Bits Quote by Gene Wilder
![“And Mel [Brooks] - you have to understand this important point - he had done "The Producers" for $50,000 over two years, and he didn't make a penny from it. And then he did "The Twelve Chairs" - $50,000 for two more years and didn't make a penny from it. That's four years of work. And then they…” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/236/gene-wilder-3914_bits_and-mel-brooks-you-have-to-understand-th_2047500.jpg)
“And Mel [Brooks] - you have to understand this important point - he had done "The Producers" for $50,000 over two years, and he didn't make a penny from it. And then he did "The Twelve Chairs" - $50,000 for two more years and didn't make a penny from it. That's four years of work. And then they offered him quite a bit of money to direct "Young Frankenstein," and he took it.”
About This Quote
Source Film: Young Frankenstein, 1974
Wilder chose a lucrative studio project after years of unpaid work, highlighting pragmatic career moves over artistic purity.
In simple terms: He took a paid job after unpaid films.
Key Takeaway
Balance passion with practical needs.
Themes
career
pragmatism
artistic integrity
financial stability
risk management
Mood
pragmatic
reflective
Type
advice
career
When to use this quote
- film direction
- career planning
- financial decision making
Key Concepts
Opportunity cost
creative compromise
industry economics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide when to prioritize income over creative control?
- What are the long‑term effects of compromising artistic vision?
A Different Perspective
Choosing paid work may limit artistic freedom.
![“With Mel [Brooks], only one time and that was later on during "Young Frankenstein" - never with Zero [Mostel] and never with Mel except I was writing every day, and then Mel would come to the house and read what I'd written. And then he'd say, yeah, yeah, yeah, OK, yeah, OK. But we need a villain…” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4f4/gene-wilder-3914_brooks_with-mel-brooks-only-one-time-and-that-w_602487.jpg)
![“[ Zero Mostel] would tell anyone anything, not to be impolite, but he'd show that he wasn't at all afraid of however much money that person [had] or whatever title they had in a company. It didn't scare him. Mel [Brooks] was very much the same way.” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4d0/gene-wilder-3914_brooks_zero-mostel-would-tell-anyone-anything-n_2656684.jpg)
![“I met Mel [Brooks] backstage in Anne's [Bancroft] dressing room. He was wearing one of those pea coats, pea jackets that were made famous by the Merchant Marines, and I admired it and he said, "You know, they used to call this a urine jacket, but it didn't sell."” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8c6/gene-wilder-3914_brooks_i-met-mel-brooks-backstage-in-anne-s-ban_2497273.jpg)
![“I was miscast in that production [of Mother Courage and Her Children] ... but it was with Anne Bancroft, whose boyfriend at the time was Mel Brooks, and that made my - I can't say my day, it made my life, in a way.” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ffd/gene-wilder-3914_brooks_i-was-miscast-in-that-production-of-moth_2851071.jpg)
![“[Gilda Radner] died in '89, and I got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000. I've just passed the five-year mark and I'm now what you call - well, it's called complete remission, but I'm cured. I'm fine.” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a19/gene-wilder-3914_died_gilda-radner-died-in-89-and-i-got-non-ho_55482.jpg)
![“Brad [Dourif] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him a little bit. I just think maybe they have similar voices.” quote by David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cfe/david-kirschner-22403_bits_brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-w_478.jpg)
