Mel Brooks: A Lifetime of Laughter

NPR | By Susan Stamberg

Published August 18, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT

Mel Brooks has made a name for himself with comedy classics like <em>Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein</em> and <em>The Producers.</em> — Mel Brooks has made a name for himself with comedy classics like *Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein* and *The Producers.*

Mel Brooks has spent decades making people laugh. A big hit on television in the 1950s, he found silver screen success in the 1970s with such films as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

Currently, Brooks' musical The Producers enjoys huge success on Broadway and in traveling productions. The comedy legend speaks with NPR's Susan Stamberg.

After decades in the comedy business, Brooks says he's not still in it just to get richer. "Nothing good comes out of going for the money," he says. "You've got to do it because you love it."

Susan Stamberg

Susan Stamberg was one of NPR's "founding mothers" (she also coined the phrase). She joined the network at the time of its inception in 1971, and her career at NPR spanned more than five decades.

See stories by Susan Stamberg

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