May the Schwartz be with you as we celebrate comedy's greatest master of parody! From high anxiety to low brow, we're counting down the most sidesplitting scenes from the filmmaker who turned spoofs into an art form. Our lineup features moments where brilliant wordplay meets visual gags and no sacred cow is left untipped!
00:00Good evening, ladies and empress. I just got back from Venice, and boy, are my arms tired.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the funniest and most memorable scenes, moments, and instances in Mel Brooks' creations,
00:15and including those where he was behind the camera, in front of it, or even doing both.
00:20Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made.
00:24Number 10. A Bloody Mess. Dracula Dead and Loving It.
00:30My God. Now she's dead.
00:33No, she's not. She's alive?
00:36She's nos farateux. She's Italian?
00:40We all know that desperate measures must be taken to stop the undead wherever they appear.
00:44But this mid-90s satirical comedy horror, which stars Steven Weber as Jonathan Harker and Mel Brooks himself as vampire hunter Van Helsing,
00:52proves that it's not always a clean process.
00:55Must be done by one who loved her in life.
00:58I only liked her.
00:59Close enough.
01:00Here.
01:01The resulting scene is one of the standout moments of the film,
01:04because the filmmakers didn't tell Weber how much blood he would be covered in during the shoot,
01:08which makes his reaction appear all the more natural and convincing.
01:11And now, at last, she sleeps in peace.
01:18Number 9. Fight with Little John.
01:20Robin Hood, Men in Tights.
01:21Uh, no. Sorry.
01:26But a toe is a toe, and a roll is a roll.
01:30And if we don't get no toes, then we don't eat no rolls.
01:33This scene from Men in Tights, where a man ironically named Little John takes on Robin Hood in a staff match,
01:39spoofs a similar scene in the many Robin Hood tales that have come before it.
01:42As per usual for a Brooks movie, however, this version plays it for laughs.
01:47Ow!
01:48To be sure, this isn't the most dignified way to start a friendship, but Robin doesn't dwell on it after,
01:57and allows the event to pass like water under the bridge.
02:02Thank you, Robin.
02:03You saved me life.
02:05Number 8. Alien. One Froggy Evening. Spaceballs.
02:10Hello, my baby. Hello, my honey. Hello, my ride, my gal.
02:15While the characters in this late 80s Mel Brooks directed parody take a brief break from the events of the film,
02:20they find out that space can be both weird and dangerous in a crossover between Alien and the cartoon One Froggy Evening.
02:27In a neat shout-out, they even get John Hurt to make a cameo as the original victim of the chestburster.
02:32Naturally, this proves too much for our actors, leading them to make a quick exit with a time-honored punchline.
02:53Check, please.
02:54Here's another Men in Tights entry on our list.
03:12In this scene, Prince John, played by Richard Lewis as a chat show host,
03:16is having an intimate conference with his second-in-command.
03:19When the sheriff of Rottingham asks him about the side-switching mole on his face,
03:23his oblivious response is priceless.
03:26More so when you consider that they actually had mirrors in ye olden days.
03:30Wasn't your mole on the other side?
03:36I have a mole?
03:38Number 6. Springtime for Hitler. The Producers.
03:42Where, oh, where was he?
03:44Where could that man be?
03:46We looked around, and then we found
03:49The man for you and me.
03:53There are many fantastic moments in both versions of the Producers,
03:56but the high point of both movies is easily the big musical number
04:00that forms the climax of the god-awful play.
04:02The title of the song was initially going to be the title of the movie,
04:06but sadly that didn't come to pass.
04:07Springtime for Hitler and Germany.
04:13However, this doesn't prevent the scene from having the effect that it does
04:25and being the highlight of each version,
04:28both of which Brooks produced.
04:29Really, it's something that has to be seen to be believed.
04:32Number 5. Combing the Desert. Spaceballs.
04:45Are we being too literal?
04:47No, you fool. We're following orders.
04:48We were told to comb the desert, so we're combing it.
04:50Mel Brooks has always been a filmmaker who plays around with words and twists dialogue.
04:54A power known throughout the universe as the...
04:58The Force?
04:59No. The Schwartz.
05:02The Schwartz.
05:04Bearing that in mind, it's not surprising that when Dark Helmet tells his army to comb the desert,
05:09they take his orders literally.
05:11He's lost the princess.
05:12Where?
05:13Somewhere in the sands of Vega.
05:15Tell him to comb the desert, do you hear me?
05:17Comb the desert!
05:19Yes, sir.
05:20This moment raises a whole bunch of questions, though,
05:23like why they have those massive combs in the first place.
05:26But Spaceballs is not the kind of movie where not knowing that little fact will bug you.
