contact through a world almost-gone-by through people like Brooks, who truly are living history.
I was less enamored of the other two-thirds of the book, which contained a lot of Brooks recounting big chunks of the plots of his movies with little bits of trivia thrown in. Maybe his editor should have reminded him that anybody reading this likely very familiar with the plot of Blazing Saddles and doesn't really need to hear a summary + dialogue. Then again, it's his book!
funny
informative
medium-paced
if you can, this is absolutely best served as an audio book. it is sweet & funny & so giving when it comes to all the people in his life, bbut also tales from the ultimate mensch
I leapt up onto the table and screamed, "Coleman Jacoby and Arnie Rosen won an Emmy for comedy writing and Mel Brooks didn't! That writers like that can win the award and geniuses like me would be denied? Nietzsche was right! There is no god! There is not god!"
I leapt up onto the table and screamed, "Coleman Jacoby and Arnie Rosen won an Emmy for comedy writing and Mel Brooks didn't! That writers like that can win the award and geniuses like me would be denied? Nietzsche was right! There is no god! There is not god!"