A Candid New Film about legendary Comedian Gene Wilder

Summary

All of It (WNYC): “A Candid New Film about Legendary Comedian Gene Wilder”

Aired: March 12, 2024
Host: Kusha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Ron Frank (director, Remembering Gene Wilder)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the legacy and humanity of Gene Wilder, one of film’s most beloved comedic actors, through the lens of the new documentary Remembering Gene Wilder. Host Kusha Navadar talks with filmmaker Ron Frank about Wilder’s complex life, his storied career, his relationships (on- and off-screen), and the process of making a film that honors the humor, sensitivity, and authenticity of his subject. Listener calls and texts pepper the conversation with personal anecdotes and favorite Gene Wilder moments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Genesis of the Documentary (05:01)

• Ron Frank shares that his first exposure to Wilder was as a teenager watching Blazing Saddles:

  “The first time I saw him, he was hanging upside down in a jail cell... I couldn't get over his hair." (05:10)

• The documentary originated from a suggestion by executive producers David Knight and Julie Nimoy. The Nimoys were friends of the Wilders, adding a personal link.
• The documentary includes Gene’s own words—taken from his audiobook autobiography—narrating his own story.

2. Gene Wilder’s Early Life & The Origin of His Humor (06:09)

• Wilder’s mother’s illness played a pivotal role: after she suffered a heart attack, a doctor told Gene, “Don’t make your mother angry, you might kill her. Try to make her laugh.”

  “Now, that's a serious burden to put on a young kid. But that's how he started. He tried to make her laugh, and he quite succeeded.” – Ron Frank (06:41)

• Influences: Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy shaped his comedic style.

3. Broadway Beginnings & Meeting Mel Brooks (07:31)

• Wilder performed as a supporting actor until Mother Courage brought him alongside Anne Bancroft—Mel Brooks’ partner.
• Mel Brooks saw Wilder’s performance and declared, “This guy is Leo Bloom,” casting him in The Producers (07:47).

4. Listener Tributes to Overlooked Roles (08:33)

• Callers recall favorite less-mainstream Wilder roles, e.g., Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx:

  “It’s a very funny and very poignant, very moving movie.” – Joan (08:47)

• Frank notes the difficulty in choosing which films to highlight but praises these hidden gems.

5. The Producers and Comedy’s Staying Power (10:45)

• Paul from Essex County highlights the “My blue blankie” meltdown scene.

  “It was kind of a way for us to break tension or maybe remind the kids about how silly some important thing might be.” (11:15)

• Ron Frank:

  “That scene actually is what got the movie financed... Sidney just exploded in laughter and said, 'That’s it. We’re going to make this movie.'” (11:57)

6. Willy Wonka’s Legacy (12:28)

• The original release of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) flopped at the box office—deemed “too dark for children” by 1970s parents. Its legacy was secured through home video:

  “The reason why we speak about it today is because of VHS and DVD.” (13:21)

• Wilder’s Wonka was intentionally mysterious, balancing joy with underlying menace.
• Clip played: The chilling boat ride ("There's no earthly way of knowing...") (14:08-15:03)

7. Real-Life Roots of Wilder’s “Madness” (15:22)

• Frank explains that Wilder's ability to play “mad” characters was informed by his work in a psychiatric hospital while in the army:

  “The madness that he saw influenced him and his range.... He has madness in almost every one of his movies. As Mel [Brooks] said, he could burst like a volcano.” (15:48)

8. Personal Anecdotes & Off-Screen Personality (17:02)

• Robert from Bergen County (caller, 17:02) shares a memorable personal encounter as a driver on a set:

  “I waited for almost an hour. And during that hour, I heard barrels of laughter coming out of the room.... [Wilder] just had everybody, I guess, rolling during the read-through.... Wonderful, kind, gentle man.”

• Frank affirms:

  “He had a very calm demeanor... He just focused on you and was a true friend to the people that knew him.” (19:03)

9. Young Frankenstein and the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” Scene (19:35)

• Frank recounts the only creative dispute between Wilder and Mel Brooks about including the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” musical number:

  “That was Gene’s idea... Mel finally relented because Gene believed in it so much. And Mel conceded that it’s probably the best thing in the movie.” (20:33)

• Wilder insisted Brooks direct, but didn’t want him acting in Young Frankenstein—a testament to their collaborative honesty.

