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All about Me!
All about Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business | Mel Brooks
At 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words. "Laugh-out-loud hilarious and always fascinating, from the great Mel Brooks. What else do you expect from the man who knew Jesus and dated Joan of Arc?"--Billy Crystal For anyone who loves American comedy, the long wait is over. Here are the never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator of all things funny. All About Me! charts Mel Brooks's meteoric rise from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Whether serving in the United States Army in World War II, or during his burgeoning career as a teenage comedian in the Catskills, Mel was always mining his experiences for material, always looking for the perfect joke. His iconic career began with Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, where he was part of the greatest writers' room in history, which included Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. After co-creating both the mega-hit 2000 Year Old Man comedy albums and the classic television series Get Smart, Brooks's stellar film career took off. He would go on to write, direct, and star in The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, High Anxiety, and Spaceballs, as well as produce groundbreaking and eclectic films, including The Elephant Man, The Fly, and My Favorite Year. Brooks then went on to conquer Broadway with his record-breaking, Tony-winning musical, The Producers. All About Me! offers fans insight into the inspiration behind the ideas for his outstanding collection of boundary-breaking work, and offers details about the many close friendships and collaborations Brooks had, including those with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Gene Wilder, Madeleine Kahn, Alfred Hitchcock, and the great love of his life, Anne Bancroft. Filled with tales of struggle, achievement, and camaraderie (and dozens of photographs), readers will gain a more personal and deeper understanding of the incredible body of work behind one of the most accomplished and beloved entertainers in history.
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Sara_Planz
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Mel Brooks is an American treasure. He is the mastermind behind some of the funniest films, television, and Broadway productions of all time. "All About Me!" chronicles his life, from his childhood in Brooklyn to the heights of success in entertainment. What appealed to me most about this book was his work ethic. He may be one of the hardest working entertainers in history.

TieDyeDude OMG, I listened to this on audio, and even though it was 15 hours, I could have listened to it for 15 more. Such a legend, and a born storyteller. I loved hearing about his youth as much as the behind-the-scene Hollywood stuff. One of my favorite celebrity memoirs. 10mo
39 likes1 comment
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bunneeboy
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Who doesn‘t love Mel Brooks?

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mandarchy
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I had the wherewithal to download a book while I had Wi-Fi, so I'd have something besides radio to listen to while I don't have Wi-Fi. I really enjoyed hanging out with Uncle Mel. Now I need another book while I wait for my hold on the Winkler book but it's hard to stop catching up on TV long enough to think of something.

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Soubhiville
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I bounced between the physical and the audio for this, which I recommend because there are tons of photos in the book, but you‘ve got to hear Mel singing bits of the songs he‘s written for his movies and shows!

I really loved this. I‘m inspired to check out some of his movies I‘ve never seen (Silent Movie?!), and definitely will rewatch The Producers, which is my favorite of his works (I love both versions.)

A lot of tooting his own horn, ⬇️

Soubhiville But really that‘s fitting with his personality and where/ when he grew up. Plus he‘s 95 and accomplished so much! Pushed so many boundaries, and brought laughter to the world. Thanks Donna, I loved this, and my husband is going to dive into it next. 🥰 2y
AmyG I loved the audio. And his movies are the BEST. Young Frankenstein being my favorite. 2y
ShelleyBooksie Venkman? ♡♡♡♡♡♡ 2y
See All 10 Comments
dabbe @AmyG That is my husband's all-time favorite; Blazing Saddles is a close 2nd. I showed it once to my sophomore students, and the ONLY thing they laughed at (or got) was the Abby Normal scene. 🤦‍♀️ #gofigure 2y
Soubhiville @ShelleyBooksie yep, that‘s Venkman. I should have tried to get the photo with Igor… but he tends to be under covers much more of the time. 2y
AmyG @dabbe Yeah, kids. Different kind of humor. I, too, love Blazing Saddles. 2y
Soubhiville @AmyG @dabbe all the love for Young Frankenstein! I didn‘t love Blazing Saddles, but I think I‘d like it more after reading this. I also loved Spaceballs, recently rewatched that 🙂💕. 2y
AmyG Spaceballs! I haven‘t watched that in years. 2y
dabbe @Soubhiville Oh, Lordy, forgot all about Spaceballs! Will have to watch that, too!

