A Mel Brooks Appreciation!

This Fresh Air episode celebrates Mel Brooks with a review of the HBO documentary "Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man" and revisits two interviews with Terry Gross. The documentary, co-directed by Judd Apatow, features comedy luminaries reflecting on Brooks's impact. Bianculli highlights Brooks's seriousness behind the comedy, noting touching moments involving Carl Reiner's death. Gross's interviews explore Brooks's career, from his Broadway aspirations and "Springtime for Hitler" to producing serious films like "The Elephant Man." Brooks discusses his comedic approach, using bad taste to unearth truth, and recounts experiences with anti-Semitism in the army. He emphasizes the importance of ridiculing despots like Hitler to diminish their legacy, advocating for pushing comedic boundaries.