‘Young Frankenstein’ is 45 and Alive, Alive, Alive!

December 16, 2019

My name. It’s pronounced Fronk-en-steen. It’s pronounced Eye-gore. When you’re related to a famous cuckoo you tend to differentiate yourself from the reputation of which you’re trying to distance yourself. But if your name is Wilder, Boyle, Feldman, Kahn, or Leachman you might find yourself embracing the name. Well, perhaps not Kahn. You might take up residence on Ceti Alpha IV, and start a whole new life for yourself. And Brooks. Well, ask World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War author Max Brooks about that. He made a name for himself outside of the shadow of his father, bringing life to his own career. So, Frank-en-steen, forty-five years ago, you came to the conclusion that you should honor your grandfather. Victor Frankenstein brought life to arguably the most famous monster in history (let’s give Mary Shelley a little credit, too). And it took Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein to get him there. It’s alive, it’s alive! Forty five years later, it’s still alive!

This creature isn’t roaming around the Arctic trying to find solitude from merciless man. Cruel society at large has accepted Young Frankenstein as a brilliant comedy that should be seen by all. The first time I “saw” this movie was at a drive-in double feature after an apparently forgettable G-rated opener. It was released December 15th, but it wasn’t at the drive-in until probably the following summer. I would have been six years old at the time. Kids that age have less than zero appreciation for black and white movies. A year prior, I was still afraid of the Technicolor Wicked Witch of the West, and hadn’t yet learned to appreciate the Showa era Godzilla movies. When my parents said we were seeing a Frankenstein comedy, I didn’t fully understand how something scary could be funny to them. What I saw of the movie that night consisted of opening credits, some thunder, and a jump scare as Baron Von Frankenstein’s coffin opened to reveal the first corpse I’d ever seen. I missed, and probably wouldn’t have understood the humor of, Geirhart’s hands trying to remove the box containing Dr. Frankenstein’s will. I hid my face in a blanket in the back seat of the station wagon and wouldn’t open my eyes until I was a teenager.

One of my older brothers was a big Mel Brooks fan. He liked things like Monty Python, Benny Hill, and The Three Stooges. Some of those things rubbed off on me, but it’s hardly necessary to have an eclectic taste for absurd humor to enjoy Young Frankenstein. You don’t need to know how much of the sets included original props from Frankenstein (1931) or how more of the references come from Bride of Frankenstein (1935) to recognize the care in authenticity. As black and white films go, in the age of color, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) with Steve Martin was one of the few notable films that successfully made use of the outdated medium. Young Frankenstein is the most famous, and arguably the best.

Young Frankenstein and Mel Brooks, in general, have had such a wide influence on audiences, and this 1974 classic still stands strong as a staple to comedy fans, film buffs, and even horror fans. The unforgettable performances by Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, and newcomer to comedy, Gene Hackman gave birth to decades of inside jokes among fans. Who hasn’t quoted Marty Feldman when they have a back ache or Cloris Leachman when they see a horse? Who hasn’t commented on someone’s knockers when they come upon a door with particularly large ones? I’m hoping Nest and Ring don’t kill this joke. Who hasn’t gotten dressed for a special occasion and said, “Taffeta, darling,” like Madeline Kahn whether or not they were actually wearing it? It’s a voluntary nerve impulse to say, “roll, roll, roll in ze hay” like like Teri Garr whenever you lie down in the grass. And if you’ve ever been a smoker, unless you lit at least one cigarette like Kenneth Mars’ Inspector Kemp, you were never really a smoker.

Young Frankenstein isn’t available for streaming anywhere. So, get a DVD or Blu-ray right away if you don’t already own it. Sit back tonight with your favorite “Sedagive,” and remind your loved ones of what made you giggle like the rest of the world didn’t matter. If you’re a Hans Delbrück or an Abby Normal, Young Frankenstein will sooth the savage beast. Celebrate forty five years of perfection with us. Class is dismissed.