Cloris Leachman Challenges Mel Brooks to a fight to win role (NO JOKE)

From IMDb:

"Veteran actress Cloris Leachman has challenged theatre star Mel Brooks to a fight so she can prove she is healthy enough for a role in his forthcoming Broadway musical Young Frankenstein. Leachman, 81, was devastated to learn she had been snubbed for the part of Frau Blucher, Dr. Frankenstein's household servant - a role she originally played in the 1974 movie version of Young Frankenstein - despite having reportedly breezed through the audition process. Theatre insiders told New York Post's gossip column, Page Six, "(Leachman had) a wonderful audition... She was involved in a workshop recently and everyone loved her... but it was obvious she was too old." And Brooks, 80, fears the Broadway musical would be too strenuous for the star. He tells former industry columnist Army Archerd, "We're afraid the show might stop her - it could kill her... We don't want her to die on stage." But Leachman's representative Steve Rohr says, "Cloris challenges Mel to three rounds in the ring, and we'll see who's left standing." "

Okay, this is easily going to be the funniest thing ever.

Mel is one to talk himself he is just one year younger. I say give it to her.

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Geez, ya think this could be a publicity stunt?!?! Anyway, I'll put all my money on Leachman...

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I hope she kicks his ass.

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Ravio,

Have I told you how much I loved you today?


I would have sent a PM, but you don't accept them.

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That's hilarious! I would pay good money to see that fight!

My money's on Leachman too, Popular.

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Good idea! Who's making the shirts? And when can we buy tickets to see this?

Christopher Plummer and Angela Lansbury are in their 80s and are starring on Broadway, albeit in limited runs of plays, but still. It is possible. Leachman is a tough cookie. She is constantly doing TV work even at this age.

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Playing a large featured role 8 times a week in a mega multi million dollar musical at 80 is not a piece of cake.

But it's age discrimination, plain and simple. Who is he to say she can't handle it? Only she knows what she's capable of. And if her performance was amazing as reports were, she's clearly qualified.

Bea Arthur is over 80 and continues to tour in her one-woman show. I would say that touring a nearly two hour show by yourself is the equivalent of a doing a featured role in a mega musical 8 times a week.

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Updated On: 6/15/07 at 03:05 PM

See, I wasn't saying she shouldn't be cast, I was saying that people who are saying that it's not hard have absolutely NO idea what they are talking about.

Being in a Broadway show is not like being in your high school's $25,000 production of Bye Bye Birdie. Sometimes I get the feeling that a lot of posters don't understand that...

There might even be a problem involving insurance on the cast, if potential backers demand it. I don't know how they do it in the theatre but a film will never get the go ahead without insurance being taken out on the lead performers. When one of the leads is elderly or ill (or has other reasons why they might not be able to complete the filming) the studio is unable to insure them - thus no money.

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Isn't this what previews are for? Seeing what works, what doesn't work, and if anything (cast members included) need replacing? Let Leachman play it. She's a professional, she knows her own limits, and if it turns out she can't after all, at least they gave it a shot.

I also like the idea of splitting the role; maybe they could look into that if they find out during previews that eight shows a week isn't on? ^_^

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