10. The Gilda Radner Relationship (23:43)

• Caller Stella inquires about the impact of Gilda Radner on Wilder.
• Frank discusses their passionate but complicated marriage, shaped by Radner’s health struggles:

  “Gene helped her out through all of it. And he rose to the occasion in terms of helping Gilda through her illness.... He did, incidentally, establish Gilda Clubs to help other people that were going through cancer.” (24:15)

11. Laughter as a Remedy in Troubled Times (25:19)

• Frank wraps up on the documentary’s purpose:

  “These are challenging times right now... And we believe that it is, it’s a good time to know that we can still laugh. And that’s what this film does.” (25:28) “It’s kind of the experience of life, if you will. And we feel that it’s a good time to break away and laugh at life. Laugh with Gene and Mel.” (25:46)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ron Frank, on Wilder’s emotional core:

  “Gene was a guy who really listened when you talked to him. He was both wonderful on screen and off.” (19:03)

• Mel Brooks via Ron Frank, on Wilder’s unique energy:

  “He could burst like a volcano.” (15:48)

• On the collaborative genius with Mel Brooks:

  “They were a team like, you know, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.” (22:45)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:36 – Kusha introduces Gene Wilder’s legacy and sets up the interview
• 05:01 – Ron Frank on discovering Wilder and the documentary’s origins
• 06:09 – Wilder’s childhood and responsibility to make his mom laugh
• 07:31 – First meeting with Mel Brooks and stage-to-film transition
• 08:39 – Listener Joan recalls Quacks or Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx
• 10:45 – Listener Paul discusses “My Blue Blanket” scene
• 12:28 – Discussion of Willy Wonka’s reception and Wilder’s performance
• 14:08 – Iconic “Boat Ride” scene played
• 15:22 – Wilder’s service in a psychiatric hospital shapes his characters
• 17:02 – Listener Robert’s on-set story reflects off-screen kindness
• 19:35 – “Young Frankenstein” and “Puttin’ on the Ritz” scene origin
• 23:43 – Caller Stella asks about Gilda Radner’s influence
• 25:19 – Ron Frank on the importance of laughter and the film’s message

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The Tone and Feel of the Conversation

The conversation balances warmth, humor, and reverence—mirroring Wilder’s own spirit. Frank and the callers exude genuine admiration, sharing personal memories and anecdotes. The tone is candid and affectionate, inviting listeners to reconsider Wilder not just as a comedian, but as an artist shaped by vulnerability, empathy, and the drive to make others laugh—even (and especially) in difficult times.

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Summary Takeaway

Remembering Gene Wilder aims to capture and celebrate the full arc of Wilder’s life: from the boy who made his mother laugh, through iconic roles like Leo Bloom and Willy Wonka, to his devotion as a husband and friend. The episode suggests Wilder’s genius came not just from comic timing, but from real humanity—a legacy well worth rediscovering, and laughing with, today.

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For those who haven’t listened:
This episode offers a deeply personal and wide-ranging exploration of Gene Wilder’s career and character, rich with behind-the-scenes stories, thoughtful listener tributes, and a sense of comic resilience fit for our times.

Transcript

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[Ron Frank]

Can I take your order, miss?

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[Kusha Navadar]

This is all of it. What's going on? Wnyc? I'm Kusha Navadar, in for Alison Stewart. It is such a joy to be with you. A reminder. Our march get lit with all of it book club is happening in a little over two weeks. We are reading Anita Damonte Laughs Last by Xochil Gonzalez. The novel tells the story of two women. A once famous artist named Anita Damonte, who died tragically and has been mostly forgotten, and Raquel, the student who decides to research Anita for her senior thesis. But the deeper Raquel digs, the more she starts to wonder if her own story is starting to mirror Anita's. New Yorkers can download a free e copy of the book thanks to our partners at the New York Public Library and join us in person on Thursday, March 28 at 6pm for a conversation about the novel with Xochil Gonzalez. Tickets are free, but you have to reserve them in advance. So for more information, head to www.wnyc.org getlit and happy reading. Okay, that's in the future. Right now, let's get this hour started with the documentary Remembering Gen Wilder. We're going to kick off this hour with the musical stylings of Dr. Frankenstein and his abomination.

