In Praise of Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder, comedy icon, died today at the age of 83. From the late ’60s to the early ’80s, he delivered a series of performances that are considered among the funniest ever committed to film.
After a small but memorable part in Bonnie and Clyde, Wilder leapt to stardom as Leo Bloom, alongside Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks’ The Producers (1967). Brooks and Wilder collaborated on two more films, Blazing Saddles (1974) and Young Frankenstein (also 1974), the latter of which Wilder co-wrote. All three films placed in the top 15 on “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs” list of the 100 funniest films in American cinema. Silver Streak (1976), the first of four memorable pairings of Wilder and Richard Pryor, also made AFI’s list.
But for many fans, Wilder’s greatest and most quotable role was as the mischievous title character in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), which lives on in countless memes, gifs and yearbook quotes. Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe for a performance that alternates, in a uniquely Wilder way, between the tender and the terrifying. There are few more convincing cinematic celebrations of the joy of creativity than Wilder’s sweet rendition of “Pure Imagination.” Yet as one misbehaving child after another gets knocked out by Wonka’s works, he feigns concerns with deadpan readings of lines like “Help. Police. Murder,” as Augustus Gloop floats away on a tide of chocolate, and “Stop. Don’t. Come back,” as Mike Teevee teleports away.
Today, as our hearts are saying, sincerely, “stop, don’t go, come back,” let’s take a moment to celebrate the life and brilliant work of Gene Wilder.
Watch this supercut of Wilder’s career (courtesy of YouTube channel MADWORLD1427) below, then take a look at one of our Shortlisters, Rachel Brosnahan, talk about Wilder’s memorable performance in The Producers.
Originally published at www.tribecashortlist.com on August 29, 2016.
