The Novelizers podcast, where we turn classic films like The Matrix and Dirty

into hilarious audiobooks narrated by guests like Rachel Dratch, Ira Glass, Samantha

B., Will Forte, Wayne Brady, J.K. Simmons, and more. Listen to The Novelizers' podcast,

hosted by me, Dave Hill, from Cincinnati Public Radio and the NPR Network. This is Fresh Air. I'm TV critic David B. and Cooley.

Today, we're celebrating Mel Brooks, one of the few eGOTs in show business.

EGOT is a clunky acronym that's shorthand for the four major popular arts awards.

The Emmy for Television, the Grammy for the recording industry,

the Oscar for Motion Pictures, and the Tony for the Broadway stage. Mel Brooks has won them all. For television,

he won one Emmy as a writer for a Sid Caesar TV special, and three others as a guest

actor on the sitcom Matt About You. He won Grammys for one of his 2,000-year-old man comedy records with Carl Reiner,

and for his original cast recording for Broadway's The Producers.

For the movies, he won an Oscar for his screenplay for his original 1967 version of the producers,

and before that, another one for his work on the Oscar-winning 1963 animated short, The Critic.

And finally, on Broadway, he won three personal Tonys for his musical version of the producers,

Best Musical, Best Original Score, and best book of a musical.

In 2021, at age 95, he finally wrote his very funny memoir, titled All About Me,

and featured prominently in a documentary about one of his many passions, The Automat.

Mel Brooks turned 99 years old on June 28th. Half a year later, HBO is noting

the occasion by presenting a new two-part four-hour documentary called Mel Brooks, the 99-year-old

man. Part 1 premiered last night, part 2 premieres tonight, and both parts will stream afterward on HBO

Max. Today on Fresh Air, we'll note that occasion by listening back to two vintage interviews

Terry Gross conducted with Mel Brooks, and we'll begin with my review of the new HBO

...