History Film / YoungFrankenstein

Wilder is Frederick Frankenstein ("[[PretentiousPronunciation That's Fronkensteen!]]"), grandson of the infamous mad scientist, who is determined to distance himself from the family legacy. When he inherits the family estate in Transylvania, he takes leave of his uptight fiancée Elizabeth (Creator/MadelineKahn) and goes to inspect the property. There he encounters a household staff that includes the hunchbacked servant Igor (Creator/MartyFeldman) who insists on having his name pronounced "Eye-gor" and has a hump that is always changing position from scene to scene, nubile assistant Inga (Creator/TeriGarr), and mirthless housekeeper Frau Blücher ([[HairTriggerSoundEffect *WHINNY*]]) (Creator/ClorisLeachman). Discovering his grandfather's laboratory and private journals, Frederick becomes similarly obsessed with the idea of re-animating the dead, and with Igor's assistance steals the corpse of a recently-hanged criminal; he then tasks Igor with stealing the preserved brain of "scientist and saint" Hans Delbrück, but an accident leads to the brain's destruction and forces Igor to substitute an abnormal brain without Frederick's knowledge. The creature (Creator/PeterBoyle) is animated and proves to be uncontrollably violent, and then Frau Blücher, (*WHINNY*) who was Victor Frankenstein's lover, sets him free...

And, since it keeps coming up, "Blücher" ([[RunningGag *WHINNY*]]) is ''[[CriticalResearchFailure not]]'' the [[http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/blucher.asp German word for "glue"]]; it's [[UrbanLegend just a common misconception]].

* CreepyHousekeeper: Frau Blücher ([[RunningGag *WHINNY!*]]) is the quintessential creepy housekeeper: as you may notice, every time her name is mentioned, horses rear in fear. Also, in regards to Victor Frankenstein: "He... vas... my... BOYFRIEND!"

** Frau Blücher ([[RunningGag *WHINNY*]]) was specifically meant to be a Teutonic version of the imposing Mrs. Danvers from ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}'', and has the same mole under her lip.

* HairTriggerSoundEffect: (*{{beat}}*) Blücher! *WHINNY* ''*grins*''

** Also something of a subversion; Frederick is doing just fine escaping the [[MadScientist family tradition]] (aside from a hamtastic moment in his lecture on neurobiology) until his great-grandfather's will and then his "servant" Frau Blücher (*WHINNY*) railroad him into it.

* LampshadeHanging: After the horses RunningGag is established, Igor stays around, listening intently, and says, "... Blücher." (*WHINNY*) Then grins with satisfaction.

* MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast: Frau Blücher ([[RunningGag *WHINNY*]]) is able to calm the Monster down by playing the violin. Later, it is used to lure him to capture.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Just saying "Frau Blücher" (*WHINNY*) causes horses to rear up in fright. ''Just'' the name; the woman's actual presence doesn't bother them at all.

* NoMatterHowMuchIBeg: Frederick locks himself in a room with the Monster to try to talk to him, and demands that he not be released. Inga and Igor almost release him, but Frau Blücher ([[RunningGag *WHINNY*]]) stops them.

* NuclearCandle: Subtly parodied with candelabra-bearing Frau Blücher's ([[RunningGag *WHINNY*]]) comment "Stay close to the candles, the staircase can be treacherous." None of the candles are in fact lit.

* RunningGag: [[SelfDemonstratingArticle BLÜCHER! *WHINNY!*]]

* TheScottishTrope: [[RunningGag "Blücher!" ''*WHINNY!*'']]

* SherlockScan: Within moments of Blücher (*WHINNY!*) showing Frederick his grandfather's library, Frederick calls her out for hiding the real library, as all the books in this one are too general for Frankenstein's specific practice.

''...Blücher!'' [[OverlyLongGag (*WHINNY*)]]

* HollywoodTorches: Outside Castle Frankenstein. Done deliberately.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: The Monster and Elizabeth.

* WhatHaveIDone: Frederick screams this word for word when the enraged Monster first breaks free.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: "It's Frahnk-en-steen!"

%%* LuckBasedSearchTechnique: "Put - the candle - back!" Part of the parody is that Dr. Frankenstein ''was'' using legitimate means to search for it before the trope kicked in
* TheMadnessPlace: Frederick enters this state after reading Victor's instructive book, and while creating his monster, though it fizzles out after the experiment seems to fail. A deleted scene shows it can be induced by the [[{{Leitmotif}} family lullaby]].

