I became a big fan of Gene Wilder around about the age of 19. I had been suffering with anxiety problems which really brought me down. I remember seeing Gene's blanket scene in The Producers and laughing so hard at his charcter saying "Im wet and I'm hysterical, and I'm in pain" etc Somehow seeing him be so anxious and troubled and yet so loveable had a big impact on me - I was able to forgive myself for being such a bag of nerves. After graduating from Art School I started editing a zine called, Harry Pye's Frank magazine, which mostly featured interviews with musicians, artists and comedians I was into. One Summer I bought a 2nd hand copy of Halliwell's Film Guide and was shocked to learn that the films I'd loved Gene in such as The Producers and Willy Wonka had been flops at the box office and that most critics seemed to hate Wilder. Whilst interviewing people for 'Frank' I slipped in a few questions to see if I was alone in thinking Wilder was a comic genius...
Note: These quotes came from interviews that happened around September 1997...
Harry Pye: Do you think Gene Wilder is underrated?
Sean Hughes: "I think his level of success and stardom is just about right. The film of his I liked most was 'Stir Crazy' and the one on the train ('Silver Streak') brings back happy memories."
Harry Pye: What is your favourite Gene Wilder moment?
Jarvis Cocker: "Well I've got two actually. The first is from 'Willy Wonka' when he does that triple somersault, y'know, right at the beginning. And the other one's from 'Stir Crazy' when they ask him if he ever rides side saddle, and he says, 'that's the way I always ride'."
Harry Pye: Do you like the films Gene Wilder made with Richard Pryor more than the ones he did with Mel Brooks?
Dickon Edwards: "My favourite Gene Wilder moment is in Woody Allen's 'Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Too Afraid To Ask.' An Eastern European shepherd declares to Mr Wilder that he is in love with a sheep. Mr Wilder's subsequent pause and expression is a work of cinematic comedic genius."
Harry Pye: Is Gene Wilder a comic genius?
Melvyn Bragg: Interesting one - a curate's egg."
How good is Gene Wilder?
Mark Wallinger: Oh bloody hell, I mean he's pretty low down on the ist isn't he? A poor man's Woody Allen. I suppose his shaky hand in 'Blazing Saddles' -but this is the hand I shoot with - did make me laugh at the time."
Harry Pye: What do you like most about Gene Wilder?
Richard Herring: "The Producers is Wilder at his best - possibly Young Frankenstein too. Although, he is at his funniest when he tries to be taken serioulsy as a romantic lead. I like the way he has tried to stay looking young and just looks scary. And I like the way he's proved he's only human by making a string of terrible choices about which film to appear in. He's a lesson in the maxim, Over acting does not make a shit film good."
Harry Pye: Are you a fan of Gene Wilder?
Simon Hickson (from Trevor and Simon): "A moderate fan! I like 'The Producers'. I saw him recently in Laughter on the 23rd Floor. A good play. He was, effectively, Sid Ceasar Salad.
Above: A page from Harry Pye's Frank Magazine
Read an interview with Gene Wilder expert Brian Scott Mednick: HERE
Ron Frank has directed a documentary entitled "Remembering Gene Wilder" that features contributions from Mel Brooks and ALan Alda. More news soon.
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