[McDonald's Employee]

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[Kusha Navadar]

If you don't recognize it, that's the iconic puttin on the ritz scene from the film Young Frankenstein starring and written by Gene Wilder. It was his writing debut. He had already earned a name for himself as Leo Bloom in Mel Brooks the Producers and as Willy Wonka. Gene Wilder would go on to bring a realness, a real sweetness to some pretty absurd comedy roles. And over his career, he'd become one of Hollywood's most beloved actors. Wilder died in 2016 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. But now a new documentary called Remembering Gene Wilder brings us into his storied career behind the camera and in front of it. So let's talk about the film and about Gene Wilder's life and work with documentary filmmaker Ron Frank. Ron, welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us.

[Ron Frank]

Thank you, Kusha, Great to be here.

[Kusha Navadar]

And listeners, we want to hear from you. When you think about Gene Wilder, is there a performance of his that you remember? What are your favorite lines of his or scenes that really make you appreciate his range or maybe you were lucky enough to see him on stage at some point? Text us, give us a call. Here's our number, 212-433-9692. That's 212433, WNYC. So, Ron, how well did you know Gene Wilder's story before you started this project? And when did you decide you wanted to make him a subject?

[Ron Frank]

Well, my history goes back to when I was a teenager and I saw him on the, on the big screen. The first time I saw him, he was hanging upside down in a jail cell and that was Blazing Saddles. Couldn't get over his hair. His hair was like wild. And it intrigued me that a guy like that I had wild hair too. And it intrigued me that a guy like that could make it on the silver screen. I've always been interested In Gene and the Producers, Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, probably my favorite films of his, as well as the Frisco Kid. The inception of this came about because of our wonderful executive producers, David Knight and Julie Nimoy. Julie being the daughter of Leonard Nimoy, and I had worked with them on a film about Leonard, and we decided it was actually David and Julie's idea to work on a film about Gene Wilder. The Wilders and the Nimoys were friends, so that's how it started.

[Kusha Navadar]

In the beginning of the documentary, there's a story about Gene Wilder being told that him making his sick mom laugh would help save her life. I found that part very interesting, and I think viewers would really appreciate knowing. How did his mother's illness shape him as a comic actor?

[Ron Frank]

Well, Gene was always a big fan of early television. That would be Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, the comedians. And in movies, Charlie Chaplin was a big idol, Laurel and Hardy, so that's how he grew up. And the when. When his mother had a heart attack, the doctor informed Gene, don't make your mother angry. You might kill her. Try to make her laugh. Now, that's a serious burden to put on a young kid. But that's how he started. He tried to make her laugh, and he quite succeeded. And so from there, he got into acting. He knew at an early age that he wanted to be an actor, and then that took him to New York, Broadway, and eventually to movies.

[Kusha Navadar]

And what does the beginning of his acting career look like before he meets Mel Brooks?

[Ron Frank]

He was doing Broadway shows. He was in a film, not film, a Broadway show called Mother Courage with Anne Bancroft, and that was his latest. He had done a few others before then, but more or less always as a supporting actor. In Mother Courage, which closed, he met Mel Brooks for the first time because Mel was dating Ann Bancroft. And he met Mel backstage. They had a wonderful meeting. And Mel was at the time writing a wonderful script called Springtime for Hitler, which eventually became the Producers. And he saw immediately when he watched Gene on stage and Mother Courage, he saw immediately that this guy is my accountant. The role that would be played with 0 Mostel. This guy is Leo Bloom. And he knew it immediately. And so that's how they started their relationship.

[Kusha Navadar]

We're starting to get some calls coming in. Let's go to Joan in Manhattan. Hi, Joan.

[Joan / Stella (Callers)]

Oh, hi. Yeah, I'm a fan of a movie that no one ever mentions. And I don't know if anybody saw it, but the 1970, a very early film. It was called Quacks or Fortune has a cousin in the Bronx, and he plays an Irish guy who is madly in love with Margot Kidder. I think it was an upper class woman. So part of the plot is that she's a wealthy woman and he's madly in love with her and she's just playing with him. She doesn't take him at all seriously. His other problem is that that he makes a living in a very strange way. There are horses. This takes place in the 30s, I guess, and there are lots of horses in the street. He scoops up the poop of the horses and he sells it to farmers for fertilizer. And now there are very few horses left and he's considering moving to the Bronx where he has a cousin. But he comes up with a very clever way of making a living, which I won't tell you. You should watch the movie. I don't want to spoil it, but it's a very funny and very poignant, very moving movie.

