KING: How did "Young Frankenstein" come about?
.
.
.
WILDER: And I finished the film. I loved it. I went back East. And it was March or April and I had a little place in West Hampton Beach, Long Island. And after lunch, I took a yellow legal pad and a blue felt pen and I wrote "Young Frankenstein" on top.
And then for two pages, I thought what could happen to me if I suddenly found out that I was an heir to both Beaufort von Frankenstein's whole estate in Transylvania. And I finished the two pages. I called Mel. I told him, well, I says, cute. Cute. That's all I said. And then later on that summer, Mike Medavoy, who was my agent at the time, is that anything for you and Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman? I said, what made you think of that combination? He says, because I now handle you and Peter and Marty.
I said, well, what a wonderful artistic basis. As it happened, I think I do. Send it to me. I said, no. Give me another day or two. And I wrote two more pages. The Transylvania station -- almost verbatim the way it is. And then put an ending on it.
KING: Track 29?
WILDER: Yes, yes. And Mike Medavoy called me and said, I think I can sell this. What do you think about Mel directing? I said, yes, I'd love it. But you're whistling Dixie, because he won't direct something he didn't conceive of.
But you have to remember that Mel spent two years on "The Producers" and made $25,000 a year. He spent the next two years on "The Twelve Chairs," $25,000 a year. Neither one made a penny. Joe Levine made money, but Mel didn't. They were offering him $250,000 or $25,000 or whatever, to direct this. And he said, yes. He called me. He said, what are you getting me into? I said, nothing you don't want to get into. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Next day they, we signed Mel. And...
