1974: Young Frankenstein debuts

Mel Brooks was on a roll 40 years ago. First Blazing Saddles spoofing Westerns (a dying genre then) followed by a spoof of the traditional Horror films, namely the old Universal films as they’re known by. I never got to see it until nine years later on NBC and it was edited down but I do remember my mother getting pissed off over a few dirty jokes passing muster with the network’s standards and practices. You can tell if a movie or comedian is truly funny when you strip out the “easy” comedy elements, namely F bombs.

Mental Floss posted a little trivia regarding the film’s background. A good chunk I already knew from the DVD’s extras. The one thing I do recall was my parents seeing Young Frankenstein in a theater, probably due to them ditching us at Grandma’s in the Spring to see Blazing Saddles back when vulgar comedies received R ratings. Mom said she was embarrassed to attend with friends. *sigh!* One thing I didn’t inherit from her thankfully is her lame sense of humor.

For me, Young Frankenstein still holds up in its jokes and I loved the first-casting album of its Broadway run, namely the Madeline Khan-inspired song “Please, Don’t Touch Me!”

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