The comedy writer Mel Brooks called a “genius”
Many talents have graced the world of comedy, yet there are some whose acclaim and legendary status truly transcend generations. Mel Brooks, a towering titan in the comedic world with his uproarious parodies and iconic characters, is undoubtedly among them. With a decades-long career, Brooks has had a front-row seat to some of the best in cinematic comedy.
Having grown up in the 1940s and 1950s, Brooks saw comedy change, as well as cinema in general. By the time he was an adult, the ‘talkies’ dominated cinema – but as a child, he would have been watching silent films, which, as we know, boasted some of the most inventive and original comedies of all time.
The works of Charlie Chaplin and the Marx brothers proved that storytelling and making people laugh could be synonymous, and with the limitation of having no sound, they made every frame of the image count when it came to getting the audience to laugh. This undoubtedly forged Brooks’ own sensibilities, who went on to give us classics like 1967’s The Producers and Young Frankenstein in 1974.
There was another contemporary, however, that Brooks eventually admitted to be what he thought of as the bastion of comedy writing. Speaking to the Daily Beast, Brooks reminisced about Some Like It Hot, the 1959 classic that continues to captivate audiences. As an example of its genius, he drew attention to a particular scene towards the film’s end. “Jack Lemmon, when he says ‘I’m not a girl, I’m a guy,'” began Brooks, explaining the reveal in the finale, “He confesses, and Joe E. Brown says, ‘Nobody’s perfect.'”
In this hilarious punchline, Brown’s character chooses love over expectations, deciding, against all odds, that he’s still going to marry Lemmon’s character. It’s an absurdly funny moment, yet also genuinely quite sweet. With evident and understandable admiration, Brooks declared, “I think Billy Wilder is a genius and came up with the perfect brief comic ending.”
Wilder, who co-wrote and directed Some Like It Hot, had a career that was nothing short of remarkable. Hailing from Austria, his Hollywood journey was etched with challenges, especially as a Jewish filmmaker during the rise of Nazism. Yet, his 1930s move to Hollywood bore fruit in a filmography that showcased sheer brilliance in comedy, from the media’s ruthless portrayal in Ace in the Hole to the sharp corporate satire in The Apartment.
His ability to dabble with different genres also proved him to be an all-round master of his craft, delivering some of the best noir films like Double Indemnity and the sensation Sunset Boulevard. Nevertheless, his aptitude for comedy may well be his legacy, with the Marilyn Monroe vehicle Some Like It Hot standing proud as one of the ultimate classic comedies. As Brooks put it: “That’s really skilful comedy writing. That’s Billy Wilder.”
