In December of 1974, comedy fans were treated to the latest parody by Mel Brooks. It was a farce poking fun at possibly the most classic horror story in English literature, the book that jump-started the science-fiction genre and made Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley a household name: Frankenstein.
Brooks first saw James Whale’s Frankenstein when he was just five years old, and he found it to be a fairly traumatic experience, haunting him for years to come. It turned out that Gene Wilder, Brooks’ friend and collaborator, had a similar experience. So when Wilder approached Brooks about a possible project parodying the horror classic, the men got started on what Mel Brooks would consider their biggest triumph together.
Wilder had already named the film Young Frankenstein, taking title inspiration from the 1940 film, Young Tom Edison which he saw as a child. He created an outline based on what he thought would happen if he were the great-grandson of Victor Frankenstein. He had several pages written before Mel Brooks got involved, and together they created one of the most beloved comedies of all time.
So, grab your lab coat and let’s all head down to Dr. Frankenstein’s (it’s pronounced FRONK-EN-STEEN) laboratory, where we’ll learn the electrifying history of Young Frankenstein.