Young Frankenstein
This movie of 1974, one of the most successful parodies of the
horror film genre, was co-written by director Mel Brooks and star
Gene Wilder, who plays a brain surgeon and descendant of Victor
Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced
Frahnkensteen). It draws on the entire tradition of
Frankenstein movies, but especially on the first three
Universal movies starring Karloff: Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935),
and The Son of Frankenstein
(1939).
Frankenstein, a brain surgeon who scoffs at the activities of his
famous ancestor, travels to Transylvania, and there discovers the
secret of creating life. Brooks used Kenneth Strickfaden's original electrical
equipment from the 1931 Universal Frankenstein.
The cast included Wilder, Peter Boyle (the Monster), Marty
Feldman (Igor, pronounced Eye-gor), Cloris Leachman, Terri
Garr (in one of her first major roles), and Kenneth Mars.
