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All About Me! summary

Name: All About Me!
Rating: 4.1 (16 reviews)
Author: Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks

My Remarkable Life in Show Business

4.1 (16 ratings)

19 mins

Topics

Lifestyle & Pop Culture Success Autobiographies

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All About Me!
Summary of 9 key ideas

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What’s in it for me? Get an inside look at Mel Brooks’s journey to becoming the beloved entertainment figure he is today.

It’s 1981. You take a seat inside the theater and see the words HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART I appear on the bright screen in front of you. Then, as Mel Brooks’s name fills the frame, you lean back and dig into your popcorn, knowing that the movie will be worth every penny.

And you’re absolutely right. The entire time, you’re on the floor howling in laughter. The script is hilarious, and Mel playing five of the main characters takes it to a whole other level.

That is just how good Mel Brooks is.

In this Blink to Mel Brooks’s All About Me! we’ll dive into the life of an iconic comedian and discover how he paved his own path to becoming the celebrated writer, actor, director, and producer we know today.

Brooklyn, the military, and comedy

Big dreams start in New York – and in Mel Brooks's case, big dreamers are born there too.

Born in 1926 and raised on the fifth floor of a tenement in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Mel had a tough time fitting in with the other kids on his street. For starters, he was a whole lot smaller than his peers, which made it challenging to form friendships. Luckily for Mel, he had a secret weapon up his sleeve: comedy. He realized it was the one thing that kept him in the company of the big kids. So whenever he saw the opportunity to get a laugh, he went for it – no matter the cost.

As Mel continued to refine his comedic chops, he also developed a love for show business. He spent every chance he had visiting nearby theaters. Every time he stepped foot inside, he found himself awestruck by the magic unfolding on the big screen.

However, it wasn’t until his Uncle Lee took him to a Broadway musical that Mel really began dreaming of getting into the entertainment industry. When he saw Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, he knew right then and there that show business was his calling. He was going to make his mark on the industry – and nothing could stand in his way.

The Butler Lodge in the Borscht Belt was Mel’s first stop on the road to fame and fortune as a comic. There, he was hired as a pool tummler to entertain the guests … and entertain them he did. He quickly became a star performer; the audience couldn't get enough of him. As he continued to perfect his skills in the Borscht Belt, no one doubted that Mel was well on his way to stardom.

But unfortunately, the world stage would have to wait. In 1944, Mel joined the Army to fight against Nazi Germany. His comedic genius wasn’t needed on the battlefield – but thankfully, when VE Day came, he was given the chance to join the Special Services and perform as a comic in front of his fellow servicemen. He was able to practice his craft again until he was discharged in 1946. Finally, he was ready to take the world by storm.

Sid Caesar and becoming a comedy writer

Making it in show business doesn't just take talent – it pays to know someone in the industry, too. And for Mel Brooks, his golden ticket happened to be fellow comedian Sid Caesar.

The duo’s fateful meeting was thanks to director Don Appell, who previously helped Mel get into Butler Lodge. Don invited him to watch one of Sid’s shows, and the moment Mel met the legendary comedian backstage, there was instant chemistry. They had the same take on humor and hit it off so well that Sid even asked Mel to join him backstage at his next gig. This was where Mel's comedic talent was truly put to the test.

Friends helping friends

With all the glitz and glamor that come with a career in the entertainment industry, it's easy to think it's the best job in the world. Unfortunately, making a living in the arts is not all champagne and caviar. It's a tough business, where the money doesn't always necessarily come pouring in.

With Sid Caesar’s TV career beginning to flop, Mel was faced with the difficult task of finding where his next meal would come from. And then along came Carl Reiner, Sid’s co-actor in Your Show of Shows, who Mel saw as a role model. Together, the two of them recorded an ad-libbed comedy sketch called The 2000 Year Old Man. Mel portrayed an all-knowing 2000-year-old man, while Carl played the part of an interviewer, asking him comical questions that he never answered the same way twice. The skit immediately caught on, and the pair found themselves guesting on several TV variety shows.

How Get Smart relaunched Mel Brooks’s career

When life seems to be going down the wrong path, sometimes a lucky break is all you need to turn things around.

That lucky break for Mel Brooks came in the form of a call from Danny Melnick of the production company Talent Associates. Secret agent–themed shows were a hit that year, and the company approached Mel about penning one for them. Determined to find a way to marry Anne, Mel decided to take the job and got the brilliant Buck Henry to cowrite the show with him.

A directorial debut

Life has a funny way of taking you down roads you never expected to travel. Sometimes, it works out for the best – but even though a certain path may give you the world, the pull to pursue what you really wanted in the first place will always be there.

That was exactly what Mel Brooks felt when he finished working on Get Smart. He had always wanted to write a Broadway play, but he found himself writing TV shows instead. So when Get Smart was finally out of his hands, he began working on Springtime for Hitler – a Broadway play about two producers putting on the worst Broadway play ever to scam people out of their money.

A string of successful comedy movies

All it takes is one good thing to happen to set off a domino effect of positive events. One success leads to another, and before you know it, you're on a roll.

Mel directed The Twelve Chairs next. And then came Blazing Saddles. Unlike The Producers, Blazing Saddles wasn’t his original idea – Andrew Bergman had written the screenplay. But David Begelman of the Creative Management Associates wanted Mel to refine it. David believed it would be a commercial hit under Mel’s skillful direction, so with Andrew and a slew of other writers, Mel began tearing apart the screenplay and building it back up. As it turned out, David was right. Blazing Saddles was so successful that it ran until early September instead of the anticipated June or July.

Mel Brooks and Brooksfilms

Your greatest strength can be your great weakness. It has the power to propel you to new heights – but also to bring you to your knees.

That’s what comedy was to Mel Brooks. It made him an award-winning director, but it also limited his filmmaking capabilities. In fact, he had such a well-established track record as a comic director that whenever his name appeared in the theaters, audiences always expected a comedy. This stood in his way of making moving and emotional films.

The Producers goes to Broadway

When Mel Brooks developed The Producers, he initially wanted it to become a Broadway play – but it turned into a movie that launched his directorial career instead. Little did Mel know that The Producers would eventually make it to Broadway.

It was all because of David Geffen, producer of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. He had high hopes for The Producers, and with his enthusiasm for the play, Mel finally agreed to take the movie to Broadway.

Final summary

Mel Brooks is proof that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. With enough willpower and effort, he transformed himself from a scrawny kid on the streets of Brooklyn into an influential actor, writer, director, and producer for TV, Hollywood, and Broadway. While he did have bumps along the way, his passion for show business and love for comedy radiated in every production – inspiring many new comedians and entertainers to continue pursuing their dreams.

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What is All About Me! about?

All About Me! (2021) recounts the show business career of iconic comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks. It’s infused with entertaining tales about his life behind the scenes, from his days as a young Broadway fan to his successful stint as an actor, director, and producer.

Who should read All About Me!?

Anyone who wants to know more about Mel Brook’s career in show business
Aspiring comedians and entertainers
Show business and comedy enthusiasts

About the Author

Mel Brooks is a World War II veteran-turned-comedian. He is popularly known for multiple comedy hit films, including The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein. With his invaluable contribution to the entertainment industry, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2016.

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