Hello, Mr. Vivacious Venkman! ❣️🐾❣️
2y
MemoirsForMe Yay! Glad Mel is filling your home with more laughter. I agree, I need to rewatch many of the movies mentioned. Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety and the old version of The Producers are still my favorites. And now I must listen to the audio version! 2y
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Soubhiville
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What a sweet surprise in my mailbox today! Thank you Donna @UwannaPublishme ! I‘ve already flipped through and gotten nostalgic for some of the photos. I‘m excited to read it. 💕📚

I showed Igor his namesake‘s picture, he can‘t wait to hear more 😸.

MemoirsForMe This is a book that must be shared, especially among us devoted Mel Brooks fans! You‘ll be laughing out loud often, guaranteed. I had no idea that your Igor was named after such a memorable and hilarious character. Love it! 😹 2y
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GidgetsTreasures75
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1-19-23: My 7th finished book of 2023! I adore Mel Brooks. I was raised watching his movies, especially Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Spaceballs and Robin Hood. Reading his story from the beginning was fascinating. How he got into writing as a young man and just climbed that ladder of success. The love story of him and his wife Anne Bancroft is equally compelling. He‘s a funny story teller and a lover of life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣7️⃣

SamAnne Recently listened to his interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. Made me put this memoir on the TBR list! 2y
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RamsFan1963
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There were a lot of great choices for March, like Powers and Thrones/Dan Jones, The Glass Hotel/Emily St. John Mandel and Redwall/Brian Jacques, but I chose the tagged book because it was laugh out funny from beginning to end. I totally recommend the audiobook, no one tells a story like Mel Brooks.
Day 3 of #12BooksOf2022 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Sounds perfect. Stacked. 2y
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MemoirsForMe
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I love this guy & this book! Funniest Memoir Ever!!! No drama here—just tons of hilarious stories about Mel‘s childhood, the comical casts & comedians he worked with & priceless trivia about all of his beloved movies-some I didn‘t even know he created! Such a kind, generous soul who loves movies, life & doing anything to make people laugh. The world would be a much happier place if we followed his motto: “If you can laugh, you can get by.” 😁🙌🏻

PurpleyPumpkin I gave this to Rob as a Christmas gift last year! Admittedly, I was interested in it too. Glad you enjoyed it! Hope all is well with you. 🤗 2y
MemoirsForMe @PurpleyPumpkin Oh, you must borrow it from Rob or read it together. It‘s soooo good! Craig probably feels like he read it, because I kept having to explain why I was laughing so hard. 😁 2y
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DrexEdit
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It is 1931, I am five years old, and my older brother Bernie takes me to see a movie called Frankenstein at the Republic Movie Theatre. Big mistake!

#firstlinefridays
@ShyBookOwl

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Decalino
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The subtitle says it all: Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky and raised in a tenement in Brooklyn, has had a remarkable life in show business. This memoir focuses on his work rather than his private life, but his confident, people-loving outsized personality shines through. As Martin Scorsese notes while presenting him with one of his many awards (he has EGOT status), he has "an anarchic spirit but a loving heart."

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TieDyeDude
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What an absolutely delightful listen! Brooks breezes through his life and career with all the charm and humor he has always shown. He is a natural born storyteller, and listening to him narrate is a wonderful experience. He seems to have valued every experience, always finding the positive side. This is not a gossip book; he has nothing but praise for his friends and collaborators, taking pain to mention most of them by name. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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RebL
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This is a Litsy Made Me Listen book & I‘m so glad I did! Check out the stress fractures on my mouthguard. I needed this book. I have zero east coast connections & this is not my generation, but it felt warm, familiar, welcoming & funny.

