Mel Brooks FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Outrageous Genius of Comedy

No director in Hollywood history has delivered a string of beloved comedies like Mel Brooks. Simultaneously breaking new ground while paying homage to the Borscht Belt comic routines of the past, his films are shamelessly silly, slyly subversive, and undeniably hilarious.

Mel Brooks FAQ pays tribute to the famous writer, director, and gagmaster not only through his filmography but through a marvelous in-depth biography of his life, up to and including his breakthrough role as a writer for Sid Caesar and his emergence as a viable directing talent.

But although that biographical section is entertaining, the true highlight of the book is the incredibly detailed breakdown of each film in chronological order. The travails of getting each film to the theater are chronicled, as well as casting choices and the many differences between the script and the final product on the silver screen. (They even throw in a Hitler-reference counter for each film. Nice touch.)

The Applause series likes to brag that each edition is “all that’s left to know” about a given subject. Well, in this case, they definitely deliver.