WEDNESDAY
JULY 24
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

TCM begins tonight’s all-night salute to Mel Brooks, fittingly, with A Salute to Mel Brooks, a repeat of the entertaining AFI Life Achievement Award special televised last month by sister network TNT. But here, the festivities are presented uninterrupted by commercials, and in a longer, uncut version. And that’s just the start of a Brooks lineup so good that, for the first time in the history of TV Worth Watching, every entry of today’s Bianculli’s Best Bets will be devoted to a single artist network. Thanks for all the laughs, Mel!

 
  
 
 

TCM, 9:30 p.m. ET

This is the first time TCM has shown this 1970 Mel Brooks film – the relatively (and unfairly) overlooked one he directed after The Producers but before Blazing Saddles. It stars Ron Moody and Frank Langella as an unlikely pair of Russians – one man a descendant of royalty, the other a beggar – who team up to find a fortune in jewels, sewn into the cushions of one of a dozen family chairs.  The chair have ended up in various places over the years, and in search of fortune, so do the two men searching for them (and others, including Dom DeLuise as a Russian orthodox priest).
 
  
 
 

TCM, 11:30 p.m. ET

Matthew Buzzell and Kel Symons directed this 2012 documentary, originally shown on public TV, about the durable comedy character embodied by Mel Brooks, in a series of largely improvised conversations between Brook’s 2000 Year Old Man and Carl Reiner’s straight-man interviewer.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 2:00 a.m. ET

One of Mel Brooks’ unqualified masterpieces. This 1974 satire of Universal Studios’ monster movies is brilliant not only because of its hilarious script and riotously funny performances, but because, visually and even tonally, it is so impressively faithful to the original Frankenstein films. Gene Wilder, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr all are a riot – and Peter Boyle as the Creature, singing and dancing a duet with Wilder’s mad doctor, is at the center of one of the funniest scenes in all of movie comedy history. Ooper dooper!

 
  
 
 

TCM, 4:00 a.m. ET

Another unqualified Mel Brooks cinematic masterpiece. This one is from 1968, and stars Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as Bialystock and Bloom, the Broadway producer and meek accountant who team up to try, on purpose, to create the biggest flop in Broadway history, as part of a complex get-rich scheme. What an idea – and what a musical they come up with! Dick Shawn, Kenneth Mars, Christopher Hewett and Lee Meredith co-star, in this movie that, decades later, inspired one of the biggest hits in Broadway history. That’s karma for you.

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
UKWPJ
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 200  | Go to page: 
3982 Comments
 
 
Nice to read your article! I am looking forward to sharing your adventures and experiences
Jun 11, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
The Arcady at Boon Keng is a remarkable residential development that blends modern elegance with comfort and convenience. With its thoughtfully designed homes, quality amenities, and inviting atmosphere, it offers residents an exceptional urban living experience. The Arcady at Boon Keng stands out for its stylish design, premium features, and commitment to contemporary living.
Jun 10, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
? ??? ??? ?? ????. ? ??? ?? ????!
Jun 10, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Nice post. I was continuously checking this blog and I am impressed! Extremely useful info particularly the last part :) I care for such information much. I was seeking this particular info for a long time. Thank you and good luck.
Jun 10, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I am glad to read your blog. your blog is really awesome and cool. your blog is really great and cool. thanks for sharing the nice and cool post
Jun 10, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog, I will keep visiting this blog very often
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I ought to declare scarcely that its astonishing! The blog is instructive additionally dependably manufacture astonishing entities
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I'm amazed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that's both educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you've hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which too few people are speaking intelligently abou
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is a fabulous post I seen by virtue of offer it. It is genuinely what I expected to see look for in future you will continue subsequent to sharing such an extraordinary post.
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is a fabulous post I seen by virtue of offer it. It is genuinely what I expected to see look for in future you will continue subsequent to sharing such an extraordinary post.
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I Was Eagerly Looking For Content Like This, Right To The Point And Detailed As Well Accordingly Depending Upon The Matter/Topic. You Have Managed This Greatly For Sure
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I am hoping the same best effort from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing skills has inspired me.
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Wow, What an Outstanding post. I found this too much informatics. It is what I was seeking for
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I was taking a gander at some of your posts on this site and I consider this site is truly informational! Keep setting up
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Thank you for your post, I look for such article along time, today and find it finally. this post give me lots of advise it is very useful for me
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Wonderful article. Fascinating to read. I love to read such an excellent article. Thanks! It has made my task more and extra easy. Keep rocking.
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I ought to declare scarcely that its astonishing! The blog is instructive additionally dependably manufacture astonishing entities
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I have learn several good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how so much effort you place to make this type of fantastic informative web site.
Jun 9, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
In this article understand the most important thing, the item will give you a keyword rich link a great useful website page, Just follow and click the link below and enjoy our everyday promo's and big events!!
Jun 4, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Its most exceedingly awful piece was that the item just worked intermittently and the data was not exact. You plainly canot go up against anyone about what you have found if the information isn't right.
Jun 3, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 200  | Go to page: 
 
 

David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.