Mel Brooks, the legendary comedian, has spoken about the loss of Carl Reiner, his best friend, who passed away in June 2020 at the age of 98. The 11-times Emmy winning director was friends for a long time with comedian Mel Brooks and the widowers spent their evening watching Jeopardy! while having dinner together.
Mel Brooks had in an earlier interview with Reiner had spoken about how they still keep up their tradition of watching the game show together. Reiner has said that they switch on Jeopardy! and also Wheel of Fortune together and each tries to outguess the other and have a great time over the phone. The interview was in April 2020, 2 months before his death in June 2020.
Now at 95, Mel Brooks reflects on spending life without Carl. The interview coincides with the release of his memoir, All About Me!, which was published a week back. He called Carl a Sweetheart when asked about their habit of sharing Jeopardy!
Mel Brooks Says He Lost Interest In A Lot Of Things That He And Reiner Shared
Brooks said that he has lost interest in it. He speaks of the stuff he used to share with Reiner, and it is not the same without him. When asked about his comedy partner in The 2,000 Year Old Man, Mel Brooks replied that he missed him a lot.
Brooks says that Reiner would call him up and invite him to share stuffed cabbage. To the very end, Carl was the same warm, sweet-natured, and the most delightful person that he says he knew. He says Reiner was his greatest audience and would crack up at his lines.
Mel Brooks could not be there at his funeral because of pandemic restrictions and said that it had robbed him of a lot, including going out to meet his fans.
He says that he cannot go out as long as the virus is around. Mel Brooks also finds it too painful to write about his wife Anne Bancroft, his wife of more than 40 years, who passed away from cancer in 2005.