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TieDyeDude
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💠 Listening to Mel Brooks' new autobiography. If I had gotten the book, I'd have just read the whole thing with his voice in my head anyway
💠 Digital audiobook
💠⭐⭐⭐ for his adolescence. I'm sure it'll jump to 5 stars when it gets to the good stuff, but I could listen to him talk all day regardless
💠 Nothing. I just read back a few pages if I forget something or lose my focus.
#thoughtfulthursday @MoonWitch94

MoonWitch94 I am not an audiobook fan, BUT this one is on my TBR & I think it would be great to listen to Mel. I‘ll have to give it a try. Thanks for playing 📚☺️ 3y
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TieDyeDude
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So excited to start this book on audio. A friggin' legend!

AmyG He is so great. 3y
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IamIamIam
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I absolutely loved this book!!! Melvin Kaminsky has one of the most unique life stories I've ever heard and growing up in the same area of Brooklyn as my grandmother, hearing him read this felt like home. 💜 You'll hear stories from the sets of his iconic films, the development of the Broadway show for the Producers and how he cultivated incredible friendships along the way.

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IamIamIam
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Really enjoying this, simply because Mel Brooks is so New York. I love his description of a chocolate egg cream (no eggs involved 🥚) and found out he potentially went to high school with my grandmother! I wish I could share this with her! She'd absolutely love this book! 💜

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RamsFan1963
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32/150 Truely one of the funniest memoirs I have ever read. I definitely recommend going the audiobook route, listening to Brooks tell his adventures and misadventures in and out of Hollywood is pure joy. Although there is some of his life growing up in New York, this is most about his career in movies & theater, so it doesn't delve much into his personal life. 5 ⭐
5th book for #KickTheSlump @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

JanuarieTimewalker13 Stacking!! Love him! 3y
Tkgbjenn1 On my list of upcoming books 3y
DrexEdit I have this on hold at the library. The audio is an excellent idea! 😊 3y
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wen4blu
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It is 1931, I am five years old, and my older brother Bernie takes me to see a movie called Frankenstein at the Republic Movie Theatre. Big mistake!

#firstlinefridays
@ShyBookOwl
#currentlyreading

DivineDiana I am looking to add more laughter to my life! I searched for the small brown book in your photo, but could not find it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Would you tell me where I might locate it? 🙂 (edited) 3y
wen4blu @DivineDiana I finally checked at the bookstore and the title is a fake!! So not funny. 3y
DivineDiana Thank you for checking! I now see it must be part of the display for that section of books. 🙂 3y
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belacat
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This audiobook is over 15 hours long. Ordinarily, that would be a slog for me. Not with Mel. What a delight!

LKK526 Saw him talk about the book on zoom call. He was very funny but the interviewer was terrible. Have the book to read. Shout out to Books and Books in Coral Gables, FL 3y
SRWCF I bet it's so interesting. What a life! 3y
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manifestsanity
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I can‘t remember a time in my life when I wasn‘t a Mel Brooks fan. My grandparents took me to a matinee of Spaceballs when I was six years old and there was no turning back. God bless this sweet, talented man. He is now 95 years old and wrote an autobiography. Listen to the audiobook. The man even sings! Sings!

readordierachel Oh wow, I bet this is amazing! 3y
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Bookboss
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I downloaded the audiobook after listening to an interview with Brooks. I was so struck by his joy for life that I wanted to listen to him tell more stories. He was born the same year as my dad, who died 20 years ago. I enjoyed Brooks‘s stories of growing up during the Depression and serving in the military during WWII, just like my dad. Brooks has inspired me to keep going during the rough times, to keep my sense of humor, and to live with joy.

RamsFan1963 I'm going to listen to this after I finish Will. Mel Brooks has always been a favorite. I thought Patrick McGilligan's biography of Brooks, Funny Man, was rather harsh. I'd rather hear it from the horse's mouth. 3y
Bookboss @RamsFan1963 Brooks drops a lot of names in his book, but he only seems to mention people he loves. Everyone is “fantastic and a good friend.” He doesn‘t talk at all about his first two wives except to say that he will always be grateful for his children. He certainly only focuses on the positive aspects of his life, but that joy and positivity is what I need right now! (edited) 3y
43 likes2 comments