All That Hard Work
Did you ever wonder where Mel Brooks conjured up those iconic lines and brainstormed so many genius ideas for the script? Well he wrote the script for the screenplay in the Big Apple. In fact, Brooks hired a team of six talented writers and hired an office on the 6th floor of 666 Fifth Avenue. They all worked around the clock to perfect and polish off the screenplay and make the story so epic. And this is the source of his movie magic.
All That Hard Work
The Casting Of Waco Kid
Now we have covered some issues around the casting of Waco Kid, but there’s more to the story. Brook’s original idea was to cast a ‘worn-out alcoholic gunslinger ‘. Wilder really wanted the role, but Brooks told him, “You’re too young, you can’t play the Waco Kid. I need an old alky, a guy with lines in his face. You know, an old man.” Then Mel tried to cast other veterans, like Dan Dailey, John Wayne and even Johnny Carson, but they all rejected the offer. Then Mel found Gig Young, who was older but had a drinking problem, which became a issue on set and the production stopped. So Brooks finally asked Wilder. Mel later said, “He saved my life, because he’s not only a genius actor, but he’s a good friend. And he never said, ‘I told you so.’ I wanted an old alky. I got a young Jew from New York — and he was magnificent.”
The Casting Of Waco Kid
