Mel Brooks’ comedic comeback

Mel Brooks has returned to writing jokes at age 96, and he couldn’t be happier, said Joe Otterson in Variety. Though the name of his 1981 comedy epic History of the World: Part I inherently seemed to leave the door open for a sequel, he hadn’t ever intended to make one. But then he received a call from comedians Nick Kroll and Wanda Sykes pitching him on the idea. “First, it was a long-distance call, so I wanted to establish who was paying for it,” said Brooks. Jokes aside, it also helped him feel less isolated. “I was stuck in this Covid situation where you didn’t see people, where you were locked in a cave. So, this was a very welcome relief.” History of the World: Part II is a miniseries rather than a movie, but like its predecessor it unfolds in episodic fashion, with sketches about Jesus, Shakespeare, and the Romanovs, among others. Creating comedy in a virtual writers’ room reminded Brooks of his days writing sketches for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, the 1950–1954 variety show that gave him his start. “It’s just thrilling. There’s nothing like comedy. You don’t think about the time or throwing up or falling off the horse. You don’t think about bad things. You think about whether something makes you laugh. It’s a bit of a miracle. I love it.”