Young Frankenstein (1974)

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Directed by Mel Brooks.

Starring Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Gene Wilder.

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Lending his burlesque touch to 1970s genre revision, Mel Brooks followed his hit "western" Blazing Saddles with this parody of 1930s Universal horror movies. Determined to live down his family's reputation, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (co-screenwriter Gene Wilder) insists on pronouncing his name "Fronckensteen" and denies interest in replicating his grandfather's experiments. But when he is lured by Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman) to discover the tantalizingly titled journal "How I Did It" in his grandfather's castle, he cannot resist. With the help of voluptuous Inga (Teri Garr), wall-eyed assistant Igor (Marty Feldman), and a purloined brain, Frankenstein creates his monster (Peter Boyle). Igor, however, stole the wrong brain, and the monster tears off into the countryside, encountering a little girl and a blind hermit (Gene Hackman). Frankenstein finds the monster and trains him to do a little "Puttin' On the Ritz" soft-shoe, but the monster escapes again, this time seducing Frankenstein's uptight fiancée Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn) with his, ahem, sweet mystery. His love life and experiment in shambles, Frankenstein finally finds a way to create the being he had planned. Shooting in gleaming black-and-white, with sets and props from the 1930s and appropriate fright music by John Morris, Brooks' cheeky attitude towards the Hollywood past attracted a large audience, turning it into one of the most popular 1974 releases after (what else?) Blazing Saddles. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Weekly Theme for July 14: Th ...
by unclefestering in Weekly Theme

loved it.

"If you're talking angry mobs we've got to add the mob that traps Frankenstein's monster in the castle and burns it down with him inside. They had actual torches and pitchforks. And the best take off of that is, of course, Young Frankenstein when the mob uses Kenneth Mars as their battering ram. "A riot is an ungly thing... undt, I tink, that it is chust about time ve had vun." " [More]

Mel Brooks Closes Film Producti ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"It’s a sad day for Mel Brooks fans. With us still mourning yesterday’s passing of Harvey Korman, who appears in a number of Brooks’ films, today Page Six reports that the Spaceballs director is “quietly shuttering” his film production company, Brooksfilms. In addition to Brooks’ directorial works from A History of the World: Part 1 through Dracula: Dead and Loving It, the company also made such films as The Elephant Man, 84 Charing Cross Road, My Favorite Year and one of my childhood favorites, the underrated guilty pleasure Solarbabies. I first caught wind of the news from Stu over at Defamer, and seeing as how his post features a montage of Brooksfilm clips that excludes Solarbabies (for which he apologizes), I present you with a clip from the film here. Isn’t it great to know that breakdance and beatboxing is still cool in the waterless post-apocalyptic future? Another thing that would be cool in the future: a Broadway adaptation of Solarbabies. Hopefully Brooks will forget abou ... " [More]

Is parody on life support?
by usesoap in usesoap Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Cinematic parody as it once was is dead. And after much searching and researching, I have found the murderer of this under-appreciated sub-genre of filmmaking. It’s Waldo. Oh sure, the bespectacled, striped-ski-cap-sporting little geek likes to appear anonymous, but I am positive he is to blame for the current slate of “Movie” movies: “Epic Movie,” ”Date Movie” and, most recently, “Superhero Movie.” If he’s not guilty, ask yourself this, why is he always hiding? You see, it is my assertion that the latest generation of filmgoers was weaned on Waldo in their youths. At an early age, they were trained to snoop and search page after page for the skinny little dweeb, and they approach these films much the same way. “Hey, there’s Borat!” “Oh, that’s a reference to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’” They do not concern themselves with narrative, character development, plot, rationalit ... " [More]

Halloween: The Obligatory Post
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Let’s talk about my insatiable appetite for pre-postmodern horror. I don’t care about sorority girls getting slaughtered because they ran the wrong way up the stairs; I basically don’t care about anything that’s not in black and white. I like stuff that takes place in creepy laboratories, where some desperate soul is trying to violate the natural boundaries between life and death. The Universal monster movies of the 30s, the Val Lewton stuff of the 40s, the nuclear panic stuff of the late 50s/early 60s. So it’s a given that my favorite part about the weeks leading up to Halloween is that Turner Classic Movies floods their schedule with ancient, half-forgotten horror films. Halloween itself is kind of a letdown, because it means the well of stuff I love is about to dry up. But as usual, YouTube makes it all better. As a child of the 80s, I think I always had some awareness of of the Boris Karloff films, particularly Bride of Frankenstein, but it was filtered through Young Frankens ... " [More]