* NonverbalMiscommunication: A game of charades while Frankenstein is being strangled ends up with Igor and Inga thinking he's trying to say "sedagive". Inga realizes he means "sedative" and the Monster is sedated, and Frankenstein furiously shouts ''"SEDAGIVE?!?!" upon being released.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Most of the villagers in Transylvania. (Strangely, one exception is a young boy.) It gets to the point where Inspector Kemp's authentic-sounding accent is barely intelligible.

* IdenticalGrandson: The Frankensteins-- a portrait of Victor looks very much like Frederick. Also Igor as well, probably.

* HollywoodTorches: Outside Castle Frankenstein. Done deliberately.

* IntimateHealing: PlayedForLaughs. At one point Frankenstein feels really bad and Inga keeps saying things like "If only there was something I could do to ease your mental torment". Cut to the two of them in bed together.

* InTheBlood: "Destiny! Destiny! No escaping death for me!" The song "Transylvanian Lullaby" is also described as being in the family blood.
** Also something of a subversion; Frederick is doing just fine escaping the [[MadScientist family tradition]] (aside from a hamtastic moment in his lecture on neurobiology) until his great-grandfather's will and then his "servant" Frau Blücher (*WHINNY*) railroad him into it.

* IWantMyMommy: Frederick calls for mama in his breakdown after the failure at reanimation. Later, after Frederick explains to Inga and Igor that they shouldn't let him out of the room with the monster, [[NoMatterHowMuchIBeg no matter what he says]], he closes the door then [[OhCrap immediately reconsiders]], capping it off with '''[[BigWordShout MOMMY!]]'''

* DrFrankenstein: Frederick Frankenstein is grandson of Victor. He ends up following in his grandfather's footsteps of reanimating the dead after finding his grandfather's journals.

* TheChewToy: For a dangerous hulking creature, the Monster has a quite a lot of painful things happen to him, especially caused by the blind hermit.

* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Inspector Kemp's introduction, where he tries to establish how tough he is by setting his fingertips on fire, lighting a cigarette with them, then dipping his fingers in a glass of water. The illusion is ruined by the fact that he can't move his arm on its own and it makes creaking noises, making it abundantly clear that it's a prosthetic.

* AssholeVictim: The policeman who torments the Monster while he's chained up and helpless. It's almost a relief when the Monster throttles him a moment later.[[note]]He's played by Oscar Beregi, who played an ''even worse'' Asshole Victim in the ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}} episode [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E74DeathsHeadRevisited "Death's-Head Revisited."]] Maybe he just Plays Great Assholes.[[/note]]

* AssholeVictim: The policeman who torments the Monster while he's chained up and helpless. It's almost a relief when the Monster throttles him a moment later.

* OnOneCondition: A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr8xYH9ork8 deleted scene]] explains how Frederick inherited the estate of his very distant and disliked great-grandfather: said Baron Frankenstein had left his estate to his much closer relatives, naming each of them specifically, to be divided up evenly, unless Frederick had of his own choosing become a doctor and achieved some esteem in his field. As this had indeed happened, all the money and property went to him. The idea was that the Baron wanted to give his inheritance to someone who would have some chance of erasing the stain on his family name.
** Frederick also had to meet the terms before the day Baron Frankenstein would become one hundred years old. Said Baron Frankenstein left instructions that his will was not to be read until then.

Creator/MelBrooks and Creator/GeneWilder's AffectionateParody of the classic Franchise/UniversalHorror films of the [[TheThirties 1930s]]. Appearing in 1974, shot in [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white]] using [[PropRecycling laboratory props]] from the original ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' and starring a cast of comedic actors all at the very height of their talents.

Creator/MelBrooks and Creator/GeneWilder's [[AffectionateParody loving parody]] of the classic Franchise/UniversalHorror films of the [[TheThirties 1930s]]. Appearing in 1974, gorgeously shot in [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white]] using [[PropRecycling laboratory props]] from the original ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' and starring a cast of brilliant comedic actors all at the very height of their talents, it is generally regarded as one of the funniest and most quotable movies ever made.

It is reported that the cast and crew had so much fun making this movie that they ''added in extra scenes'' just to keep it going.

