6 Movies Mel Brooks Produced That May Surprise Even His Biggest Fans
When most people think of Mel Brooks, they probably think of Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, The Producers, Spaceballs or one of his many outrageously funny films they still quote decades later. But as Brooks marks his 100th birthday on June 28, it is worth looking at a very different part of his career. Through his production company, Brooksfilms, Brooks helped bring several movies to the screen that had little in common with his famous spoof comedies.
Some were dramas, while others were horror films or even a quiet literary romance. Together, they show a side of Brooks that casual fans may forget: a producer who backed serious filmmakers. Here are several movies you may not have realized had a Brooks connection.
The Elephant Man (1980)
Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection
Of all the Brooksfilms titles, The Elephant Man may be the most surprising. Directed by David Lynch, the black-and-white drama starred John Hurt as John Merrick and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Frederick Treves. Anne Bancroft, Brooks’ wife, also appeared in the film as actress Mrs. Kendal.
The movie was a sensitive and heartbreaking portrait of a man who is exploited for his appearance, then slowly seen for his humanity. Brooks backed the project and helped make it possible for Lynch to direct it after Eraserhead. Because Brooks was so closely associated with comedy, his name was not pushed as the main selling point. The film became one of the most acclaimed releases of 1980 and received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Lynch and Best Actor for Hurt.
Frances (1982)
Universal Pictures/Everett Collection
Brooksfilms also helped bring Frances to the screen, a heavy biographical drama starring Jessica Lange as actress Frances Farmer. The film followed Farmer’s rise in Hollywood, her difficult relationship with fame and her painful personal struggles. It gave Lange one of her most intense early film roles.
Kim Stanley played Farmer’s mother, Lillian, and both Lange and Stanley received Academy Award nominations for their performances. Lange was also nominated (and won) that same year for Tootsie, which made 1982 a major turning point in her career.
My Favorite Year (1982)
Everett Collection
Compared with some of the darker Brooksfilms titles, My Favorite Year has a warmer tone, but is still a far cry from the comedies Brooks is known for. Directed by Richard Benjamin, the film starred Peter O’Toole as Alan Swann, a swashbuckling movie star who appears on a live 1950s television comedy show. Mark Linn-Baker played Benjy Stone, the young writer assigned to keep an eye on him. The story has long been linked to Brooks’ own early years writing for Sid Caesar‘s Your Show of Shows. O’Toole received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for the role.
The Doctor and the Devils (1985)
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection
This is one of the deeper cuts in the Brooksfilms story. The Doctor and the Devils was a gothic horror drama directed by Freddie Francis, who had previously worked as the cinematographer on The Elephant Man. The cast included Timothy Dalton, Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Rea, Julian Sands, Patrick Stewart and Twiggy.
The film was based on an unproduced screenplay by Dylan Thomas and drew from the grim history of Burke and Hare, the 19th-century murderers who sold bodies for anatomical study. It was not one of the company’s biggest hits, but it still shows a more serious side of Brooksfilms.
The Fly (1986)
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection
The Fly gave audiences one of the most disturbing transformations in 1980s horror. Directed by David Cronenberg, the film starred Jeff Goldblum as scientist Seth Brundle and Geena Davis as journalist Veronica Quaife. What begins as an experiment in teleportation becomes a tragic horror story as Brundle’s body begins changing in grotesque ways when his DNA is spliced with that of a housefly.
The movie was released through Brooksfilms, another surprise for viewers who only knew Brooks from his comedies. The makeup effects by Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis won the Academy Award. Goldblum’s performance also helped make the film more than a monster movie.
84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
Everett Collection
Brooksfilms took a quieter turn with 84 Charing Cross Road, a gentle drama based on Helene Hanff’s book of letters. Bancroft starred as Hanff, a New York writer who begins a long correspondence with London bookseller Frank Doel, played by Anthony Hopkins. Judi Dench also appeared in the film.
The story unfolded through letters, books and a friendship that stretched across years and an ocean. For anyone who thinks of Brooks only as the man behind Spaceballs and History of the World, Part I, 84 Charing Cross Road is a reminder that his producing interests were broader than his public persona.
Which one of these is your favorite?
More on Mel Brooks:
• Inside Mel Brooks’ Surprising Friendship with Alfred Hitchcock
• Who is the Only Surviving Cast Member of 1974’s ‘Blazing Saddles?’
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