Young Frankenstein (1974)

Young Frankenstein
Directed by Mel Brooks
Written by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder based on characters in the novel by Mary Shelley
1974/USA
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/my DVD collection
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Igor, help me with the bags.
Igor: [Imitating Groucho Marx] Soitenly. You take the blonde, I’ll take the one in the toiben.

1974 was quite a year for movies and an unbelievable year for Mel Brooks.  This horror spoof is my favorite of his movies and the humor holds up beautifully.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder), grandson of the original Dr. Frankenstein, is a professor of neuroscience in America.  He denounces his famous ancestor.  However, he can’t resist an invitation to Transylvania to claim his inheritance.  He must part from Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn), his standoffish fiancee.

He is greeted by Igor (Marty Feldman), his hunchbacked assistant, and by Inga (Teri Garr) who looks most suitable for a more intimate kind of “assistance”.  Creepy housekeeper Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman), whose very name makes the horses whinny completes the household.  The townspeople are suspicious of Frederick’s intentions and put Inspector Kemp (Kenneth Mars) on the case.

Once in the castle, Frederick is lured to its famous laboratory and can’t help replicating his ancestor’s experiment.  It works remarkably well as the Monster (Peter Boyle) proves to be quite trainable.  With Gene Hackman as a blind hermit.

This movie is a laugh a minute, maybe more than that.  I prefer it to Blazing Saddles (1974) because the concept is kept so pure.  There is a real love and understanding of the old Universal monster movies here.  The jokes are hilarious but suitable to the theme.  I’ve always loved this movie and I probably always will.  Highly recommended.

Young Frankenstein was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material and Best Sound.