Gene Wilder: 1933-2016

by Julian Spivey
Gene Wilder might not have been the funniest man to ever live, but you could argue he was key to the funniest movies that have ever been made.
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If you were to ask me what the greatest comedy film ever made was on any given day, I’d probably either say “Young Frankenstein” or “Blazing Saddles.” The truly fascinating thing about those two movies is they both came out in the same year, 1974, and both were collaborations between Wilder and writer/director Mel Brooks.

Another unique thing about the two movies is that they wouldn’t have been made without the other. Wilder had this terrific idea to parody the “Frankenstein” movies of the 1930s and wanted to collaborate with Brooks on it. Brooks said he would make Wilder’s film if Wilder helped him out on a little project of his own that was a parody of the Western genre. The deal was made and it left us with what I believe are the two funniest movies ever made.

Wilder and Brooks are separately funny, but together they made the greatest comedy duo in film history. I think this was because Brooks’ wit and general wackiness melded perfectly and got the best out of Wilder’s neurosis. It also helps that Wilder just had a comical look about him with his wildly frizzy hair and those mischievous blue eyes that almost made him magical, which really helped him in his role as Willy Wonka – a film I definitely need another viewing of as I haven’t yet seen it as an adult. Another comedy duo I need to check out is Wilder and Richard Pryor, who many would consider the funniest man to ever live. My Wilder appreciation is largely his terrific trio of films with Brooks that also includes “The Producers,” their first collaboration in 1967.

It’s always hard to find the right words when someone who made you laugh so much dies. A person who supplies you with that much joy feels like someone who should live on forever and thankfully will in their work. So the best way I know how to pay tribute to Gene Wilder is by sharing some of his finest work and in doing so pass the laughs along to others:

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