For a guy who just turned 90 years old, Mel Brooks has been awfully productive of late. In the last few years, he’s lent his voice to animated characters, continues to perform live, and now, according to A.V. Club, the 2000 Year-Old Man has a new project on the way: the full story of the making of Young Frankenstein.
Young Frankenstein: A Mel Brooks Book, co-written with Rebecca Keegan, will give “the definitive behind-the-scenes story” of the production of one Brooks’ most popular films. The book (available for pre-order here) will feature a forward from Judd Apatow, contributions from the film’s director of photography Gerald Hirschfield, and producer Michael Gruskoff, and an interview with Cloris Leachman, who played Frau Blucher.
For fans of Abby Normal and Schwanzstücke transplants, it’ll be a wonderful chance to get an inside look at the 1974 classic, a movie that Mel Brooks has said is perhaps the best film he’s ever made. Though I’d personally slot Young Frankenstein in around No. 4 (1. Blazing Saddles, 2. Spaceballs, 3.The Producers), a chance to see the inner workings of the voodoo that Brooks does so well is an exciting one. And if you’re on the fence about buying the book, I ask: Would you do it for Randolph Scott? (The answer, of course, is yes.)
There’s even a spot for it on the shelf, right next to that Spaceballs flamethrower of yours.
Related: A Conversation With Mel Brooks
Jesse Bernstein is a former Intern at Tablet.
