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Gene Wilder dead at 83 (1 Viewer)

In addition to being funny he always struck me as kind.  I don't know why, I didn't know the man in the least, perhaps it was just acting, but there it is.  I am going to choose to believe that he was indeed.

 
Leroy Hoard said:
Just heard a song that sampled this line:

"We are the music makers, /And we are the dreamers of dreams"
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It's what i've learned during my hibernation to try and write my own Wizard of Oz: if you say/sing something even mildly profound within the context that musicals create to make one hear the music and meaning of words at the same time, it becomes almost eternal. SO much fun to work with that kind of power.

 
In 1971, Wilder auditioned to play Willy Wonka in Mel Stuart's film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After reciting some lines, Wilder prepared to leave the auditioning station, but Mel Stuart (who was a Gene Wilder fan) ran after him, offering the role to Wilder immediately. Wilder was initially hesitant when he learned more on the role, but finally accepted the role under one condition:


When I make my first entrance, I'd like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I'm walking on and stands straight up, by itself... but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause.



When Stuart asked why, Wilder replied, "Because from that time on, no one will know if I'm lying or telling the truth." The scene appeared in the movie much as Wilder described it.

 
Ditkaless Wonders said:
In addition to being funny he always struck me as kind.  I don't know why, I didn't know the man in the least, perhaps it was just acting, but there it is.  I am going to choose to believe that he was indeed.
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Never met him personally, but my one moment of indirect contact with him suggests so.

A couple decades ago I worked on a fundraiser for a children's cancer charity in Minneapolis.  One of the victims we were honoring with the event was known for her hat collection.  The event's executive producer sent out hats to just about any celebrity he could reach, with a letter accompanying it basically saying, "I'm a fan of your work and am sending you this hat.  My hope is you will autograph it and send it back to me so I can auction it off for charity, but know if you choose to keep it as a token of my appreciation, that's fine, too."  

The response rate was surprisingly high and the auction was a big success.  The hats were chosen to somehow tie to the person's work: Jason Alexander gave a big, clear silver Sharpie signature across a New York Yankees cap, William Christopher signed the crown of a retro San Diego Padres cap, etc...  Gene WIlder's response stood out, though.  Wilder kept the hat sent sent to him, but sent back a Gilda's Club cap autographed across the brim.  When he took a closer look at the hat, we noticed red, curly hairs stuck to the underside.  Instead of signing the hat sent to him, Wilder took the hat off his head, signed it, and sent that back instead.  Thought that was a cool gesture.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
Never met him personally, but my one moment of indirect contact with him suggests so.

A couple decades ago I worked on a fundraiser for a children's cancer charity in Minneapolis.  One of the victims we were honoring with the event was known for her hat collection.  The event's executive producer sent out hats to just about any celebrity he could reach, with a letter accompanying it basically saying, "I'm a fan of your work and am sending you this hat.  My hope is you will autograph it and send it back to me so I can auction it off for charity, but know if you choose to keep it as a token of my appreciation, that's fine, too."  

The response rate was surprisingly high and the auction was a big success.  The hats were chosen to somehow tie to the person's work: Jason Alexander gave a big, clear silver Sharpie signature across a New York Yankees cap, William Christopher signed the crown of a retro San Diego Padres cap, etc...  Gene WIlder's response stood out, though.  Wilder kept the hat sent sent to him, but sent back a Gilda's Club cap autographed across the brim.  When he took a closer look at the hat, we noticed red, curly hairs stuck to the underside.  Instead of signing the hat sent to him, Wilder took the hat off his head, signed it, and sent that back instead.  Thought that was a cool gesture.
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That's fantastic.  Heck of a gesture.

 
Sorry to hear about Mr. Wilder's death. 2016 is quite the cruel ##### it seems.

Love Young Frankenstein, and Wilder is great in it. Ditto Wonka.

Guess now would be a great time to finally see Blazing Saddles for the first time :bag:

 
First movie comes to my mind when I think of him is The Woman in Red. Not necessarily because of him though. 

 
Sucks.  Sucks.  Sucks.  Young Frankenstein and Wonka are two of my all time favorites. 

 
HellToupee said:
Silver Streak pales compared to BS , YF or Producers but it's a lot of fun
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There are thousands of comic actors who wish their funniest movie had as many laughs as Silver Streak.  Wilder and Pryor were a great team.

 
What a treasure he was. So many iconic roles, so many wonderful moments in film. When his wife Gilda died it really left him hollow and empty. I was amazed he lived as long as he did, always seemed like he had a broken heart.  

I hope the two of them will be reunited

 
big fan of "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein".

as a kid, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" scared the ever-living #### out of me, but i could not stop watching it whenever it came on TV. there was just something about how GW played that character from Dahl's book that kept me coming back, no matter how scared i got from that boat on the chocolate river.

RIP Gene. a true genius.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
In 1971, Wilder auditioned to play Willy Wonka in Mel Stuart's film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After reciting some lines, Wilder prepared to leave the auditioning station, but Mel Stuart (who was a Gene Wilder fan) ran after him, offering the role to Wilder immediately. Wilder was initially hesitant when he learned more on the role, but finally accepted the role under one condition:


When I make my first entrance, I'd like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I'm walking on and stands straight up, by itself... but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause.



When Stuart asked why, Wilder replied, "Because from that time on, no one will know if I'm lying or telling the truth." The scene appeared in the movie much as Wilder described it.
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Entrance

 
Gene Wilder's greatest quality was his comic generosity

Gene Wilder, who died today at 83 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, was the consummate showoff.

He could sing. He could dance. He could act. He could be hilariously funny. He was even an Oscar-nominated screenwriter.

Every single one of those talents comes together in this famous bit from Young Frankenstein, which you will surely see in every single piece written about Wilder from now until the end of time. It involves Wilder’s Dr. Frankenstein and Peter Boyle’s Monster doing a little dance routine to “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

Let me tell you what I find remarkable about this scene. Wilder consumes nearly all of the energy on screen. He’s the one who sings. He’s the one who dances. He’s the one who mugs and grins and grimaces. And he co-wrote the screenplay with director Mel Brooks, garnering the two Oscar nominations.

But he doesn’t get the biggest laughs. Those are reserved for the Monster, who shouts a nearly unintelligible, “Puttin’ on the ritz!” at the song’s peak.

That, I think, was the secret to Wilder’s success. Remember: He helped write this movie. He could have given this laugh — possibly the biggest laugh in one of the funniest films ever made — to himself. But he knew, on some level, that comedy can be a magic trick. If he’s distracting you from guessing where the laugh will come from, then the laugh lands all the harder when Boyle lets out his weirdo yelp.


 


Wilder’s comedy wasn’t about hogging center stage. It was about finding a way to share it.

 
simey said:
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of my most favorite movies ever. Gene Wilder was the perfect actor to play Willy Wonka.  I enjoyed many of his other films too. I hope he and Gilda are somewhere out there laughing together again. RIP 
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Saw this was playing at a theater and took my daughter.  I had forgotten how incredible Wilder was and it's a damn near perfect movie as well.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
Thanks for the heads-up.  Really nice AMC near me carrying this with the leather recliner seats and such.  
Never seen Willy Wonka on the big screen.  Might check that one out.
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Do it.  I hadn't seen it since I was a kid and was amazed at how many great lines must have went over my head.

 
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