Mel Brooks tells Jimmy Fallon he wishes he could still call Gene Wilder

Gene Wilder, right, played Leo Bloom in The Producers.
(Image credit: MJ Kim/Getty Images)

When Mel Brooks paired with the late Gene Wilder, the two were unstoppable, producing three of the most hilarious American comedies to ever hit screens — The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein. But following the death of "his dear friend," Brooks took Jimmy Fallon back to when the two first met, and The Producers was still nothing more than an idea.

"I said, after we get the money, you are going to be Leo Bloom," Brooks recalled telling Wilder. "He said, 'Oh, yeah, when you get the money. You're doing a play about two Jews who are producing a flop instead of a hit knowing they can make more money with a flop, and the big number in it is 'Springtime for Hitler.' Yeah, you're going to get the money!" Of course, the rest is history.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.