Fresh Air A Mel Brooks Appreciation!
25 snips
Jan 23, 2026 
Mel Brooks, EGOT-winning comedian and filmmaker known for razor-sharp satire and big musical numbers. Justin Chang, film critic at The New Yorker, gives a review segment. They discuss Brooks’s origins, bold boundary-pushing comedy, the creation of Springtime for Hitler and The Producers, his love of lavish production, and a fresh take on the German film Sound of Falling.
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Brooks As A Multigenerational Force
- Mel Brooks is an EGOT whose career spans radio, records, TV, film, and Broadway with enduring influence across generations.
- The HBO documentary frames his comedic range alongside serious themes like friendship, loss, and creative persistence.
Convincing Sid Caesar — Then Losing Him
- Mel Brooks recounts persuading Sid Caesar to leave TV for movies and then losing him when Caesar accepted a huge raise to stay on television.
- The story shows Brooks's early ambition to write films and his frustration with television's fleeting nature.
Creating 'Springtime for Hitler' As Provocation
- Brooks describes creating lavish, tasteless production numbers like 'Springtime for Hitler' and admits they're intentionally in bad taste to provoke and illuminate.
- He also reveals he wrote the music and that audiences often enjoy the melody without knowing its satire.
