Young Frankenstein - 1974

20th Century Fox, Venture Films, Crossbow Productions

Directed by Mel Brooks

Cast:

• Dr. Frederick Frankenstein – Gene Wilder
• The Monster – Peter Boyle
• Igor – Marty Feldman
• Inga – Teri Garr
• Frau Blücher - Cloris Leachman
• Elizabeth – Madeline Kahn
• Inspector Kemp – Kenneth Mars
• Blind Hermit – Gene Hackman

Story: A descendent of the Frankenstein legacy is alive and living in the U. S.. He is a skilled surgeon and a professor at a medical school, where he has distanced himself from the legacy of his grandfather, Viktor. During a lecture at his university, he is visited by a German accented old man who delivers his father's will to him. He travels to Transylvania, where he is greeted at the railroad station by the grandson of Igor, who has enlisted a young woman to serve as his laboratory assistant. They travel across the countryside to Castle Frankenstein, where they are greeted by the housekeeper, Frau Blücher. As he attempts to sleep, he is visited by the spirit of his grandfather, who convinces him to pursue the “family” business, and drawn by a strange series of events to the laboratory where the original monster was made. What follows next is the recreation of the monster, the anger of the townspeople who have had to put up with the Frankenstein family for five generations, and the final scene where the monster and maker are set back upon their paths.

Review: Mel Brooks is, in my humble opinion, nothing short of a genius when it comes to satire. In this film, he takes a shot at all the old black and white horror films of the 1940's and 1950's, using elements of Dracula (the Castle), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (imprisoned on the wheel), King Kong (the stage scene), and Frankenstein. Gene Wilder, who also co-wrote the Screen Story and Screenplay with Brooks, is the wild eyed, pseudo conservative scientist who is inexorably drawn into the world of his ancestors with little encouragement. Marty Feldman (God bless you, Marty) is priceless as Igor, the misshapen hunchback with a terrific sense of humor and a passion for the ladies. Teri Garr....hmm...one word...Wooof! Perfectly ditzy and blonde, her character adds the perfect setup lines for the dry and witty humor of Wilder and Feldman. The entire cast is fantastic, and the photography in black and white is a treat for anyone who appreciates the medium. The inclusion of the original Frankenstein laboratory equipment with the permission of Kenneth Strickfaden was a particularly nice touch. Now while there is sexual innuendo in the film, the tone is more Vaudeville than lewd, and I think most families could watch this with the kiddies in the room and not be offended. And if you are not aware, Young Frankenstein: The Musical, is currently touring the U. S. and is as entertaining as the original film. See it, love it, own it, and pass it down to your grandchildren as a priceless example of a bygone era where everything was fair game for satire.