Mel Brooks Makes Rare Appearance at TCM Classic Film Festival
Mel Brooks may be 97 years old but he still knows how to make people laugh. He made a rare appearance at the 15th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood at the TCL Chinese Theatre this past weekend. Brooks appeared at the closing night screening of Spaceballs.
Brooks co-wrote, produced and directed the 1987 comedy starring Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, Bill Pullman, John Candy, Michael Winslow and more. Brooks also made a cameo in the movie as the characters Yogurt and President Skroob.
While engaging in the panel at the TCM Classic Film Festival, TCM host Ben Mankiewicz asked him if he liked Star Wars. Spaceballs makes a lot of references to Star Wars, poking fun at the characters and concept.
Everett Collection
Brooks responded that he thought it was unusual and incredibly original and a combination of things he loved like Robin Hood. He said that it was kind of like a fairytale but with a lot of zaps. No arrows, just zaps, he joked, which garnered some laughs from the audience. It is worth noting that Brooks must have loved Robin Hood as he also poked fun at the story in his 1993 spoof film Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
The TCM Film Festival also featured reunions of stars from iconic films such as Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption. During the Shawshank Redemption panel, the host asked Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins which Hollywood starlet they would choose between Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Raquel Welch, referring to the posters that appeared in the film. Robbins responded, “Can I say Carole Lombard?” which also got some laughs from the audience. Seems like it was a fun event for classic movie lovers!
Let us know in the comments, what is your favorite Mel Brooks film?
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1974 (50 Years Ago)
January 2024
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