* {{Corpsing}}: Was understandably a problem throughout the shoot. In several scenes you can see Gene Wilder is just barely holding it together.
** It's one of the rare films where the ''crew'' had issues with corpsing--the "baggage" scene made them laugh so hard that it ruined takes.
*** It actually ''saved'' one scene in the film! Brooks agreed that the "Puttin' On The Ritz" scene would only remain if he saw how much it made people laugh. He told the crew that, if they started chuckling, to cover their mouths with a handkerchief. Come the day of their shoot, there was not an uncovered mouth in the room and the scene stayed.
*** The immediate fade to black after the blind man's "I was going to make espresso" was Creator/GeneHackman improvising and the cut was done where it was because the crew started laughing right after.

Wilder is Frederick Frankenstein ("[[PretentiousPronunciation That's Fronkensteen!]]"), grandson of the infamous mad scientist, who is determined to distance himself from the family legacy. When he inherits the family estate in Transylvania, he takes leave of his uptight fiancée Elizabeth (Creator/MadelineKahn) and goes to inspect the property. There he encounters a household staff that includes the hunchbacked servant Igor (Creator/MartyFeldman) who insists on having his name pronounced "Eye-gor" and has a hump that is always changing position from scene to scene, nubile assistant Inga (Creator/TeriGarr), and mirthless housekeeper Frau Blücher ([[HairTriggerSoundEffect *WHINNY*]]) (Creator/ClorisLeachman). Discovering his grandfather's laboratory and private journals, Frederick becomes similarly obsessed with the idea of re-animating the dead, and with Igor's assistance steals the corpse of a recently-hanged criminal; he then assigns Igor with stealing the preserved brain of "scientist and saint" Hans Delbrück, but an accident leads to the brain's destruction and forces Igor to substitute an abnormal brain without Frederick's knowledge. The creature (Creator/PeterBoyle) is animated and proves to be uncontrollably violent, and then Frau Blücher, (*WHINNY*) who was Victor Frankenstein's lover, sets him free...

!!The film contains examples of:

''Young Frankenstein'' was adapted into a [[TheMusical Broadway musical]] in 2007, albeit less successfully than ''The Producers'' a few years earlier. In 2020 ABC selected it for their annual live musical, though this did not come to pass due to COVID-19.

!!That's TROPE-EN-STEEN!:

** This is expanded and made LighterAndSofter in TheMusical with the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Cg7ptCQX8 "Deep Love".]] The act has Elizabeth singing, fireworks going off and both her and the Monster [[SmokingHotSex smoking]]. Elizabeth comes out looking like the Film/BrideOfFrankenstein.

** TheMusical also gives him a song, "Please Send Me Someone." "Finale Ultimo" has him reprise this, and Frau Blücher (*WHINNY!*) excuses herself -- [[IncrediblyLamePun "I've got a blind date."]]

** Continued no less shamelessly in TheMusical. Frederick, after the big number where his ancestors confront him over denying his heritage: "My relatives were crazy... so crazy... but boy could they ''dance!"''

* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Inga proves a healthy supportive partner to the rather volatile Frederick, especially shown in TheMusical with the song "Listen To Your Heart".

** As well as Christopher Fitzgerald originally in TheMusical. He takes it UpToEleven when Igor leads the village in "Transylvania Mania" to distract them from the Monster's moaning--and it gets worked into the number, with Frederick and Inga joining in.

** TheMusical also has "Join the Family Business" as a number where the ghosts of Victor Von Frankenstein and other ancestors iron that point home.

** TheMusical gave the song "Deep Love" where Elizabeth sings about it, and the Monster also reprises the song in "Finale Ultimo" and proposes to her in his version. [[spoiler: She accepts.]]

** The song "Join the Family Business" in TheMusical ends in a very blatant one. "Do not make a fuss!/There's nothing to discuss/You must be one of us,/''young Fraaaankensteeeiiin!''"

* TheUnintelligible: Inspector Kemp borders on this, even with his fellow countrymen. (See Title Drop above.)
** The Monster also qualifies before Frederick gives him some of his intelligence. TheMusical uses this for effect for two numbers:
*** "Transylvania Mania" has Igor, Frederick and Inga trying to cover up The Monster's musical moaning with the song and later, the village joins in as well as a trombone.
*** "Puttin' On The Ritz" has The Monster do a scat-singing solo, showing he knows the tune even if he can't say the words.

