How Mel Brooks Almost Died Making ‘Spaceballs’

The Big Picture

• Mel Brooks’
  Spaceballs
  is a timeless comedy that stands out from modern spoof movies by being universally hilarious, even for those unfamiliar with the original source material it parodies.
• Brooks went to great lengths to bring the characters of
  Spaceballs
  to life, even risking his own health by using toxic gold makeup for his role as Yogurt.
• Spaceballs
  not only satirizes Star Wars but also other science fiction films and franchises, making it a great standalone comedy that still holds up today. A sequel could be successful in the current Star Wars-saturated landscape.

Parody movies can help lampoon recent trends in popular culture, but truly great comedies stand the test of time. This is what differentiates the work of Mel Brooks from modern spoof movies like A Haunted House or Scary Movie; Brooks’ films are universally hilarious, even for those who aren’t familiar with the original source material that he is making fun of. Star Wars fans are bound to get a kick out of Brooks’ uproarious 1987 comedy Spaceballs, but the film is still funny for those who haven’t seen a frame of the franchise. Brooks was able to turn a simple spoof like Spaceballs into an all-time comedy classic, but it was no easy task. In fact, Brooks was so committed to bringing the film’s heroes and villains to life that he nearly gave his life in the name of comedy.

What Is ‘Spaceballs’ About?

Spaceballs reimagines the Galactic Civil War in the galaxy far, far away as a war for fresh air between the Imperial Planet Spaceball and the peaceful world of Druidia — imagine Coruscant and Alderaan from Star Wars if everyone used Mel Brooks’ signature malapropisms. After the ruthless President Skrood (Brooks) of Planet Spaceball proposes a marriage between the Imperial Prince Valium (Jim J. Bullock) and the Druidian Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), the bride-to-be goes on the run to escape a wedding to the narcoleptic bad guy. As Vespa is pursued by Skroob and his ruthless minion Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), she is rescued by the outlaw hero Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his loyal half-human, half-dog companion, Barf (John Candy). Barf seeks the mystical power of an ethereal, impenetrable force known as “The Schwartz.”

How Did Mel Brooks Almost Die on ‘Spaceballs’?

Although the hilarious incompetence of Skroob and his goons adds a lot of comedy to the film, the goofy President isn’t the only Spaceballs character that Mel Brooks personally played. He also popped up in the second half of the film as the wise and powerful “Schwartz keeper” Yogurt, a parody of Yoda’s role in The Empire Strikes Back. Yogurt teaches Lone Starr about the power of the Schwartz, and how to use it for “the upside.” Yogurt is also one of the many characters in the film that break the fourth wall; he shows Vespa, Lone Starr, Barf, and their robot Dot Matrix (Joan Rivers) the various pieces of Spaceballs merchandise created for the film. These items include (but aren’t limited to) T-shirts, action figures, posters, and a flamethrower. This was the part of Spaceballs when things got pretty dangerous for Brooks behind the scenes.

There had already been countless parodies of Yoda’s voice at this point, so Brooks needed to take his process one step further in order to make “Yogurt” feel like a unique character. In order to play an exotic alien wizard, Brooks plastered himself in gold makeup. The fumes of the gold paint damaged his skin, as he told The AV Club in 2012, but he continued to take Benadryl and other medications as he carried on shooting. Although Brooks said that he had been assured that the paint was non-lethal, he discovered that the material was toxic in the midst of production. In the interview, Brooks joked that he was “supposed to chalk it up to show business,” but nearly died as a result of the infection.

Why ‘Spaceballs’ Is the Best ‘Star Wars’ Parody

Although it may have been dangerous for Brooks, Spaceballs holds up very well today compared to other Star Wars parodies and knockoffs. While cartoons such as Robot Chicken, Family Guy, and even Phineas & Ferb have poked fun at the characters in the Star Wars universe, Brooks was able to satirize the nature of Star Wars’ release. The film’s advertising campaign was larger than the film itself and produced an almost innumerable amount of tie-in merchandise. The scene where Yogurt shows Lone Starr the sort of merchandise made for the in-universe Spaceballs movie was intended to be an exaggeration of the types of ridiculous tie-in material that would be produced for Star Wars merchandise.

What’s ironic is that this is the only thing in Spaceballs that hasn’t aged well; compared to the ridiculous amount of merchandise produced for the Star Wars franchise now, the collection of gadgets in the Spaceballs product line feels somewhat tame. While obviously a “Spaceballs flamethrower” is a bit of an exaggeration, it somehow doesn’t feel like that much of a stretch in a world where Tauntaun sleeping bags, Princess Leia headphones, and Funko Pops all exist. The merchandising of the original Star Wars trilogy once thought to be absurd, was not nearly as crazy as the tie-in products created for the prequel trilogy and the Disney era of the franchise.

‘Spaceballs’ Parodies More Than Just ‘Star Wars’

Although many elements of the film are designed to specifically lampoon the major plot beats of the original Star Wars trilogy, Spaceballs also just works as a great science fiction film on its own. Brooks’ incredible attention to detail in crafting the various planets, creatures, and vehicles in the Spaceballs universe made the film stand out amidst a sea of other Star Wars spoofs. Spaceballs also isn’t just directly geared at Star Wars fans; the late great John Hurt reprised his role from Alien during the film’s iconic ending scene, which made fun of the famous “chest-burster” moment from Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 classic. The film also makes jokes at the expense of properties like Star Trek, Indiana Jones, The Muppets, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers, among others.

Although the notion of a sequel titled Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money is brought up as a joke by Yogurt in the first film, Spaceballs is one of the few comedy films that could actually use a continuation. Considering how relevant the material is now that Star Wars is more popular (and more oversaturated) than ever before, seeing Brooks’ version of a “legacy sequel” that brings back the original cast members might actually work. Brooks recently revisited his beloved comedy A History of the World: Part 1 with a Hulu miniseries — could Spaceballs be next?

Spaceballs is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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