Bruce G. Hallenbeck

An in-depth look at the 1974 releases of Mel Brooks's Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein that will leave cinephiles enthralled. 1974 was a busy year for Mel Brooks. Although still recovering after a series of failed projects threatened his career, he pulled off a one-two punch that saw the release of two of the most beloved American comedies ever made: Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Although both films are well-known, the stories beyond the making of each movie are less so. How did they come to be, and how did the era’s culture and politics not only permit them to be made, but help them to become enduring comedy classics? With their riotous parodies of Westerns and classic horror movies, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein were not only hilarious. They played with charged social and cultural themes in an inimitable way, raising the bar for modern comedies even as they reshaped the two genres they were sending up. Blazing Saddles Meets Young Frankenstein: The 50th Anniversary of the Year of Mel Brooks explores in depth the zeitgeist and cinematic alchemy that led to 1974 becoming “the year of Mel Brooks.”

The 50th Anniversary of the Year of Mel Brooks

Blazing Saddles Meets Young Frankenstein

Denis Meikle

Martine Beswick

Hammer Fantasy and Sci-Fi

British Cult Cinema

Loren Coleman

This book presents stories of the best known of the Garden State's cryptid population.

Mysterious Creatures in the Garden State

Monsters of New Jersey

Explore monster myths and legends of the Empire State.

Mysterious Creatures in the Empire State

Monsters of New York

Fun and fright have long been partners in the cinema, dating back to the silent film era and progressing to the Scary Movie franchise and other recent releases. This guide takes a comprehensive look at the comedy-horror movie genre, from the earliest stabs at melding horror and hilarity during the nascent days of silent film, to its full-fledged development with The Bat in 1926, to the Abbott and Costello films pitting the comedy duo against Frankenstein’s Monster, the Mummy and other Universal Studio monsters, continuing to such recent cult hits as Shaun of the Dead and Black Sheep. Selected short films such as Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie are also covered. Photos and promotional posters, interviews with actors and a filmography are included.

Bruce G. Hallenbeck

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