Vol 21, issue 5 / may 2013 When Brooks shot you have13. only We had ten.” the spoof of the infamous shower scene scene infamous shower the of spoof the the other. I was literally crying with hap crying with literally was I other. the the Mel Brooks know we and love—and the Mel Brooks don’t we know at all. the films, the master of comedy turned to the got one thing wrong,” Brooks reveals in l in up of up and outrageously amazing world of Mel Brooks. and and piness,” he tells master of suspense. He shared a rough cutrough a suspense.sharedHeof master name. m of the film with Hitchcock, who declared career, from his early years in live television as a writer for Sid Caesar’s cally avoided a documentary profile being made—until now. of Shows eachman,Carl as Psycho To whet your appetite, we’ve gathered some surprising facts about the life, career, American Masters Mel Brooks: Make a Noise American Masters American The Producers The T Vertigo er f eaturing interviews with Brooks, Matthew Broderick, to his wildly comedic films such as T brilliant. “And then he said you o and other Alfred Hitchcock m as American Masters r Theshowwas The Goes Broadway musical when musical Broadway Brooks saw his first incrediblenumberafter life forever. “It was one man—and it changed his his changed it man—and he was nine years old. Fan ClubFan einer,Joan T —whichmusicaltheTony-winninglaterintoevolved thesameof er High Anxiety film. “Shower rings, starring Ethel Mer Et hel r m ivers,and many others, offersit fascinatinga look at Anything erman , a send- . Aft living entertainer. The comedy giant has energeti has giant comedy The entertainer. living has earned more major awards than any other Mon 20th, 9 p.m.; Mon 20th,9p.m.; a Make MelBrooks: American Masters m r. er 60 years - - the classics. His 1970 film Brooks rarely goes to bed before 3 a.m. and spends the latenight hours reading r eading is Fundamen n journeys through Brooks’ colorful s Young Frankenstein Young oise howbiz thirteen.org/americanmasters in show business, Mel Brooks n athan , Blazing Saddles T al l The Twelve Your Show Your ane, Cloris - , fronT CoVEr: CourTESy of MICHAEl Grecco. THIS SprEAd: (MEl BrookS) PamelA BArkEnTIn BlackBurn; (ETHEl MErMAn) nBC/pHoTofest; (HIGH AnxIETy) 20TH CEnTury fox / pHoTofest; (Errol flynn) pHoTofest; (GEnE WIldEr, ZEro Mostel, kEnnETH MArS) AVCo Embassy pICTurES/pHoTofest thirteen.org 1 Chairs, about a young man’s search for chairs confiscated by the Soviet govern- American Masters Mel Brooks: ment, was based on a 1928 russian novel. Make a noise Call him irresisTible Mon 20th, 9 p.m.; thirteen.org/americanmasters Brooks first met his late wife Anne Bancroft on the set of The Perry Como Show in 1961. She fell in love with him instantly. “He looked like my father and he acted like my mother,” she explains. They were married for 41 years until her death in 2005. h is FaVoriTe year The 1982 film My Want More Mel? Favorite Year was Visit thirteen.org/americanmasters inspired by Brooks’ experience with • Win a pair of tickets to the Errol flynn, who new york premiere of American appeared in an Masters Mel Brooks: Make a Noise episode of Your at the 92nd Street y Wednesday, Show of Shows . May 15 at 7:15 p.m. The screening Brooks, a junior writer on the program, will include a conversation with was asked to chaperone the notorious Brooks, who will participate live via ladies’ man. “I was locked in the Wal- satellite from l.A.; choreographer dorf Towers with Errol flynn and two Susan Stroman; filmmaker robert red-headed, Cuban sisters,” he said Trachtenberg; and moderator in a Film Score magazine interview. “It Joy Behar. was the craziest weekend of my life.” • Join filmmaker robert Trachten- berg for an online oVEE live-chat They like him. They really like him. and screening. Three of Brooks’ films ranked in • Enter to win the Mel Brooks: the American film Institutes’s list Make a Noise dVd and The Incred- of top 100 comedy films of all time: ible Mel Brooks dVd box set, Blazing Saddles (#6), The Producers watch web-exclusive film out- (#11), and Young Frankenstein (#13). In takes, and check out memorable June, he will be honored with an AfI life Mel Brooks movie moments in our Achievement Award, the highest honor online slideshow. for a career in film. American Masters is made possible by the support of the national Endowment for the Arts and by the Corporation for public Broadcasting. Additional funding