Funny little anecdote: When I was getting my insurance physical for my first film, The Producers, the nurse who was looking into my ears said, “Mr. Brooks, I’ve seen a lot of inner ears in my life, but I’ve never seen any so yellow! Did you have jaundice or some disease or anything when you were a kid?” I said, “No, no. That yellow is not a disease. It’s called Camels. When I was in basic training in the Army, I shoved Camel cigarettes in my ears to shut out the noise, and believe it or not, they really worked!” I was discharged in 1946 and this was in 1966. Twenty years later my ears were
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