I’m a Mel Brooks fan and have been since I saw his first movie “The Producers”. My wife and I laughed so much and so hard that we returned to watch the movie six more times. I then purchased the movie when it was released on VHS and then again when it was released on DVD. We watch the movie as the mood strikes. All of Mel’s works on DVD are in our home and we’ve even had our friends join us for a Mel Brooks marathon. As far as I’m concerned, I think the man is a genius at creating and expressing comedy. At his worst he’s better than most at their best, so, don’t think that I am opinionated when it comes to Mel Brooks.

When I heard that James Robert Parish had written “The serious funny life of Mel Brooks, It’s good to be the king”, published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. I immediately went to amazon.com and purchased it for $17.13 (such a bargain). Nu, so, if you pull my finger I will give you my unbiased review of this book.

Parish is an excellent biographer; he pays attention to small details and is clear and concise in his writing. You can see he also has an admiration for Brooks. It’s an easy read and once I picked up the book, I could not put it down. I even went to bed reading the book under bed covers with a flashlight. My wife yelled, “Mushugana, put the book down and go to sleep.”

It’s nice to read how Melvin Kaminsky, a shtickmeister in his youth, develops and grows into Mel Brooks, the passionate, perfectionist of movies and Broadway shows. He is serious about being funny. His roots of humor began as shtickmeister on a street corner in Brooklyn, a borsht belt bus boy and comedian, to a writer on the Sid Caesar show and ultimately to an actor, director, composer, and writer of movies and Broadway musicals. His passion compels him to compulsively excel at his craft. He leaves nothing to chance and controls every phase of the production.

Mel is a man who crosses barriers that others would not. Political correctness is not part of Brooks’ make up and he tells it like he sees it. Parrish talks about Sid Caesar, Gene Wilder, Madeleine Kahn, Dom Deluise, Marty Feldman, Howard Morris and others that have become intertwined with Mel’s characters. He explores his relationship with the talented and beautiful Anne Bancroft.

Parish talks about the respect that he gives to Hitchcock and Lucas before making High Anxiety and Spaceballs. In the Jewish tradition Mel Brooks sees humor in unusual and sometimes horrific situations. Does anyone remember “Springtime for Hitler”?

So I say, go for the buck and buy the book or ask your local librarian to add it to the collection, or have your children or grandchildren give it to you for Chanukah. It’s the most enjoyable book I’ve read about Mel Brooks and I highly recommend it.

Have a wonderful 4th of July.

Mel, the fat guy.