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January 25, 2025 – The late beloved actor Gene Wilder, along with his equally beloved wife, Gilda Radner are subjects of this film about Wilder's life and career. One of Wilder's early movies, starring in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” is as fondly remembered as any movie, even though it was considered a flop at the time.
Wilder, born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was not always comfortable in his own skin, but was always comfortable acting on stage and screen. According to the movie, acting was therapy for him.
In 1963 Anne Bancroft introduced Wilder to Mel Brooks. Bancroft was starring in the stage play Mother Courage and Her Children and Wilder was also in the play. Bancroft, who was Brooks' girlfriend at the time, thought that Wilder would be perfect for a part movie Brooks was writing, called “Springtime for Hitler.” The movie eventually became “The Producers” (1967). Brooks agreed that Wilder was perfect for the role of Leo Bloom, and cast him in that role in the movie.
In an interview in the film, Brooks said that a producer of the movie didn't like the looks of Wilder and told Brooks to find a better leading man for the part. Brooks agreed, but had no intention of doing that. Wilder stayed on in the role, and he nailed it.
Just like “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” The Producers did not do well at the box office, but later would be regarded as a comedy classic (Jimmy Kimmel hosted a Producer's skit, called “Trumped” on his show, starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane of “The Producers” Broadway show, which still can be seen on YouTube).
Wilder began to write and direct his own movies. His first writing effort turned into his favorite movie, “Young Frankenstein,” directed by Brooks, who also co-wrote the screenplay. Brooks said in an interview that he initially opposed the singing and dancing stage scene in the movie, but Wilder talked him into it, and was right to do so.
The famous on-screen chemistry between Wilder and troubled comic Richard Pryor is shown at length in the documentary. The two starred in several comedies, including the underrated adventure comedy “Silver Streak” (1976). The romance and marriage of the power couple, Wilder and Gilda Radner (his third wife, her second husband) is featured in the documentary. Radner's tragic death from ovarian cancer at the age of 42 is covered along with the story of how he met his fourth wife, Karen Webb.
In the movie, Karen tells the story of Wilder's affliction with dementia caused by Alzheimer's Disease. He died at home in Stamford Connecticut on August 29, 2016 at the age of 83. He kept his illness a secret from most people. He was worried that children would feel sad about his illness because of his close connection to the character of Willie Wonka.The movie makes a convincing case that Wilder was a nice guy, for the most part, although it does leave out some negative information about him. I thought I knew a lot about Wilder, but I learned several things from it. It rates a B. One of the producers of the movie is Julie Nimoy, daughter of famous Star Trek actor and director, Leonard Nimoy. She also was a producer of a similar documentary about her father, “Remembering Leonard: His Life, Legacy and Battle with COPD.”
Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff (no extra charges apply). I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.
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