screenplay in which good sense and
caution are thrown out the window
and madness ensues.”
For those who haven’t seen the
film (and why haven’t you?), it fea-
tures Wilder as Victor Frankenstein’s
American grandson, Dr. Frederick
Frankenstein (pronounced “fron-ken-
steen”), who has tried to distance him-
self from his infamous forebear. (“My
grandfather’s work was doo-doo!”)
When he learns that he has inherited
the man’s castle, however, he travels
to Transylvania, where he becomes
steadily obsessed with the idea that
he himself could reanimate dead tis-
sue, leading to yet another deranged
monster.
Throughout the writing process,
Brooks emphasized his trademark
borscht-belt humor, while Wilder
constantly argued for realism. (“I don’t
want this to be Blazing Frankenstein,”Wilder said, and Brooks countered: “I
don’t want this to be an art film that
only 14 people see.”) But the tables were
turned during an argument about the
scene in which Wilder and Peter Boyle
(as the Monster) perform “Puttin’ on
the Ritz” by Irving Berlin. “I told Gene
it was a great idea, it was funny, but it
was too far outside of our salute to the
black-and-white classics,” Brooks said.
“We could go as far as the zipper in the
creature’s neck, but we didn’t want to
be too ridiculous.” The director finally
agreed to film the scene, which proved
to be a highlight of the film. “It took the
movie to another level—our level,” he
said. “That’s what audiences were pay-
ing for. They weren’t paying for a true
artistic resemblance to James Whale’s
movies. They wanted to laugh.”
After the script was finished, the
filmmakers faced resistance from exec-
utives at Columbia Pictures, which was89JOH
N (^) J
AY/
MP
TVI
MA
GE
S (^) (
(^3) )