Remembering Gene Wilder is Heartfelt and Love Letter for Fans

Between his many onscreen collaborations with Richard Pryor (Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, See No Evil Hear No Evil, and Another You), marrying one of my SNL favs Gilda Radner, partnering up with Mel Brooks and inhabiting the iconic character of Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder is hands down one of my favorite comedic talents.

From his humble beginnings in Milwaukee to the journey on Broadway that would change his life forever, Remembering Gene Wilder eloquently celebrates the life and legacy of this massive talent sharing intimate moments of his private life and final chapter living with Alzheimer’s.  His effortless charisma, piercing blue eyes, warmth and humor is what drew audiences in and kept us engaged for decades. Learning nuggets around his chance meeting with Mel Brooks through future wife Anne Bancroft, struggling with the box office demise of Willy Wonka, right down to the moment when this razor sharp talent couldn’t recall the simplest of details of career highlights are fascinating yet simultaneously heartbreaking.

Although the film expertly chronicles numerous details of his career, more personal accounts are skimmed from talking heads recollections…understandably so.  To the masses, Wilder was beloved for his artistry, but to those who were related to him and loved him in spite of it all, these type of recollections are painful to revisit.

Being obsessed with Willy Wonka, it suffices to say that two of my favorite tales shared are from this film.  Director Mel Stuart wanted Wilder to adhere to the script version which describes Wonka with a limp.  So, Gene was given a cane and asked to appear looking frail in the first scene.  What we end up with is Willy Wonka walking with a cane until he appears to fall into a forward roll amidst thunderous applause from fans at the gate of the factory.  Not planned, but brilliantly executed as it sets up his character as someone who is visibly deceptive.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is a scene toward the end of the film where Charlie and Grandpa Joe confront the chocolatier concerning the promised prize of a lifetime supply of chocolate.  Apparently, it was unrehearsed and took all actor’s off guard.  This is the true mark of an artist living and being in the moment for the sake of authenticity.   These two tales only skip the surface, however, we can all agree that Jerome Silberman was nothing if he wasn’t authentic and is sorely missed.  Yet, his presence is  always within reach with each piece of cinematic yumminess left behind.