"Mel Brooks: Make a Noise" - American Masters (2013)

Once you have been exposed to the comedy of Mel Brooks you’re hooked for life. This is the guy who wrote for the landmark TV show “Your Show of Shows” starring Sid Caesar. Writing alongside such luminaries as Carl Reiner, and Woody Allen, this is the man who gave us the character of the “2,000 Year Old Man”, and then went on to be co-creator of the TV series “Get Smart”. That’s right, he invented the “shoe phone”, and the “cone of silence.” As far as the shoe phone goes, he was way ahead of his time.

Drawing on interviews with Mr. Brooks himself, as well as those who have worked with him for decades, the film provides a look inside the mind of someone who is arguably one of the funniest and most creative men of his time. Gene Wilder is effusive in his praise of Mr. Brooks, who really gave his career a boost as the foil to Zero Mostel in 1968”s “The Producer’s”, which has since gone on to become a legendary Broadway Show, a feat all in itself.

His marriage to Anne Bancroft is explored by both Mel and Anne, with predictably comic results. She claims, at one point, that he pursued her relentlessly, while at other times she admits to having fallen for him in an instant. And he has his own side of the story to tell, describing himself as a poor Jewish writer, struggling to make it, and smitten with the best actress on Broadway; Ms. Bancroft was fresh from her run in ‘A Miracle Worker” and seemed to be light years ahead of Mr. Brooks, and thus unattainable.

He was struck with the “bug” at age eight when he saw Ethel Merman on Broadway and knew exactly what he wanted to do in life. There was never a doubt in his mind about where he was headed. His time on “Your Show of Shows” is remarkably re-created in the film “My Favorite Year” with Peter O’Toole.

From “History of the World” to “Spaceballs”, which grew out of the little vignette at the end og the “History of the World” film (remember “Jews In Space” at the end?) Mr. Brooks has given us some incredible characters over the course of his 60 years in the business. And in this film, he recalls them all fondly. A must see for fans of Mel Brooks.

PS: I just saw that today is Mr. Brooks 87th birthday. Proof positive that laughter keeps you young at heart. Happy Birthday Mel Brooks!

"My Lucky Life.....A Memoir" by Dick Van Dyke

A truly engaging and quickly read account of the life of one of America's most talented performers, penned by the great man himself, this a very rewarding read. As you read the book, it seems as if the cadence and nuance of Mr. Van Dyke himself, leaps from the pages. It is almost as good as listening to it on tape would be, if he were reading it himself. This is not an easy thing to do, but, like everything else Mr. Van Dyke has undertaken in his 60 years in show business, he does it with great style and charm. His stories of how one event lead to another, and eventually into show busines, are a tribute to "luck" and timing, as the author clearly acknowledges.

He traces his rise in show business from his earliest days in stock theater and radio, to his pioneering days in TV. Few recognize that his was the first Jay Leno, Johnny Carson, or Jack Paar type show on the air. He has done it all, and continues to perform today.

The author also recounts his roots in TV, as a novice among a group of the most talented TV writers to ever come down the road. He was championed by Carl Reiner, of Sid Caeser's "Show of Shows", along with Sheldon Leonard, to star in a new TV sitcom, which, though it had no name at the beginning, became the "Dick Van Dyke Show." He had just conqured Broadway with his lead role in "Bye Bye Birdie."

His relationships with his TV co-stars, as well as his movie years, including with Julie Andrews in "Mary Poppins", are a real treat for the reader. Mr. Van Dyke's surprise at the scope of his life is candidly refreshing in this unabashed look at what he freely refers to as his "Lucky Life." Well, it was lucky for all of us, too. A very fine read.