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Written & created by Roger Bean
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A cotton-candy colored, non-stop musical featur-
ing, your favorite songs from the '50s & '60s!
Mel Brooks from page 39
The Gem Theatre NOW - April ll
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These hilarious
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"Hilarious!" • Variety
Feb 26
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lilt MAU INTILLICT:
an oxpirion 7
MB: You do have to look at the bright
side, or you'll sink into a morass of
gloom and doom. Life is very hard, and
I'm not saying ifs harder for Jews than
others. Irving Berlin had the right idea
with "God Bless America."What if we
were born in Poland during the Nazi
invasion? We'd be wiped out. I don't
know who my relatives were, but I'm
sure I've lost hundreds of relatives in the
Holocaust. I'm sure every Jew has.
IN: Has your approach to humor
changed over the years?
MB: No. As I learn more, ifs gotten
more surefire and smarter. I have very
few duds. Most of my firecrackers go
bang. The great payment for any com-
edy writer is laughs.
IN: Who gives you a good laugh?
written by ROBERT DUBAC
MB: I listen to the old guys. I listen
to old movies with Jack Benny and
George Burns. Those are the guys who
really tickle me and make me laugh.
THE HISTORIC
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2nd Anniversary!
Your new Japanese/Korean Restaurant
right in the neighborhood.
15% off Total Food Bill
Dine-in or Carry-Out
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IN: If you were invited to speak on
a strictly serious subject — no laughs
allowed — what would that be?
MB: Because I was a soldier in
World War II, I think I'd talk about
war and how aimless it is in the end,
how it solves nothing and creates the
seeds of another war to follow. If I
had my way, I would talk about get-
ting all our troops back from Iraq and
Afghanistan. The only reason for war
is defense, not attack. We have had
no right to attack Iraq. If Israelis are
attacked, I think it's very important
to go to their aid because they're our
only allies in the Middle East.
Not valid with any other offers Including $1 Sushi Tuesday.
IN: Are you involved in any
Jewish activities?
MB: When they come up, I get
involved. Sometimes, there's a Jewish
affair in Los Angeles, and I'm happy to
attend. I bought a lot of Israel bonds.
Lunch and Daily Specials • Catering • Gift Certificates Available
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Phone 248-737-4188 • HOURS: Mon.-Sat: llam - lOpm • Sundays 4- 9
www.ninjasushimi.food.officelive.com
IN: What are your children doing?
by the
Oakland Press
3 COURSE MEAL
$15.99 per person
Available Monday-Saturday 4-6 p.m • Sunday all day 4-9p.m
• Your choice of soup or salad
• Choose your main entree
LO C C IN 0
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5600 Crooks Rd.
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Open Mon-Fri for lunch and dinner.
Saturday and Sunday dinner only.
Private Banquet and Conference Rooms for Up to 85 People
February 18 • 2010
to choose from,
• Your choice of dessert
• Includes Soft drink. coffee or hot
www.loccino.com
42
17
• Includes choice of a side dish.
JN
Wednesday Nights
Kids Eat Free
(10 And Under)
MB: My youngest son, Max, wrote
the Zombie Survival Guide so he writes
about zombies and how to prevent your
getting hurt by them. Between that and
World War Z, another zombie book, I
think he sold dose to 1 million copies. I
don't have to worry about getting older.
I'm sure he can take care of me. My
other children are very good and sweet.
I have a daughter (Stefanie) in New
Jersey and a son Nicholas, who writes
screenplays. Edward is a producer with
Richard Frankel Productions, which
sent Young Frankenstein on the road.
IN: Do you have an overriding
outlook toward life that you've
passed along to your children?
MB: The only philosophy I have to
help my children or grandchildren is
that "this, too, shall pass:' I want them
to have faith in the future, in things
working out and getting better, and not
get stuck in the mud of melancholy.
IN: Are you working on any new
projects?
MB: I'm working on two. I don't
know which one will find its way to
Broadway. One is based on my movie
Blazing Saddles, which is practically a
musical in and of itself; and the other
is based on my movie Life Stinks.
The second is about a billionaire who
makes a bet with another billionaire
that he can survive in a slum, liv-
ing in the alleys and sleeping in the
streets, for one month. It's hysterical
and heartbreaking. I see Nathan Lane
playing that billionaire-bum. The
two men make a bet for a $10-billion
property. If the one survives, he wins
the property. If he can't survive, if he
isn't back on his feet in a month happy
and healthy, then the other guy wins.
It's a wonderful adventure. It would be
a wonderful musical.
JN: What do you like to do to
relax?
MB: At least three or four times a
week, I see Carl Reiner. We go out to
a movie or out to dinner. He lost his
wife recently so I try to cheer him
up and keep him company. We're two
widowers on the town. Thank God,
we both like Jewish food so we go to
delicatessens a lot. Just give Carl some
chicken-noodle soup, and he's the
happiest guy in town.
IN: Do you have a Jewish joke for
the Jewish News?
MB: I used to open my act with
"You can't keep Jews in jail; they eat
lox (locks):' ❑
Young Frankenstein will be staged Feb. 23-March 14 at the Detroit Opera
House, 1526 Broadway. Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2
p.m. Saturdays-Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. There is a matinee at
1 p.m. Friday, March 12, and no evening performance Sunday, March 14.
$25-$85. (313) 872-1000; www.BroadwayinDetroit.com .