I was bummed to find out that Gene Wilder died on Monday. Wilder hasn’t been on our screens in years, but I grew up during the actor’s run with Mel Brooks, and I’ll never forget watching Stir Crazy on my uncle’s Betamax machine. I watched Wilder’s iconic turn as Willy Wonka continuously as a preteen, and back in 2005 I got obsessed with Young Frankenstein which I consider to be his greatest performance. Wilder could sing and dance, he could play goofy and tender. But most of all Gene Wilder could do over-the-top crazy better than most because he knew how to nail that balance between comedy, dramatic outrage, and pure mania.
Here’s a compilation of Wilder’s wildest. Bless you, strange prince…
Stay Awake!
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel where I archive all of the videos I curate at Insomnia. Click here to check out more Cinema posts.
