Posted in: HBO, Movies, TV | Tagged: Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man Documentary Chronicles Comedy Legend

HBO's Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man chronicles the life of the legendary filmmaker, courtesy of Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio.

As most of Mel Brooks contemporaries have either passed, happily retired, or occasionally make the rounds, making guest appearances in our favorite films and shows, the 99-year-old actor, comedian, filmmaker, and writer is still going on strong as his past works like History of the World, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Spaceballs have in some form been revisited as a TV series or film. A story as big as Brooks can't merely be told on a single night, thanks to filmmakers Judd Apatow (The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling) and Michael Bonfiglio (George Carlin's American Dream), both of whom won Emmys for their respective HBO documentaries that chronicled both late comedians' lives, in the two-part Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man Celebrates the Career of the Filmmaker and Comedian

HBO's Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man explores the life, career, friendships, and loves of legendary writer, director, producer, and performer, Mel Brooks. One of Hollywood's most daring satirists from the early years of television sketch comedy through his film and stage hits, Brooks has held a funhouse mirror up to the human condition and used laughter as a path to resilience, connection, and joy for nearly a century. Anchored by Apatow's candid conversations with Brooks and rare archival footage of his performances and television appearances over decades, the two-part film chronicles his early sketches, landmark films and Broadway hits, such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs, and The Producers, and highlights how he turned personal pain, postwar trauma, and the absurdities of life into bold, hilarious satire that subverted norms and reshaped American comedy.

Part one will chronicle Brooks' earlier years in film and television, culminating in arguably his most famous and counterculture movie, Blazing Saddles (1974). Part two will chronicle his days on top of the comedy world with his parodies; while also dabbling in drama, working with director David Lynch, producing the memorable biopic The Elephant Man (1980); and revisiting his popular works which includes the Broadway-run and 2005 theatrical remake of The Producers, Hulu's History of the World Part II, FX's Very Young Frankenstein pilot, and MGM's upcoming Spaceballs 2.

Appearing in the Brooks documentary are Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, Dave Chappelle, Conan O'Brien, Josh Gad, Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and Tracey Ullman; filmmakers Rob Reiner, Robert Townsend, Peter Farrelly, Jerry & David Zucker, Barry Levinson, and David Lynch; actors Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Cary Elwes, Matthew Broderick, and Nathan Lane; Brooks' children Stefanie, Nicolas, Eddie, and Max; and granddaughter Samantha. The two-night documentary airs January 22nd and 23rd at 8 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

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