The incredible comic actor Gene Wilder passed away this week at the age of 83. Since the late 1960s, few others could combine deadpan wit and neurotic kookiness to create such memorable characters as Willy Wonka, Dr. Frankenstein, the Waco Kid, and Leopold Bloom along with countless classic films. His timing and delivery were unsurpassed, as seen in this great compilation, and he brilliantly played the straight man in what I consider to be the funniest scene in film history. He even took part in one of literature's more renowned works, Death of a Salesman, playing young Bernard in an excellent televised version of the play in 1966. (This is, I believe, the best version and the one I show to students in classes.) While there are many to choose from, you can't do much better than this segment from Blazing Saddles to see the quirky brilliance of Wilder. Be sure to check out his work in remembrance.
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AuthorDr. Spivey is a college English professor and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Archives
October 2017
Movie Reviews |