Jonathan K (Max Outlier) > Recent Status Updates

Here's a fact I bet few people were aware of where the casting of Blazing Saddles was concerned. Mel developed the Waco Kid character with hopes to get John Wayne to play the role. When he met with Duke he was amazed at how much he loved The Producers but decided against taking the part due to the 'foul language, N-word, etc'..Personally I'm glad he turned it down since Gene Wilder was perfect

No getting around the fact that Young Frankenstein was not only hilarious but one of Mel's best! What knockers!

Great chapter about Blazing Saddles!

OK it's a bit better now and includes a Seinfeld humor element.. Not that there's anything wrong with it

So far it's pretty weak where mystery is concerned.. I'll continue with hopes it improves

Bit of a yawner so far

While I rarely read biographies I simply couldn't ignore anything by my favorite comic, writer, producer director! Better yet, my Dad knew him well though I was much too young to remember. This is extremely well written, enlightening and hilarious at the same time

The chapter about Carl Reiner and the 2000 year old man has been my favorite so far. And for those that aren't aware, the first time Mel and Carl met it was kismet and led to a lifelong friendship. It's here we get to see Mel's humanity, modesty and what he learned about the values of human connection

I can't imagine anyone who hasn't seen Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein.. At the end of the chapter about Your Show of Shows, Mel says, "if there was no Sid Caesar there would be no Mel Brooks" Touching to say the least

I'd always wondered if there was a life experience that spurned the Oscar winning script for the Producers and now I know where it came from!

While it's interesting to see how Mel details his past to the point of obsession, I would have preferred a condensed version, lol. Good to see how much love he shared with the family though

Amazing how a guy in his 90s remembers the smallest details from birth and childhood. I'm far younger and can barely remember my teens. But that's what happens when you're brought up in a dysfunctional family like mine..you WANT to forget, LOL

Nicely done and as with most series, Baldacci leaves the door open for the next one.. Short 5 star review tomorrow

Talk about complex plot, this is crazy

Absolutely loved it! Short review tomorrow

Wow!

Wow! Talk about high velocity with plot twists!

Pine is pretty macho for a woman lol.

Classic Baldacci

For those who haven't seen the movie, I recommend you read this book first and when you do, you'll notice how closely the script follows it . Very rare to see this with any adaptation

Interesting how Steinbeck shifts chapter titles in the second half of the book using Sweet Thursday in each of them. Very clear this book had the stronger influence of the two in the screen play

I can hear and see Debra Winger doing the scenes with Nolte as I read dialog between them.. Cannery Row is one of the most underrated films ever made

In a word... Joy! I can't think of another story that elicits joy like this one!

Outstanding! Another masterpiece from Baldacci!

Always interesting to read mystery even if it's not the favorite genre. The contrast in style between Baldacci and Mosley is stark. Walt uses the humanitarian approach with characters blending family, friendship and loyalty. Baldacci uses the hard core, balls the wall style and machine gun pacing. Fun stuff

As readers and lovers of story, we owe it to ourselves to uncover the brilliance of the American classics. Whether this story, Of Mice and Men, Hemingway or others, there's no getting around the fact that without them contemporary authors benefitted. I urge all my friends to break from the usual and turn to classics like this

Having watched the Nick Nolte, Debra Winger film, Cannery Row, several times it's clear the screen writer used both this and the title story as the basis. For those that never saw the movie it's Oscar worthy and more

Great quote for the last sentence in chapter 9

There are people who will say that this whole account is a lie, but a thing isn't necessarily a lie even if it didn't necessarily happen