For more than half-a-century, Mel Brooks has written, directed, and starred in some of the best comedies of all time. With movies that pushed boundaries, made light of stereotypes, and poked fun at just about everyone under the sun, the EGOT winner has been a constant source of entertainment as well as great stories that seem too good to be true.
With the elder statesman of American comedy being back in the limelight once again with the release of his star-studded Hulu original series, History of the World, Part II, now seems like a good a time as any to revisit not just some of Brooks’ best movies, but all of them, as well as where you can watch them. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s get this one started…
The Producers (1968)
When down-on-his-luck Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and his new accountant, Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), discover a loophole that will allow them to keep all the money raised for their new show if it’s a flop, the pair put together what could be the most egregious production of all time: “Springtime for Hitler.”
Since its release in 1967, Mel Brooks’ The Producers has gone on to become one of the funniest and most consequential musicals of all time, and has even been adapted multiple times, including a 2005 remake also directed by the comedy legend.
Rent The Producers (1967) on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Also try: The Producers (2005) on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Released in 1970, Mel Brooks’ adaptation of The Twelve Chairs follows Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody), a former aristocrat whose fortunes went out the window during the Bolshevik Revolution, as he teams up with local conman, Ostap Bender (Frank Langella) to find his mother-in-law’s missing jewels that have been sewed into one of 12 chairs. But, the unlikely pair isn’t alone in the search, as a corruptible priest named Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise) is also after the hidden treasure.
Buy The Twelve Chairs on DVD on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Mel Brooks’ all-time great parody movie, Blazing Saddles, pokes fun at anything and everything under the sun with its story about a railroad magnate (Harvey Korman) installing a black man (Cleavon Little) as sheriff of a small frontier town to cause chaos and make the community more easily destroyed for his new line. But, as the wild, wild story unfolds, getting the Johnsons of Rock Ridge to leave their homes, new sheriff, and his drunk gunman (Gene Wilder), is anything but an easy task.
Nearly 50 years later, Blazing Saddles is just as controversial as the day it was released.
Rent/buy Blazing Saddles on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
One of the best 20th Century Fox movies, Brooks’ 1974 horror comedy, Young Frankenstein, follows Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) as he discovers that he’s the heir to his grandfather’s estate, and everything that comes with it. Just like in Mary Shelly’s classic horror novel, this black-and-white romp sees the ambitious scientist bring the dead back to life, but this monster (Peter Boyle) is only keen for “puttin’ on the ritz.”
Stream Young Frankenstein on HBO Max. (opens in new tab)
Silent Movie (1976)
In 1976, Brooks went old school with his slapstick comedy, Silent Movie, which as the name implies, didn’t feature any dialogue. Don’t let the lack of his mastery of the spoken word dissuade you, though, for all his physical humor and incredibly crafted scenes are all here, and better than ever in the story about a once successful Hollywood director attempting to make a silent movie in 1970s Hollywood.
Buy Silent Movie on DVD on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
High Anxiety (1977)
Psychoanalysis and Alfred Hitchcock movies become the target of his unique brand of satirical comedy in the 1977 parody film, High Anxiety. Brooks stars as Dr. Richard Thorndyke, an overly neurotic psychiatrist who begins to experience a series of increasingly troublesome occurrences after a recent promotion. Diagnosed with “high anxiety,” the hapless doctor finds himself in all kinds of danger as he attempts to figure out what is actually happening to him.
Rent/buy High Anxiety on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
History Of The World, Part I (1981)
Spanning from the dawn of man to the French Revolution, his 1981 comedy classic, History of the World, Part I, recounts some of civilization’s biggest, brightest, and most ridiculous moments, including what came of the other five Commandments, a song and dance number for the Spanish Inquisition, and so much more.
Stream History of the World, Part I on Hulu. (opens in new tab)
Rent/Buy History of the World, Part I on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Spaceballs (1987)
What could very well be one of the best movies for each member of its cast, 1987’s Spaceballs saw Brooks do to Star Wars what he did to Westerns, horror films, and human history with this iconic space opera comedy. The movie follows space pilot Lone Star (Bill Pullman) and his human-dog hybrid companion, Barf (John Candy), as they attempt to save Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the clutches of Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis). And, seriously, can we finally get Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money?
Stream Spaceballs on AMC+.
Rent/Buy Spaceballs on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Life Stinks (1991)
Successful businessman Goddard Bolt (Brooks) takes his feud with rival Vance Crasswell (Jeffrey Tambor) to the next level when he makes a bet that he could survive on the streets of Los Angeles for one month with nothing more than the clothes on his back. In Life Stinks, the arrogant and ungracious Bolt quickly finds out that he is not as well-equipped for the pauper life as he once thought.
Stream Life Stinks on Tubi.
Rent/buy Life Stinks on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)
Even though it received poor reviews upon its initial release, his 1993 adventure parody comedy, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, has since become a cult classic with its story about Robin of Loxley (Cary Elwes) and his crusade to take back his family’s home from the clutches of Prince John (Richard Lewis). That may not be the biggest obstacle the returning nobleman will face, however, in his epic and hilarious journey.
Stream Robin Hood: Men in Tights on HBO Max. (opens in new tab)
Rent/buy Robin Hood: Men in Tights on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Dracula: Dead And Loving It (1995)
More than 20 years after poking fun at Frankenstein, Mel Brooks turned his attention to another horror icon in Dracula: Dead and Loving It. The movie follows Count Dracula (Leslie Nielsen) as he moves from his dreary castle and finds new life in Victorian Era London, where he also finds a new source of blood in the city’s hopping social scene. When the fiancé of one of his targets catches on, though, Dracula’s longtime nemesis, Van Helsing (Brooks) comes into the picture to settle things once and for all.
Stream Dracula: Dead and Loving It on Tubi.
Rent/buy Dracula: Dead and Loving It on Amazon. (opens in new tab)
Well, those are all of the movies either written or directed by Mel Brooks, as well as how to watch them. And while a lot of his acting roles were left off the list, maybe we’ll revisit the likes of The Little Rascals, Toy Story 4, the Hotel Transylvania movies, and countless others in the future.