for American Masters is provided by rosalind p. Walter, Cheryl and philip Milstein family, The Blanche & Irving laurie foundation, rolf and Elizabeth rosenthal, Jack rudin, The André and Elizabeth kertész foundation, Michael & Helen Schaffer foundation, and public television viewers. Additional support for this program is provided by Vital projects fund. 2 eVening and nighT 5/02 EARLY THURSDAY am 4:00 Independent Lens [r] symbol key 12:00 Tavis Smiley 5:00 Invitation to World 12:30 One-on-One With Literature Aired earlier Steve Adubato this month 1:00 The Dust Bowl To be announced 3:00 Frontline 3 FRIDAY Visit thirteen.org 4:00 Independent Lens [r] for related activities 5:30 BBC World News America 2 THURSDAY 6:00 NJ Today With Mike Schneider 1 wednesday 5:30 BBC World News 6:30 Nightly Business Report America 7:00 PBS NewsHour 5:30 BBC World News 6:00 NJ Today With Mike 8:00 Washington Week America Schneider With Gwen Ifill rEpeats 6:00 NJ Today With Mike 6:30 Nightly Business Sat 4TH, 9AM. Schneider Report 8:30 Premiere Need to 6:30 Nightly Business Report 7:00 PBS NewsHour Know With Jeff Greenfield, 7:00 PBS NewsHour 8:00 Premiere NYC-ARTS Maria Hinojosa, Scott With philippe de Montebello Simon, and ray Suarez. 8:00 Premiere and paula Zahn. rEpeats rEpeats Sat 4TH, 9:30AM. Nature: “Legendary Sun 5TH, 12noon. White Stallions” Vienna’s 8:30 Premiere 9:00 Premiere Great famous lipizzaner stal- MetroFocus Interviews, Performances: “Paul lions, bred for courage, in-depth reporting, and Taylor Dance Company strength and character. stories from across the in Paris” The company rEpeats EArly frI 3rd, 1AM; metropolitan region. dances Taylor’s master- Sat 4TH, 5pM And EArly rEpeats Sat 4TH, 10AM. works Brandenburgs and Mon 6TH, 3AM. Beloved Renegade. 9:00 Premiere Great Performances at the Met: “Un Ballo in Maschera” l E Marcelo Álvarez, dmitri k A Hvorostovsky and Sondra n B E A radvanovsky star in david né V Alden’s production of rE © the Verdi opera. rEpeats ul B. Good 9:00 Premiere NOVA: Sun 5TH, 12:30pM. Pa “Australia’s First 4 Billion 11:30 Charlie Rose rEpeats 10:00 Premiere Years: Strange Creatures” frI 3rd, 1:30pM. Dangerous Edge: A Life Bizarre fauna from the land of Graham Greene The down under. rEpeats EArly 5/03 EARLY FRIDAY am acclaimed writer was a frI 3rd, 2AM. 12:30 Tavis Smiley rEpeats manic-depressive, a doubt- 10:00 Premiere Secrets frI 3rd, 1pM. ing Catholic, and a British of the Dead: “Bugging 1:00 Nature SEE WEd 1st, 8pM. spy. rEpeats EArly Sat 4TH, Hitler’s Soldiers” See high- rEpeats Sat 4TH, 5pM And 2AM And EArly TuE 7TH, 4AM. light on page 3. rEpeats EArly Mon 6TH, 3AM. 11:00 Charlie Rose rEpeats EArly frI 3rd, 3AM And EArly 2:00 NOVA [r] Mon 6TH, 1:30pM. MS l Mon 6TH, 4AM. 3:00 Secrets of the Dead fI r 11:00 Charlie Rose rEpeats SEE WEd 1st, 10pM. rEpeats 5/04 EARLY SATURDAY am BE o THu 2nd, 1:30pM. EArly Mon 6TH, 4AM. 12:00 Tavis Smiley oCT © thirteen.org 3 12:30 One-on-One With Sun 5TH, 5:10AM. tuberculosis screening Steve Adubato 1:10 Reel 13 Classics SEE facilities to poplar. (ParT 6 1:00 Theater Talk Sat 4TH, 9pM. [r] of 8) rEpeats EArly TuE 7TH, 1:30 Film School Shorts 3:10 Reel 13 Indies SEE 2AM And EArly Sat 11TH, 4AM. 2:00 Dangerous Edge: A Sat 4TH, 11pM. rEpeats EArly 9:00 Premiere Life of Graham Greene [r] WEd 8TH, 1AM. [r] Masterpiece Classic: 3:00 Masterpiece Classic “Mr. Selfridge” Two 4:00 Call the Midwife [r] dead relatives show up at 5:00 The Bletchley Circle 5 s u n d ay a store séance prompted by Sherlock Holmes creator 6:00 Premiere Moyers & Arthur Conan doyle. (ParT 6 4 s aT u r d ay Company rE peats Sun 5TH, of 8) rEpeats EArly TuE 7TH, 11pM. 1AM And EArly Sat 11TH, 3AM. 6:00 Mike Colameco’s 10:00 Premiere The Real Food 7:00 Premiere Bletchley Circle 6:30 Lidia’s Italy in America Treasures of New York: planting false clues, 7:00 The This Old House Hour “American Museum of the killer leads Susan into 8:00 Keeping Up Natural History” Tom a trap. (ParT 3 of 3) rEpeats Appearances Brokaw hosts this film, EArly TuE 7TH, 3AM And 8:30 As Time Goes By which explores the mus- EArly Sat 11TH, 5AM. 9:00 Premiere Reel 13 eum’s history and recent 11:00 Moyers & Company Classics: “Planet of the renovations, including SEE Sun 5TH, 6pM. [r] Apes” (1968) An astronaut the north American Hall (Charlton Heston) time- of Mammals and the 5/06 EARLY MONDAY am travels to a future planet Teddy roosevelt Memo- 12:00 The Dust Bowl ruled by apes who keep rial.