Adapting film parody for the sitcom format: Mel Brooks's When Things Were Rotten (1975) and The Nutt House (1989). (8th May 2012)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Adapting film parody for the sitcom format: Mel Brooks's When Things Were Rotten (1975) and The Nutt House (1989). (8th May 2012)
- Main Title:
- Adapting film parody for the sitcom format: Mel Brooks's When Things Were Rotten (1975) and The Nutt House (1989)
- Authors:
- Symons, Alex
- Abstract:
- The landmark sitcom studies by Brett Mills, Janet Staiger and David Marc have previously identified a tendency in the 'mainstream' American sitcom towards standardized production values, predictable storylines and socially 'conservative' comedy. However, Mel Brooks's projects When Things Were Rotten (1975) and The Nutt House (1989) are from a different tradition. Following in the 'intermedial' approach employed by André Gaudreault, this article examines the way Brooks constructed these shows by adapting material from his own 'surreal' Hollywood parody films – in particular, Blazing Saddles (1974) and Young Frankenstein (1974). By adapting the conventions of film 'parody' to the sitcom format, Brooks's sitcoms – along with similar shows by others – were 'innovative' and untypical to the tradition. More importantly, these intermedial projects suggest that Hollywood film has made a so far neglected contribution to the historical development of the American sitcom that still continues today.
- Is Part Of:
- Journal of adaptation in film & performance. Volume 5:Number 1(2012)
- Journal:
- Journal of adaptation in film & performance
- Issue:
- Volume 5:Number 1(2012)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 5, Issue 1 (2012)
- Year:
- 2012
- Volume:
- 5
- Issue:
- 1
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2012-0005-0001-0000
- Page Start:
- 65
- Page End:
- 78
- Publication Date:
- 2012-05-08
- Subjects:
- Film adaptations -- History and criticism -- Periodicals
Motion pictures and literature -- Periodicals
791.43605 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Journal, id=153/ ↗
http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/index/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1386/jafp.5.1.65_1 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1753-6421
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 6117.xml