Young Frankenstein Movie Review

Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frankenstein ("It's pronounced ‘Frahnkenschteen’,” he corrects), a brain surgeon who inherits the family castle back in Transylvania. He's skittish about the family business, but when he learns his grandfather's secrets, he becomes obsessed with making his own monster, aided by Marty Feldman as Igor ("It's pronounced ‘Eyegor’,” he returns). Wilder and monster Peter Boyle make a memorable song-and-dance team to Irving Berlin's “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” and Gene Hackman's cameo as a blind man is inspired. Teri Garr ("What knockers!” “Oh, sank you!") is adorable as a fraulein, and Cloris Leachman ("He's vass my – boyfriend!") is wonderfully scary. Wilder saves the creature with a switcheroo, in which the doctor ends up with a certain monster-sized body part. Hilarious parody (written by Mel Brooks and Wilder himself) that pays an accurate and witty homage to the original.

1974 (PG) 108m/B Peter Boyle, Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn; Cameos: Gene Hackman; D: Mel Brooks; W: Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks; M: John Morris. Hugos ‘75: Dramatic Presentation; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘74: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound. VHS, Beta, LV FOX, HMV