Classic 70s Movie: “Young Frankenstein”

September is Classic 70s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Barbara Thomas.

Movie Title: Young Frankenstein

Year: 1974

Writers: Gene Wilder & Mel Brooks, based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Lead Actors: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Teri Garr, Chloris Leachman, Gene Hackman

Director: Mel Brooks

IMDB plot summary: A young neurosurgeon (Gene Wilder) inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback called Igor, a pretty lab assistant named Inga and the old housekeeper, Frau Blucher (neigh!). Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather is only crap, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind…

Why I think This is a Classic 70’s Movie: Parody films have been around as long as films have been around, but in the seventies, they became a legitimate (and profitable) genre. The best parodies don’t just spoof a particular style or genre, they stand on their own as funny, engaging stories. And that’s what we have here. Young Frankenstein parodies Universal’s old Frankenstein films not just in plot and tone, but by using period props, music, credit sequences, scene transitions, and its shot in black and white. But you can show it to a teenager today — who has no idea what it’s supposed to be parodying — and they will still laugh.

This film has humor, heart, stellar cast at their peak, co-writers Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks bringing out the best in each other, and even a snazzy song and dance number!

A clip from a feature on the making of Young Frankenstein:

My Favorite Moment in the Movie: I first saw this film as a child, via what I’m pretty sure was pirated HBO. I can still remember lying on the floor (because in those days televisions were giant pieces of furniture that sat on the floor) and watching Inga and Frederick find the secret entrance to Dr. Frankenstein’s lab. “Put. The. Candle. Back.”

As an adult, my favorite scene is the Creature’s and Elizabeth’s honeymoon, especially Madeline Khan’s throwaway line about the hamper for poo-poo undies.

My Favorite Dialogue in the Movie:

Inga: Werewolf!
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Werewolf?
Igor: There.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: What?
Igor: There, wolf. There, castle.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Why are you talking that way?
Igor: I thought you wanted to.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: No, I don’t want to.
Igor: [shrugs] Suit yourself. I’m easy.

Key Things You Should Look For In the Movie: The many ad-libbed moments: Igor’s constantly moving hump, Frederick Frankenstein’s tossed dart hitting an off screen cat, the Monster’s strangled chorus of “Puttin on the Ritz” and the Blind Man’s punchline “I was gonna make espresso”, Frau Blucher’s “Ovaltine?”

Thanks, Barbara! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

You may visits Barbara’s blog featuring some of her short films here.

We already have a set of 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 70s Movies.

Thanks to all of you for your participation in this project, creating a resource for writers, movies we should all watch to help learn the craft of screenwriting!

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