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Gene Wilder, ‘Willy Wonka’ Star and Comedic Icon, Dies at 83
- Thread starter S.B.G
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I just spotted this on Twitter, and confirmed with a report on the BBC.
How sad.
I really liked this guy - he made some lovely sharp comedy, laugh our loud, but barbed and thought provoking underneath: Who can forget "Blazing Saddles" (which was hilarious in parts) and the perennial classic "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" - not to mention "The Producers" (which was brilliant) and "Silver Streak" which I also really liked (Patrick McGoohan as a really nasty piece of work was a bonus).
Thanks for starting this thread @SandboxGeneral.
I especially enjoyed his parts in "Willy Wonka" and "Young Frankenstein".
He will always be The Waco Kid to me.
Oh damn... that sucks.. 
Loved him in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If anything, that and Blazing Saddles were the benchmark for him.
But what turned me onto him was not only the movies he did with Richard Pryor (Stir Crazy, Bustin' Loose) comes to mind, but my parents instantly remember him from 1984's The Woman in Red.
Definitely will be missed, and I guess we know what we'll be queuing up for Netflix for the kids this weekend.
BL.
Loved him in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If anything, that and Blazing Saddles were the benchmark for him.
But what turned me onto him was not only the movies he did with Richard Pryor (Stir Crazy, Bustin' Loose) comes to mind, but my parents instantly remember him from 1984's The Woman in Red.
Definitely will be missed, and I guess we know what we'll be queuing up for Netflix for the kids this weekend.
BL.
Man he was my favorite too.
Rest in Peace Gene.
Rest in Peace Gene.
RIP Gene.
My favorite Gene Wilder movie:
My favorite Gene Wilder movie:
Agreed. And when I think back on it, it is weird to think that his and Richard Pryor's timing would ever work... but it did. I mean, most other comedy duos seemed to work so fluidly: Laurel/Hardy, George/Gracie Allen, Martin/Lewis.. well, Dean and Jerry were unusual, as Lewis was more slapstick. But seeing how raunchy things were in the 70s with Pryor, you'd think that he and Redd Foxx would have worked better than Wilder.. so it was so unusual to have Wilder and Pryor. Again, not just so unusual.. but fantastic.
Case in point: The jail scene from Stir Crazy (NSFW: Language):
BL.
Wow, sad news. Blazing Saddles, Silver Streak, Willy Wonka, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, the list goes on...
I have to admit that Gene and Richard Pryor were really great together.
I have to admit that Gene and Richard Pryor were really great together.
So many wonderful hours. I was just in love with him. To me, he is definitely Willy Wonka. I'm so glad he's left us with so many wonderful movies, and so many incredible memories.
"If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world?
There's nothing to it"
He changed our world...
R.I.P. Gene, we will miss your presence and humour very much. Thanks for the belly-laughs.
The Frisco Kid with Harrison Ford was an great film and often not listed in these remembrances. They way his character interacted with the Amish, Native Americans and silent monks was fantastic.
Yes, you are quite right; actually, I saw that movie on TV years ago, and it was hilarious.
A genuinely lovely man - the warmth of the tributes that have been paid to him is quite striking - and a terrific and extraordinarily gifted actor.
Sorry to see him go. Rest easy Mr. Wilder until your next time at bat!
One of my all time favorite comedies, which I saw 3 times in the theater.
One of my all time favorite comedies, which I saw 3 times in the theater.
I can easily see him and Richard meeting up before crossing those pearly gates, putting on that rooster-like cripwalk strut, walking through those gates like in Stir Crazy, looking at Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, Glenn Frey, the Rat Pack, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, and everyone else having a blast during their well deserved rest, saying, "uh huh, yeah, that's right, we bad!!"
BL.
BL.
I can easily see him and Richard meeting up before crossing those pearly gates, putting on that rooster-like cripwalk strut, walking through those gates like in Stir Crazy, looking at Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, Glenn Frey, the Rat Pack, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, and everyone else having a blast during their well deserved rest, saying, "uh huh, yeah, that's right, we bad!!"
BL.
... And sitting around a table at the Cloud 9 Tavern discussing if another trip to the Earth Simulator is worth the price of admission.