Brooksfilms

Robert Osborne has been sitting down with several Hollywood veterans over the past month or so: we've had Shirley Jones presenting a night of her movies, as well as Robert Wagner and Mitzi Gaynor. Next up is director/producer Mel Brooks, who will be on TCM for the next two nights to discuss six of the movies produced by Brooksfilms, the production company he created.

Brooksfilms was created in part to make The Elephant Man, which Brooks was producing, but was not involved with directing or acting. Since Brooks was primarily known for comedy, and especially the parodies he did, he didn't want his name that prominently displayed for a serious drama such as The Elephant Man, or everybody might think it was a comedy. The next two nights will show a relatively broad range of the movies Brooksfilims produced, which includes a comedy in which he stars.

Tonight kicks off at 8:00 PM with Fatso, directed by his wife Anne Bancroft. Dom Deluise plays a fat man who loves food. But when a cousin of his and sister Anne Bancroft dies, she begins to fear her brother is going to eat himself into an early grave, too. But it's only the possibility of love that gets Deluise to think about finally trying to drop those pounds.

At 10:00 PM is 84 Charing Cross Road in which Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins become pen-friends across the Atlantic Ocean.

Then at midnight is the body-snatching horror film The Doctor and the Devils.

Prime time tomorrow kicks off at 8:00 PM with the aforementioned The Elephant Man, based on the story of the disfigured Victorian-era man Joseph Merrick (named changed to John for the movie), who wound up as a freak show exhibit.

Second on Tuesday is My Favorite Year at 10:15 PM, in which Peter O'Toole plays an actor known for his drinking and escapades, who has to be kept sober for a TV appearance.

Finally at midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday is the Mel Brooks version of To Be or Not to Be, which I don't like nearly as much as the Carole Lombard/Jack Benny version.