I can actually remember seeing History of the World, Part I at the drive-in theater. It was 1981 and we saw practically everything at the drive-in back then, at least if it had a release date in the summer. This movie was an instant classic, as far as I am concerned. Giving us such infinitely quotable lines as “It’s good to be the king,” “Wait for the shake,” and “These fifteen…oy. Ten! Ten Commandments.” While the movie didn’t have a Buckaroo Banzai style promise to return with a sequel, that tantalizing “Part 1” in the title said it all, didn’t it? We’d be seeing “Part 2” in a few years, tops.
Now when David Lynch and Mark Frost brought back Twin Peaks 25 years later, it was a mind-blowing move. Only the most diehard fans dared dreamed such a thing was even possible. Then, being the misunderstood trend setter that the show has always been, this kicked off a wave of hyper-nostalgic television events bringing back TV series and movies long since forgotten. Some for good reason. But some…ah. Some, were fantastic ((cough) Cobra Kai (cough)).
Am I saying that the Twin Peaks revival opened the door for History of the World, Part II to get made? Sure, why not?
So anyhow, back to the drive-in and we cut to 42 years later. Forty-two years—that really ups the ante! First of all, Mel Brooks now actually is the 2000 Year Old Man of his famous comedy skits with Carl Reiner. So bless him for just being alive, am I right?
But more to the point, we need Mel Brooks now more than ever. We need to stop taking everything so seriously. To laugh at—and with—each other, arm in arm. To look back at our past through the lens of farce and parody, and just take a breather. Have some fun, damn it. Did you know that one of the original tag lines for Part I was “a little something to offend everyone?”
Now that’s my kind of movie.
The trailers for History of the World, Part II look spot on, like they didn’t even miss a beat. Except for the new names, this could have come out that next summer back in 1982. Like the original, Brooks has pulled in a veritable who’s who list of comedy greatness: Jack Black, Johnny Knoxville, Seth Rogan, Sarah Silverman, and Danny Devito, just to name check a few. This legendary genius who gave us such cult classics as Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and Spaceballs is now unleashed into our modern world of limited series prestige television events. I am really looking forward to this one.
History of the World, Part II premieres on Hulu on March 6, 2023