Random Behind-The-Scenes Stories From Mel Brooks Movies (12 items)

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  (#1) Brooks Paid Orson Welles $25,000 To Narrate ‘History of the World, Part 1’ - And He Knocked It Out In Half A Morning

  Nothing stings more than overpaying. This is a feeling Mel Brooks knows all too well. In 2015, Brooks admitted he had done just that when hiring Orson Welles to narrate History of the World, Part I.

  “He was supposed to do five days of work, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., narrating scenes,” Brooks explained, but after Welles began his morning voice test, they were on a roll. “He started to test his voice out about 10 [minutes] to 9 a.m. By 11:30 a.m., 12 o’clock, he had done all the narration.” Bewildered, Brooks acknowledged, “It was all perfect.”
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  (#10) The Cast Of 'Robin Hood: Men In Tights' Learned Swordfighting From A Trainer Who Worked With The 'Original' Hollywood Robin Hood

  Just as Brooks hired someone who worked on the original Frankenstein film to work on his Frankenstein parody, Brooks also brought in veteran Hollywood stuntman and trainer Victor Paul to train the cast of Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Paul had performed or coordinated stunts on more than 200 films, including several with Errol Flynn - the most famous portrayer of Robin Hood in Hollywood's Golden Era.

  Brooks was adamant that the film still needed to have exciting and believable swordfighting, since it was still a Robin Hood movie, so the cast spent every weekend during shooting working exclusively on their swordfighting. Paul did note that lead actor Cary Elwes was already way ahead of the game since he trained for months working on the swordfighting duel in The Princess Bride.
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  (#5) At The End Of ‘Blazing Saddles’ When Everyone’s Running Out Of The Warner Bros. Lot, The Confused Man Watching Them Was An Actual Bystander

  It’s a pretty common dream to end up in a Hollywood film - but what about accidentally? During the end of Blazing Saddles, the Sheriff and the Waco Kid are chased through the Warner Bros. studio backlot. As they run past the front gate of Warner Bros., they pass an innocent bystander who gawks at them, unsure what was happening. It turns out, that was an actual random bystander who happened to be walking by the Warner lot and walked into the shot.

  In typical Mel Brooks fashion, he embraced the genuine emotions the man showed, and instead of doing another take, he had the man sign a waiver. You really don’t know when you’ll get your big break.
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  (#4) Brooks Broke Off His Original Deal For ‘Young Frankenstein’ Because The Studio Refused To Shoot In Black And White

  Negotiations with big studios can feel like a game of creative tug-of-war. This is a dance Mel Brooks knows very well. When shopping Young Frankenstein around, he faced initial pushback from Columbia when he insisted on shooting the film in black and white to match the styles of the Hollywood horror classics he was emulating.

  When Columbia hated the idea, he turned to 20th Century Fox, who initially agreed to shoot it on color stock so they could, they claimed, "release it in color in Peru." Brooks refused this ruse and ultimately shot his film in black and white.
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  (#3) ‘Young Frankenstein’ Used The Actual Laboratory Props From The 1931 Film ‘Frankenstein’

  If you’re making a spoof of a Frankenstein movie, why not literally hire some of the people who worked on the original? When filming Young Frankenstein, Brooks tapped Ken Strickfaden, who had worked on the lab sets for the 1931 Frankenstein film by James Whale.

  When Brooks visited Strickfaden, he was delighted to find that the designer had stored all of the equipment from the previous set right in his garage. Strickfaden gladly made a deal to rent out the equipment to Brooks and got the screen credit he was cheated out of in the original Frankenstein films.
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  (#7) George Lucas Told Brooks He Wouldn’t Sue Him Over ‘Spaceballs’ On One Condition: No Toys

  Spaceballs, the 1987 spoof of the original Star Wars trilogy, was known for toeing the line between emulation and parody. Mel Brooks confessed to Entertainment Weekly that he was afraid to get sued by Lucas. After all, the Star Wars franchise was and remains a financial juggernaut within the industry. When Brooks reached out to Lucas, Lucas was fine with the Spaceballs film being produced, with one caveat: no merchandise.

  Brooks, of course, complied, but it was ironic since one of the most iconic Spaceballs characters, Yogurt, was famously over-enthusiastic about merchandising. Though it’s a shame no toys were officially produced, every once in a while, an eagle-eyed fan may be able to spot an unofficial figurine on Etsy.

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