Bonus! Comparing Young Frankenstein vs Old Frankenstein

I saw a revival screening of 'Young Frankenstein' recently and the film was preceded one of my favourite shorts 'The Critic' which has Mel Brooks provide the voiceover as an confused elderly theatre patron trying to make sense of abstract animation. It couldn't be a more perfect match for a film in which Mel is also heard but not seen!

Showing my age, I remember when they re-released "Young Frankenstein" in theaters when I was a teenager. And there was an actual radio ad for the movie narrated by Mel Brooks. At one point in the ad, he says, "And this is what the crickets had to say about the movie!", followed by the chirping of crickets. The joke being that he meant "critics". Never failed to make me laugh.

If you're going to be doing Wizard of Oz stuff, have you seen the Muppets version? There's a chance you might not have, as it was a TV special not a "proper" film, and wasn't even on Disney Plus last time I checked. Anyway, if you haven't, you might want to check it out as part of your research for the next video, as it has a couple of very nice queer moments in it: firstly, when they reach the Emerald City and are challenged to identify themselves, Cowardly Lion/Fozzie Bear says "We're friends of Dorothy!" And second, there's a bit towards the end where Beaker and Bunsen Honeydew nestle affectionately against each other while listening to a tender love song. I think it's the most obviously romantic I've ever seen them get with each other! Their love does seem to express itself in oddly violent ways most of the time...

*Minor spoiler for the new del Toro Frankenstein ahead* One thing that seriously did not work for me in the newest Frankenstein film released this year, was the romantic tension between Elizabeth and the monster. It just seemed liked such an unearned narrative choice, while also feeling strangely derivative. It didn't hit me why it was derivative, until I saw you highlight that gag from Madeline Kahn. It reminded me of what I think was the funniest gag in that whole movie, which is when she, playing Young Frankenstein's version of Elizabeth, hooks up with the monster. I think I was a teenager the last time I saw Young Frankenstein, and I remember not thinking too much of it (I was a much bigger fan of Leslie Nielsen's naked gun movies as opposed to the Mel Brooks spoofs - with the notable exception of Spaceballs), but I do remember that gag, and laughing my ass off of it. Speaking of the late, great Madeline Kahn, in May, 1976 she hosted SNL where she did a parody of Frankenstein, playing the Bride and performs rendition of "I feel pretty" that brought the house down. What an enormous talent she was. Whether as the first (and only?) person ever to be nominated for an oscar for a parody film (1976 for Blazing Saddles), her iconic role in Clue, her magnificent voice, or her decades of stage work, she truly was a talent for the ages.

Eww, did I hear you say that Transylvania doesn't exist? It does, it's a region in Romania.

I absolutely ADORE Young Frankenstein, and hope I can catch your Twitch watch through! My husband and I love it so much, we like it better than the original <3

Young Frankenstein I find very similar to son of Frankenstein they even have a character named Igor and a one armed officer

I think Mel Brooks also does the voiceover for Victor Frankenstein that we hear when Gene Wilder first enters the laboratory.

One of my top 5 movies of all time. I even have a saved recording of a Pop-Up Video type version with tons of trivia about it!

I ADORE Young Frankenstein. I saw a rerelease of it as a young boy, not realaizing it was a parody and not one of the 1930's Frankenstein movies until it started. A few year ago I watched all the original Frankenstein films on DVD and was amazed by how much of Young Frankenstein was actually from The Bride of Frankenstein, not the original film. Keep up the amazing work, my friend. I always look forward to your videos on YouTube and your bonus videos on Patreon.

Frau Blücher!