Re: How About your Favorite FUN ...
by Dr_Gor in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"Good list, Rizzo. I have yet to see "American Psycho" and "Crimewave" but I thoroughly enjoyed all of the others you mentioned. "Ravenous" was great! (didn't that star the guy from "The Full Monty" ?) That reminded me of a similarly themed movie called "Cannibal: The Musical" (appearantly not listed on SPOUT) although, this is not really a "horror/comedy" but more of a straight comedy.... much like my other favorite (and I cannot believe no one has mentioned this yet) "Young Frankenstein" ! Along these lines, I also enjoyed "Love At First Bite" (!) starring George Hamilton as the most TAN Dracula in screen history! ... favorite line : "I dont drink... wine. And I don't smoke... shit." I also enjoyed the "Return Of The Living Dead" movies (1,2 &3)... " [More]

Re: Top 5 black and white movie ...
by Windbreaker in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"Curse this 1970 cutoff!!! Were there really that many above-average B&W flicks make after 65? Can I be a smartass and include half of Memento?1. The Man Who Wasn't There2. Ed Wood3. Following4. Young Frankenstein5. [...brain fart...] " [More]

Young Frankenstein
by MovieBabe in MovieBabe Blog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Gigolo Joe isn't the silver screen's first near-human manufactured with a special talent for pleasing the ladies. Back in 1974, Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein unleashed his creation unto the world: All grunts and soft-shoe grace, this brute of monster proportions was bred with the ability to literally make his women sing. (As far as his own vocal chops—all I have to say is that "Puttin' on the Ritz" will never sound the same to me again.) Starring Gene Wilder as the ambitious doc, Marty Feldman as his randomly hump-backed assistant, and Teri Garr and Madeline Kahn as the kooky objects of desire, this classic reminds us that when it comes to comedy, sometimes simple is best ("Werewolf?" "There. There wolf!"). Come see the monster with the enormous schwanzstucker when Young Frankenstein screens at dusk at the District of Columbia Jewish Community Center. " [More]

Top 5 black and white movies ma ...
by Risselada in Top 5

loved it.

"What are your favorite black and white films made after a time when color had become the norm? Since I'm not sure exactly when that was (that could be an interesting thing to discuss here as well), I'm going to say 1970. I can actually think of a lot more than 5, so I'm going to say more than that, but I think that's fair and allowable. 1. I'm clumping all of Jim Jarmusch's B&W films together, which is nearly half of them I think: Stranger Than Paradise, Down by Law, Dead Man, Coffee and Cigarettes. 2. The Man Who Wasn't There. The Coen brothers' tribute to film noir. 3. The Elephant Man. My favorite Lynch film (even though I've only seen three). 4. Ed Wood. It HAD to be in B&W. 5. OK, I can't pick 5, so these all tie for 5th. Clerks, Pi, Young Frankenstein, Raging Bull, Following, Good Night, and Good Luck. Ok, I have a few more I'd like to mention, but I'll hold off for some discussion. There are several that I'm expecting a lot of people to list. " [More]

Love, heartache, yearning, whil ...
by ingrid in ingrid Blog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Come on. Best movie. Ever? Wondering how different our society would be if it weren't filled with references to this film. Wondering if I'd be the same person if I hadn't seen it? Wondering if my husband will ever see more than Teri Garr's cleavage when he watches it. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

Few movies have offered up such satisfying parody and un-self-conscious wit as this Mel Brooks spoof, and all with the scatological flair that only Brooks can provide. When he's in top form, Brooks can make audiences feel as if they're simultaneously going to burst into tears, bust a gut, and pee in their pants with laughter. The great thing about Young Frankenstein, aside from this ability to make people lose all motor functions, is the reverence it pays to the films it parodies. Silly but always respectful, Brooks wants to honor the old Frankenstein films rather than skewer them, and as a result he serves up a film that is a cinematic achievement rather than a half-baked knock-off of better efforts. One of the funniest films of the 1970s, Young Frankenstein has lost none of its hilarity to the passing of time, serving as a reminder of how innovative parody can be. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Tags: madscientist , frankenstein , satire , MelBrooks , spoof
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