[Kusha Navadar]

Joan, thank you. So not heard of that one. But, Ron, I'm assuming that you have heard of that movie.

[Ron Frank]

We. I did and I watched it. It is a wonderful movie, Very charming. You know, Gene did a lot of these kind of low budget independent films in the early 70s. That film, the Little Prince he did was another one. He did Start the Revolution without me with Donald Sutherland. We went through most of it, almost all of his films, and it was tough to select. You can imagine how hard it was to select excerpts and which clips we would show. We thought about it, but that was one that we did not choose. Several of the other independents, we didn't either. We didn't have Gene to talk to go into detail about what that experience was like. And quite frankly, he didn't elaborate it in his autobiography. We used his autobiography, which he recorded as an audiobook, as the storyteller. So Gene is heard in first person throughout the film.

[Kusha Navadar]

One of the movies that does come up that you mentioned too, before is the Producers, and we have a caller who'd like to talk about that, Paul from Essex County. Hi, Paul. Welcome to the show.

[Paul (Caller)]

Hi, how are you today?

[Kusha Navadar]

Wonderful, thank you.

[Paul (Caller)]

Yes, getting back to the original producers, 1967, it's the scene where Bialystok takes Bloom's security blanket and Bloom kind of launches into this mini breakdown. My Blue Blanket. I can't even mimic it, but it was a quote that I've been using since an adolescent. It carried over to my kids. They're now adults. And it was kind of a way for us to break tension or to Maybe remind the kids about how silly some important thing might be. Just kind of repeating it in almost bloom fashion. My blue blankie. And then kind of mumbling off into gibberish. There are some clothes in Blazing Saddles, but I'm pretty sure we can't use those on the radio. Everything's context. But I do have to say, if I had one, it would be my blue blanket.

[Kusha Navadar]

Paul, thank you so much for that call. And it was a pivotal movie. Ron, I see you about to say something. Go ahead.

[Ron Frank]

Yes. You know, that scene actually is what got the movie financed. Mel was pitching the movie to Sidney Glaser, who was the financier and one of the producers of the Producers. And he read. Sidney said, read me this script. So Mel read him parts of the script. And when he got to that scene, Sidney just exploded in laughter and said, that's it. We're going to make this movie. So that's what sold it, the blue blanket.

[Kusha Navadar]

And Paul, thank you so much again for that call talking about that blue blanket. I think for different generations, there are different parts of Gene Wilder's career that just last and really affect you. I know for folks that are from my generation, Willy Wonka played a big role. How did Gene Wilder put his own stamp on one of his most iconic roles, Frank or Ron? Sorry?

[Ron Frank]

Well, Willy Wonka. It's interesting, you know, Gene played Willy Wonka in. It's sort of a mysterious, almost a sly way, but joyful. There was always a mystery element with Gene. We interviewed Peter Ostrom, Charlie, who plays Charlie Bucket, the young boy in the movie. The movie didn't do well when it came out. It actually died in the box office. The reason why. One of the main reasons why we speak about it today is because of VHS and dvd. Many generations got to know the movie because of that. So it didn't. It didn't do well. And the reason why some say it didn't do well is because it. It was. Mothers thought it was too harmful to children because kids kind of disappear in that movie. And so mothers didn't. You know, again, this is the early 70s. Mothers just didn't take their kids to that. To that movie.

[Kusha Navadar]

We've got a clip from Gene Wilder's Wonka that really shows his range, how he can go from zero to screaming madness. Kind of alluding to what you're talking about with mothers being worried. Let's listen to a bit of the boat ride down the chocolate river there's.

[McDonald's Employee]

No earthly way of mowing he's singing which direction we are going. There's no knowing where we're rowing or which way the river's flowing. Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is a hurricane a glowing? Not a speck of light is showing. So the danger must be growing. Are the fires of hell a glowing? Is the grizzly reaper mowing? Yes, the danger must be growing for the rowers keep on rowing and they're certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing.