!! Tropes specific to the musical:
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Inspector Kemp is far more unhappy about Frederick and his arrival, while in the original film he urged giving him a chance before making a judgment.
* BigDamnHeroes: Lampshaded by Frederick [[spoiler: when he's about to be hanged. It appears to be subverted after the doctor is actually hanged, but Elizabeth returning and the monster using his intelligence to save Frederick saves the day.]]
-->''Isn't there anyone who could save me at the last second?!''
* DarkReprise: "Frederick's Soliloquy" has the same tune as "Life, Life" (where Frederick is trying to coax Fate to let the Monster he's assembled live), but the village is about to hang him, and here he's accepted who he finally is without regrets. [[spoiler: The newly-intelligent Monster realizes the hanged Frederick is unconscious, not dead, and is able to revive him.]]
* GagPenis: In addition to the monster's enormous Schwanzstüke, the late Victor von Frankenstein once won a three-legged race ''all by himself''.
* HereWeGoAgain: In the final number of the musical, Frederick is approached by a Dracula Expy inquiring about the castle. Frederick says it isn't for sale. He's planning to live there, because:
-->I'm going to join the family business, \\
Learn the family trade,\\
Make another monster,\\
Make the world afraid!\\
We can take a hayride when we're on our honeymoon,\\
And make the Film/SonOfFrankenstein, the [[SequelHook sequel's coming soon]]!
** And in the finale:
--->Together again 'til the next time
--->We're mighty glad that you came
--->Like Byron and Shelley
--->Like pickles and deli
--->Like ping-pong and paddles
--->Maybe next year, ''Film/BlazingSaddles''!!
* [[IAmSong "He Vas" Song"]]: Frau Blücher (*WHINNY*)[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g37mtvbQCoI has a song]] about Victor in the Musical, complete with EvilLaugh and vamping by Andrea Martin for "He Vas My Boyfriend." Doubles as a VillainSong as she hints he wasn't too nice a guy other than the sex.
* TheLoinsSleepTonight: From "Listen To Your Heart":
-->As for Immanuel Kant, all the girls in town knew that Kant, kouldn't.
* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: "The Happiest Town in Town".
* RealJokeName: Frederick claims to have once been a Wiffenpoof while at Yale during "Together Again". Strange as it may seem to anyone who didn't go to an Ivy League school, the Wiffenpoofs are a real student a capella chorus group based at Yale University.
* PairTheSpares: At the end of the play, Frau Blücher (*WHINNY*) hooks up with the blind hermit.
-->''"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a blind date!"''
* RepriseMedley: "Finale Ultimo".
* ScienceHerosBabeAssistant: Inga is the attractive blonde assistant to Dr. Frankenstein, a MadScientist. Her misunderstanding of his instructions creates several humorous scenes. Her appearance is a source of sex comedy, and she ends up paired with Dr. Frankenstein.
* SleepsWithEveryoneButYou: Implied in "Please Don't Touch Me":
-->'''Elizabeth:''' Oh, Frederick, I know you're a virgin.\\
'''Frederick:''' Yes, science has always come first.\\
'''Elizabeth:''' And as every guy in New York knows, I come first too.
* TemptingFate: "I may just be the village idiot, but what are the odds of a New York doctor ever coming to Transylvania?"
* TraumaButton: Because of what happened to him back at the lab, the monster is terrified of fire. It also [[BerserkButton sends him into a violent frenzy]].

In 2003, this movie was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. Two other works by Mel Brooks share this honor, ''Film/TheProducers'' and ''Film/BlazingSaddles''. (All three films also star or co-star Gene Wilder.) ''Young Frankenstein'' was adapted into a [[TheMusical Broadway musical]] in 2007, albeit less successfully than ''The Producers'' a few years earlier. In 2020 ABC selected it for their annual live musical, though this did not come to pass due to COVID-19.

-->'''Igor:''' You’re putting me on.
-->'''Frankenstein:''' No, it’s pronounced Fronkensteen.

-->'''Igor:''' Well, why isn’t it Froderick Fronkensteen?
-->'''Frankenstein:''' It isn’t. It’s Frederick Fronkensteen.

-->'''Igor:''' No, it’s pronounced EYE-gor.

-->'''Igor:''' Well, they were wrong then, weren’t they?