A bit of nostalgia. This is American nostalgia and probably
most of my foreign readers would not understand what I’m writing about. But
I’ll push forward anyway.
Gene Wilder’s death (83 years old) has stirred fond
memories. I remember watching Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory on TV on a Sunday
afternoon when our kids were little. They loved the movie. So did the adults.
So many in the cast, each and everyone memorable, even the bratty kids.
I especially liked Willy Wonka played by Gene Wilder. Of
course we loved him! He was both kind and harsh, teaching and guiding all the
time. A mystery developed around his motives but by the end of the movie it was
clear what he was up to.
The Oompa Loompas were also our favorites. Little, active,
weird voices and odder colors. But they were unique and played a very important
role.
And of course the music. Lyrics told a story that supported
the motif and plot of the storyline. Good entertainment all around.
I was shocked to learn with Wilder’s death, that the movie
was a box office flop! How could that be when it was so successfully played and
replayed over TV? Generations of kids now know the movie and of course Gene
Wilder. So do we all.
My ex-wife and I fell in love with The Producers starring
Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder! That movie was so funny I had an asthma attack
from laughing so hard. The zany antics of Mostel and Wilder were irresistible.
The gags, the facial expressions and the chaotic story line had us in gales of
laughter for the entire length of the move. And then it wasn’t replayed on TV
again. I finally found it in a VHS tape library and ordered it for my wife
years after our divorce. She still loves that movie.
And Blazing Saddles! I recall watching that film at a drive
in with another family. We both had station wagons. Theirs was larger than
ours, so all of our kids occupied their wagon, and the adults were seated in
our wagon. What a hoot! What fun. Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder were a special
team and they worked together several times on Mel’s films.
Of course Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor did a few comedic
films together, too. Also very successful and funny as hell.
Comedy that truly made us laugh. All generations in the
family, laughing together and enjoying each other as well as the entertainment.
A family moment. A good memory of good times spent with neighbors, too.
Gene Wilder had a creative, zany side to his personality. He
was smart. He was quick. And he created humor even when he was being serious.
When he married Gilda Radnor – a major comedic star of Saturday Night Live – we
wondered if they would work together. They shared humor and both had impossibly
funny antics seemingly built into their DNA. I don’t recall them working
together, but I bet they did, especially on TV. But the thing was we all
marveled at how these two creative people found each other and still worked on
many projects for years.
When Gilda was diagnosed with a fatal form of cancer, we
thought the humor would die with her. But it didn’t. Her work was played and
replayed. And of course Wilder’s work continued on for several more projects.
When his death was announced this week I was surprised. I
didn’t know he was ill. I had forgotten he was much older than I. But his passing informed me of his
Alzheimer’s and his desire to keep it private so his fans would not be
saddened.
With his death we are reminded again and again of the value
of humor in our lives. Good times or bad, a good laugh works wonders. We learn
how to accept the negative and the undeniable. We face the reality and we force
ourselves to accept it and make it even more real with some form of humor. We
remember Gene Wilder and Gilda Radnor. And with those memories we relive again
the many times they made us smile and laugh.
Again with the humor, still entertaining us all these years
later. The gags may be old now, but their freshness continues to surprise us. And yes he was a wizard of our very special Oz!
September 2, 2016
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