05:30What about you guys?
05:32We ain't found s***.
05:35Number 4. Hostage-taking. Blazing Saddles.
05:43Hold it.
05:44Anyone with the slightest grasp of American history will realize
05:48that the 19th century was not a good time to be a black person.
05:51And Mel Brooks uses this fact to great advantage
05:54to create the hilarious character of Sheriff Bart in this satirical western comedy.
05:58He's not bluffing.
05:59Listen to him, man.
06:00He's just crazy enough to do it.
06:02His arrival into the town of Rockridge doesn't go entirely as planned
06:06and forces Bart to use an unusual method of making his escape.
06:10The fact that the townspeople fall for this
06:12just helps to make clear exactly how stupid they are.
06:15Isn't anybody gonna help that poor man?
06:18Hush, Harriet. That's a sure way to get him killed.
06:21Oh! Oh! Help me!
06:24Number 3. Putting on the Ritz. Young Frankenstein.
06:27The creature!
06:31Please!
06:31This scene from Brooks' take on the Frankenstein story
06:38lands on our list because of just how out of place it is in the movie.
06:42If you tell your friends you're showing them a film about Frankenstein,
06:45they will not expect the big man to be poorly strutting his stuff upon a stage.
06:50Different types who wear a day coat, pants with stripes,
06:53or cut a weight coat, perfect fits.
06:57Bring the me!
06:59The sequence even manages to pay tribute to both the classic musical member
07:03and King Kong in Wilder's comments to the audience as the monster is performing.
07:07All of this makes for an unforgettable scene.
07:10Nothing! Nothing, I tell you!
07:23Five, six, seven, eight!
07:25Number 2. The Fifteen Commandments. History of the World, Part 1.
07:32Oh, Lord! Why have you chosen me?
07:35What would you have me do for you?
07:37Film fans waited for years to see Brooks take on the Bible.
07:40When he did so in History of the World, he nailed it.
07:44I shall give you my laws, and you shall take them unto the people.
07:49Yes, Lord!
07:53What looks like a typical parody of Moses' descent from Mount Sinai
07:58goes to the next level when he comes down with three stone tablets
08:01and fifteen commandments written on them.
08:04This scene shows what happens to history when human clumsiness gets in the way.
08:08And it's unforgettably hilarious.
08:11All pay heed!
08:12The Lord, the Lord Jehovah, has given unto you these fifteen...
08:18Ten! Ten commandments for all to obey!
08:26Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
08:30Dr. Kamitza Foppa, Young Frankenstein.
08:33Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain
08:37into a seven and a half foot long,
08:4354 inch wide gorilla?
08:50What?
08:51Is that what you're telling me?
08:54Dark Helmet is surrounded by assholes.
08:57Spaceballs.
08:57How many assholes we got on this ship anyhow?
09:00You!
09:04I knew it.
09:05I'm surrounded by assholes.
09:07Jews in Space.
09:08History of the World, Part 1.
09:14And Jews out in space
09:17Dark Helmet plays with his dolls, again.
09:27Spaceballs.
09:28Leave me alone!
09:29No!
09:29Kiss me!
09:30No!
09:30No!
09:31Yes!
09:31No!
09:32No!
09:32Yes!
09:33No!
09:33Yes!
09:33Oh!
09:34Oh!
09:34Oh!
09:35Oh!
09:35Oh!
09:36Oh!
09:36Oh!
09:37Oh!
09:37Oh!
09:38Your helmet is so big!
09:41Dark Helmet!
09:42What?!
09:42Paying the Toll.
09:44Blazing Saddles.
09:45Has anybody got a dime?
09:47I don't know, James.
09:49Somebody's got to go back and get a load of dimes.
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10:09Number 1.
10:10The Men in Tights Song.
10:11Robin Hood.
10:12Men in Tights.
10:13We're men.
10:15We're men in tights.
10:17We roam around the forest looking for lights.
10:21We could happily have put all of Men in Tights on this list, so it's fitting that one of the
10:25most memorable moments from that film is on top.
10:28This song is a reworking of Brooks' earlier Jews in Space tune from History of the World
10:32Part 1, and really works here to poke gentle fun at the famous dress of the Merry Men.
10:37We may look like sissies, but what would you say or else we'll put out your lights?
10:44We're men.
10:46We're men in tights.
10:49Always on guard defending the people's rights.
10:51But like anything else Brooks parodies, the end product clearly comes from a place of love
10:57and affection.
10:58Let's face it, you've got to be a man to wear tights.
11:01Do you agree with our list?
11:03What's your favorite Mel Brooks movie moment?
11:05Let us know in the comments.
11:06When you're in a fix, just call for the men in tights.
