Mel Brooks, Stonewall, and the Best Short Books

Mel Brooks is a writer, director, actor, and producer whose slapstick humor and social satire helped define modern American comedy. Brooks is one of 28 figures who have achieved the EGOT, meaning he's won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.

> Check out some of the most memorable bits from Brooks' films. (Watch)
> Check out the works that earned Brooks his EGOT. (Read)

Born Melvin Kaminsky, the young Mel was originally interested in music, taking drum lessons from jazz legend Buddy Rich. He began using his mother's maiden name, Brooks, to avoid being confused with Max Kaminsky, a trumpet player. His career as a performer started in the Borscht Belt, the predominantly Jewish vacation enclave in upstate New York, where he eventually pivoted to comedy.

> Brooks got his start in comedy by flubbing a line. (Read)

> The comedian credits drumming with teaching him comedic timing. (Read)

> Brooks served in World War II, clearing land mines at the Battle of the Bulge. (Read)

Brooks got his first major writing gig in 1950 with "Your Show of Shows" before cocreating "Get Smart." In 1967, he wrote and directed "The Producers," which launched a decades-long career that yielded several comedy classics, including "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein," and many others.

> "Your Show of Shows" had a historic writer's room, including Carl Reiner and Neil Simon. (Read)
> Brooks originally wanted stand-up comic Richard Pryor to star in "Blazing Saddles." (Read)

Discover more: 

> Brooks was an early champion for visionary director David Lynch. (Read)

> George Lucas gave Brooks his blessing to release "Spaceballs," a "Star Wars" parody, though he prohibited him from creating merchandise. (Read)

> The 2001 Broadway adaptation of "The Producers" broke the record for most Tony wins. (Read)

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Behind the News

1440 brings you the foundational knowledge beyond the headlines:

The Stonewall Uprising began 57 years ago tomorrow. (More)
 

> Years before Stonewall, three men challenged an antigay drinking law with a "sip-in."

> Check out the records loaded in the Stonewall Inn's jukebox.

Cult classic "Labyrinth" celebrates its 40th anniversary today. (More)
 

> Despite featuring Jim Henson and David Bowie, the film was initially a flop.

> See the making of Humongous, the 15-foot-tall puppet that weighed several tons.

Impressionist masterwork "Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette" is 150. (More)
 

> The impressionists got their name from a critic who meant it as an insult.

> American impressionist Mary Cassatt's massive World's Fair mural mysteriously disappeared.

Clive Davis, music industry maven, dies at 94. (More)
 

> The executive signed influential artists, including Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen.

> Check out 10 songs—from Billy Joel to Alicia Keys—Davis helped make hits.

Cultural Context

We love finding great takes on the culture currently shaping our lives. Here are some of the best reactions, profiles, and think pieces we encountered this week:

A Bookstore Boom in a Time of Literacy Decline

Literary Hub | Ellen O'Connell Whittet. Literacy rates for American high school seniors have plummeted, yet the number of independent bookstores has skyrocketed. What gives? O'Connell Whittet sifts through the data and speaks with booksellers to find out. (Read)
 

> Book sales are higher than they were 20 years ago.
> ... yet 40% of Americans didn't read a book in 2025.

A History of American Utopia in 10 Acts

NY Times Style Magazine | Zoë Lescaze. Part comprehensive survey, part aesthetic analysis, this essay argues that the unifying force in even seemingly divergent American arts movements—from the Shakers to the Harlem Renaissance and beyond—is optimism. (Read)
 

> The American arts and crafts movement featured several utopian communes.
> In 1994, Nike hired Beat Generation iconoclast William S. Burroughs for a TV ad. 

The Grate Cheese Robbery

Longreads | Olivia Potts. Cheese crime may seem like a joke, but Potts details how it's become an international problem, tied to Russian embargoes and geopolitics, in a narrative that's as exciting as your favorite heist movie. (Read)

> A New York farmer established the first cheese factory.

> Serbian donkey cheese can cost up to $600 per pound.

In partnership with Interlochen Center for the Arts

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Interlochen Online is an online arts school designed for adults who want to reconnect with creativity—without pressure or perfectionism.

Explore music, creative writing, visual arts, theatre, or film through short courses, private lessons, and certificate programs led by experienced artists who meet you where you are. If you’re curious about returning to the arts, you can start by sampling a course for free.

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 Etcetera 

> Start compiling your summer reading list with a guide to the best novels under 200 pages.

> World Cup venues spend months cultivating their fields and choosing grass based on the cities' climates.

> John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" might be about western Virginia rather than West Virginia.

> Lord Byron inspired Mary Shelley to write "Frankenstein" while the two were on vacation.

> Frank Lloyd Wright's "earthquake-proof" design for a Tokyo hotel inspired Lincoln Logs.

> A member of the Monkees cooked up the concept that became MTV.

> One man wrote 10,000 entries for "The Oxford English Dictionary" from a psychiatric hospital.
 

> While president, Jimmy Carter signed a bill that helped kick-start the craft beer industry.

> Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong's mother starred in the '90s baseball film "Little Big League."
 

> After her death, Emily Dickinson was briefly marketed as a children's poet.

> "Alice in Wonderland" was invented to entertain a real-life Alice.

> Before country stardom, Dolly Parton was an aspiring pop star.