[Kusha Navadar]

That was pretty intense. We just in fact got a text from a listener saying, I remember watching as a kid, it was so intense after he, Gene Wilder had been so mean to Charlie. And then I'll never forget that moment where he put his hand over the gobstopper and says that line. Huge range here, Ron. Right. Do you think Gene was always trying to make people laugh or more.

[Ron Frank]

Well, it's interesting, you know, our writer Glenn Kirschbound found an analogy, a connection with that scene and Gene's earlier life. Gene was drafted in the army and he chose to. Well, he would positioned in a here in the United States, in Pennsylvania, in a psychiatric hospital. He spent time working in a psychiatric hospital. He claimed, and he told us this in his autobiography, that that was a learning experience for him. The madness that he saw influenced him and his range. And we saw, and Glenn saw the connection between something like that and particularly in Willy Wonka. I mean, he has madness in almost in every one of his movies. As Mel said, Mel Brooks said he could burst like a volcano. And so that was one of the moments that we thought would show his range and also demonstrate where it came from.

[Kusha Navadar]

This is all of it. I'm Kushan Avadar. I am talking to Ron Frank, the director of Remembering Gene Wilder. And listeners, we love seeing your texts and your calls coming in. We want to know when you think about Gene Wilder, what's a quintessential performance he gave that springs to mind? You can call us or text us at 212-433-9692 or you can hit us up on our socials. We're all of it nyc and we have a caller now, Ron, who I think might have a personal story that'd be super interesting. Robert from Bergen County. Hi, Robert.

[Robert (Caller)]

Hi. Good morning, guys. How are you?

[Kusha Navadar]

Good. How are you?

[Ron Frank]

Good.

[Robert (Caller)]

Hey, back in 1990, I got a call and I was asked to become the personal driver, assistant to Albert Walsky on a film. And I was told I was going to drive around with him and we're going to pick up costumes and stuff from Saks Fifth Avenue. So he Says to me, okay, now I want you to go over to the Paramount building and I want you to go to meet Mr. Gene Wilder on the 30th floor, I think it was, and get his hotel key and tell him I need the three suits back. So I head on over. You know, this is Gene Wilder. I'm going to meet a huge fan of his. And I get to the 30th floor and I get to the receptionist and she says, well, they're doing a read through right now in the room. And I said, okay, how long should it be? And I waited for almost an hour. And during that hour, I heard barrels of laughter coming out of the room. Female laughter, male laughter. And I later find out that, you know, they take a break after an hour and one of the voices sounds very familiar to me. It's a deep, throaty laugh. It's a laugh I knew I should know, but I couldn't place it. And they open the door after an hour and Christine Lahti walks out. She takes a break. And then I see Leonard Nimoy walk out from the room. And I'm a huge Trek fan and I guess something, I don't know deep down inside of me recognized the laugh. But I realized I listened to him laugh for almost an hour. And it was one of the most wonderful and disturbing moments of my entire life. And then I chatted with Gene Wilder and he just had everybody, I guess, rolling during the read through and wonderful, kind, gentle man and gave me his hotel room keys and I got his suit.

[Kusha Navadar]

Wow. Robert, thank you so much for calling in for sharing that personal story. Ron, that makes me wonder, was Wilder's personality different behind the camera? It sounds like he was a joy in so many aspects.

[Ron Frank]

He was, you know, everybody has told us off screen he had a very calm demeanor. You know, Gene's widow, Karen. Karen Wilder told us that, you know, he was a guy who really listened when you talked to him. He was both wonderful on screen and off. He just focused on you and was a true friend to the people that knew him.

[Kusha Navadar]

We just got a text from a listener, or, sorry, we got a tweet from a listener, Philiarose, who says, I was at the gym and they have those little TVs and I didn't have headphones, but Young Frankenstein was on TV and I was on the elliptical and I literally fell off, cracking up, even without sound, because the movie is just so good and I know it by heart. We played a clip from that movie right at the top, and Ron, it's a great time as any to talk about this movie because it's a pivotal one in Wilder's career. His behind the camera debut comes when he starts to write Young Frankenstein. So where in that script do you think we see evidence of his fingerprints and the kind of person he was?

