13 Nights of Shocktober: Young Frankenstein (1974)

by A.J.

This is my favorite time of year, second only to Christmas. Autumn has arrived, the weather is cooling down, and October becomes the month long celebration of scary movies called Shocktober. There are a lot of horror movies out there, but as a genre, horror is still looked down upon by some mainstream critics and moviegoers. It doesn’t help that, admittedly, there are so few quality horror movies made but, like comedy, it’s a very difficult and subjective genre. So, in the days leading up Halloween I’ll be posting some recommendations for scary movies to help you celebrate Shocktober.

Night 10: Horror Comedy Night/Gene Wilder Memorial Night
Puttin' on the Ritz!

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Like many people my age I first saw Young Frankenstein as a kid when it aired on TV for Halloween. After several reassurances from my mother that it wasn’t scary I watched hesitantly. It didn’t look or feel like any comedy I had seen up to that point in my life. It still doesn’t look or feel like any comedies I’ve seen. The other day, while working at the video store, I put this movie on in the background. Even without actually seeing it, just hearing it, the jokes still made me laugh and smile. Customers paused and watched for long stretches, their faces filled with delight. I heard “this is my favorite part” from different customers at different parts of the movie. I’ve worked at the video store for four years now and I can say that this rarely happens. No, this film isn’t like other comedies. It is something quite special indeed.

Gene Wilder plays the titular young Frankenstein, Frederick, who is trying to escape the shadow of his grandfather Victor’s abominable experiments. He insists his name is pronounced “Fronkensteen,” giving us one of the most memorable quotes of the film. Frederick travels to his grandfather’s homeland after inheriting the family castle in Transylvania. The castle comes complete with eccentric characters: Marty Feldman as Igor (pronounce eye-gore, giving us the second most memorable quote of the film) the hunchback servant, Inga (Teri Garr) the lovely lab assistant, and Frau Blucher (Cloris Leechman) the mysterious woman lurking in the castle playing eerie violin music. Fredrick discovers Victor Frankenstein’s laboratory and is coaxed into continuing his grandfather’s work and creates the Monster, but due to a mix up the monster has a brain that is “abby-normal.”

Young Frankenstein works both as a parody and homage to the Universal Studios monster movies of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Some of the sets are in fact the same sets used in the Frankenstein movies of that era. Young Frankenstein is beautifully shot in black and white by Gerald Hirschfeld to give it the same look as those classic movies. The cinematography and sets give Young Frankenstein a timeless feel. This film doesn’t look or feel like a 70’s movie, though it is from 1974. Hairstyles do not date this movie and neither does the film score, which is orchestral. The style of comedy also does not date the movie. Unlike modern parody films, in which making a reference to the original film is the punchline (and not a funny one), Young Frankenstein makes subtle references to past Frankenstein films but the jokes come from the characters. This is a film that has great affection for the films that inspired it and instead of cynically riffing those films, it uses them as inspiration.

There are great performances all around. Cloris Leechman as Frau Blucher is frighteningly funny and plays her character with an intensity that matches Wilder’s outbursts. Her very name causes horses to rear up and she leads a tour of the castle with an unlit candelabra. Marty Feldman finds a way to stand out as the comic relief in a film filled with funny characters. He provides a classic “walk this way” gag and countless others. Everything he says is a punchline and every joke lands in every scene.

Madeline Kahn as Frederick’s fiancé is a strong personality though perhaps Frederick is not the right match for her. Teri Garr as Inga is more than just the pretty assistant; she makes Inga a lively and competent character, and is perhaps a better match for Frederick. As the Monster, Peter Boyle is hilarious and sympathetic. He is silent, aside from screams and grunts, for most of the movie but he makes it clear that there a lot going on inside the mind of the Monster. Boyle’s Monster is of course an homage to Boris Karloff’s portrayal in the Universal Studios series of films, but is also distinct and memorable. When Boyle finally does speak at the end of the film, his speech to the villagers is beautifully delivered and encapsulates the heart of this movie.

From start to finish Young Frankenstein is an excellent showcase for Gene Wilder’s superb comic sensibilities. He can be broad and intense (is there anything funnier than Wilder shouting?), but he is also great at subtle, nonverbal comedy. He’ll let the audience catch an errant longing side eye gaze, which, in addition to being a quick, funny moment, builds character in an instant without any dialogue. That’s good acting and being a good comedian. While Wilder is infinitely memorable for his explosive outbursts of rage, he also brings a sweet tenderness to Frederick as well. Believably moving between these two extremes is a very difficult thing to do for any actor, but Wilder seems to accomplish it with a natural ease.

Young Frankenstein is paced differently from modern comedies. Despite all of the hilarious shouting, it feels like a quiet and intimate film. Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Wilder, does not let his direction does not call attention to itself. Like in the horror films of the 1930’s there are special transitions like wipes and fades, but rather than being an elbow poking you in the side (did you notice? Did you notice??) these techniques help evoke the feel of a movie from 30’s.

There are too many memorable comedic set pieces and hilarious jokes to list. There’s plenty of physical comedy but most of the humor is verbal (Werewolf? — There wolf. There castle). All of the comedy, physical and verbal comes from the characters being themselves. This might be why jokes and gags are still funny even if you know they are going to happen. This is a very organic comedy. Nothing feels out of place or contrived. No gag or set piece lasts longer than it should.

One of the most memorable scenes has the Monster meeting a blind man played by Gene Hackman. The blind man pours hot soup on the Monster’s lap, breaks his cup of wine, and sets the Monster’s thumb on fire. You can see all of the gags coming a mile away but they are delivered perfectly and work every time. Another favorite scene is, of course, Frederick and the Monster performing Puttin' on the Ritz. Though it is quite brief, I think my favorite scene is when Wilder and Teri Garr discover the spinning bookcase (Put the kendle beck!). I’ve seen Young Frankenstein twice in the last month and it is funny every time. I’ll likely see it again this Shocktober (it airs on TCM on Sunday, October 30^th, at 7PM Central Time). You should too.