[Ron Frank]

Well, that's an interesting question, but I will say with the clip that you played was a scene putting on the Ritz. That was the only dispute that Mel, who directed the movie, Mel Brooks and Gene wrote it together with Mel, but that was the only dispute that they had, Gene. That was Gene's idea to do this. He wanted to demonstrate the monster's capabilities to a bunch of stuffy old science scientists. And Mel said, no, we're sticking to, you know, the Boris Karloff original. We want to be original here. That's out of place and everything. Mel finally relented because Gene believed in it so much. And Mel conceded that it's probably the best thing in the movie. The. The Gene's character, I think, you know, he had certain volatility. Goes off the wall, you know, as a volcano. Particularly when he says, give my creation life. That's a very famous scene. Then he also, Alan Alda tells us that he had this very calm demeanor when he's talking to Marty Feldman, who played Igor, and about whose brain he put in the monster. And he said, no, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna get angry. Very calm. But you can see him rise up to a state of anger which, you know, brings audiences to extreme laughter every time we screen this film. So he had that range and he. Everybody also. The other thing on the, on the set is everybody was trying to control their laughter. They, they, they broke up. Mel had to do so many takes because people would just laughing and ruining the takes.

[Kusha Navadar]

And, you know, to your point about sparring with Mel Brooks, it would be pretty daring for a debut writer to spar over that scene, given the stature of Mel Brooks. So why do you think it was so important for him to keep that scene in?

[Ron Frank]

Well, Young Frankenstein was Gene's idea. He actually wrote it while he was working on Blazing Saddles and other films. And I think he was very passionate about it. He went up to Mel and said, this is what I'm working on. What do you think? And then he told Mel, this is what I want. I want to write it. I want to write it with you and produce it with you, but I don't want you to be in it. He told Mel, because Mel, of course, was in Blazing Saddles. So I think, all in all, he succeeded. The two of them just worked brilliantly together. Ben Mankiewicz, in our movie, tells us that they were a team like, you know, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They were just close and fed off each other, and that's how they worked. And I think, as I said, Gene was very passionate about the script. He had a certain vision about it, but gave over the directing job to Mel. They. They did get a nomination for, or it may have even won, I can't remember, for Best Screenplay at the Oscars.

[Kusha Navadar]

We have time for just one more caller, so let's talk to Stella in Brooklyn. Hi, Stella. Welcome to the show.

[Joan / Stella (Callers)]

Hi. My question is, Gene Wilder was also married to Gilda Radner, who's also a great comic performer. And I just wondered in your research what you found out about how they influenced each other's work and the impact of that relationship on Gene.

[Kusha Navadar]

Thank you so much, Stella. Ron, go ahead.

[McDonald's Employee]

They.

[Ron Frank]

They fell in love on the movie Hanky Panky. And, you know, Jean, I think Gilda was at the time, not very happy in her marriage. And Alan Zweibel tells us this story. He knew both of them very well, as did his wife Robin, and they fell in love and got married. They had a nice marriage for five years. There were difficulties in the marriage. It wasn't the easiest marriage in the world, I think, not just because Gilda was sick. That was challenging for both of them. But Gilda had entered the marriage with a series of problems, I guess you would call it. She had a drinking problem, and she was also bulimic. And so she had. And, you know, Jean helped her out through all of it. And he rose to the occasion in terms of helping Gilda through her illness. He did, incidentally, establish gilded clubs to help other people that were going through cancer, ovarian cancer for women in particular.

[Kusha Navadar]

Stella, thank you so much for that call. And, Ron, as we're looking, you know, wrapping up, what is. What do you hope people take away from this film?

[Ron Frank]

This film, you know, these are challenging times right now. Some people have told us, is it right to show a film with a Jewish angle to it? Not particularly Jewish, but, you know, now given all the news and everything, and we believe that it is, it's a good time to know that we can still laugh. And that's what this film does. This film helps us laugh. There's some emotional moments, too. It's kind of the experience of life, if you will. And we feel that it's a good time to break away and laugh at life. Laugh with Gene and Mel. And that's why we're quite proud of the film.

[Kusha Navadar]

The film is Remembering Gene Wilder. We've been talking to its director, Ron Frank. Listeners, thank you so much for sending us all of your messages. Continue to do so on social if you'd like. What's your favorite Gene Wilder moment? Handle is llove nyc. Ron, thank you so much.

[Ron Frank]

Thank you. It's been a pleasure.

[McDonald's Customer]

I'mma put you on, nephew.

[Ron Frank]

All right, unc. Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[McDonald's Customer]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years now. It's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.

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