Mel Brooks will host Sundance Channel’s Oy! to the World: A Mel Brooks Christmas Marathon on Christmas Day. Throughout the day, he will introduce and offer insights into a selection of his best movies as only he can. The typically modest comic genius said, in a statement to the network, “I want to thank Sundance Channel for giving the world the best Christmas gift ever—23.5 hours of me!”
Oy! to the World will feature such films as The Producers 9both 1968 and 2005 versions), History of the World, Part 1 and Young Frankenstein. The marathon begins at 6/5C, Christmas morning with The Producers (2005) and winds up with Robin Hood: Men in Tights at 3:15/2:15C the next morning.
SUNDANCE CHANNEL TO DECK THE HALLS WITH COMEDY KING MEL BROOKS’ FINEST
Film Series “Oy! to the World: A Mel Brooks Christmas Marathon”
Slated for Christmas Day
New York, NY – December 16, 2013 – This holiday season, Sundance Channel is learning that it’s “good to be the king.” Starting at 6:00 AM ET/PT on Christmas Day 2013, the network will air “Oy! to the World: A Mel Brooks Christmas Marathon,” in which the legendary filmmaker and funny man hosts a marathon of some of his most acclaimed films. Throughout the day, he’ll share personal insights about the making of these movies like only he can. Witty, uncompromising, and hilarious, Brooks’ oeuvre comprises some of the funniest films ever made. From the bumbling descendant of Dr. Victor Frankenstein (“That’s FRONKENSTEEN!”) to the most unscrupulous Broadway producers ever (“Look at me NOW! I’m wearing a cardboard belt!”), his wild stories and zany, ever-quotable one-liners have immortalized themselves in the pantheon of great cinema classics. For a cast of characters as outrageous as any sitting around your table for holiday dinner, viewers are invited to shake up this year’s family tradition.
Beginning with the 2005 adaptation of Brooks’ Tony® Award winning musical The Producers, “Oy! to the World” will continue with the original 1967 classic upon which it was based. The film series will then tell the History of the World Part 1 (1981) before launching into the madcap tale of Young Frankenstein (1974). Last but not least, “Oy! to the World” will come to a bang-up conclusion with the merry band of outlaws brought to life in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). Brooks’ well-known flair for the overstated and absurd can be found in all of these works.
“I want to thank Sundance Channel for giving the world the best Christmas gift ever—23.5 hours of me!” said Brooks in a statement to the network.
Mel Brooks is known worldwide as a film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show “Your Show of Shows.” Brooks found success as a film director in the 1970s, with many of his films being among the top ten money makers of the year that they were released.
A complete listing of the “Oy! to the World: A Mel Brooks Christmas Marathon” films can be found below:
Wednesday, December 25th, 2013:
6:00 AM ET/PT The Producers (2005)
9:00 AM ET/PT The Producers (1968)
11:00 AM ET/PT History of the World, Part 1
1:00 PM ET/PT Young Frankenstein
3:30 PM ET/PT Robin Hood: Men in Tights
5:45 PM ET/PT History of the World, Part 1
7:45 PM ET/PT Young Frankenstein
10:15 PM ET/PT The Producers (1968)
12:15 AM ET/PT The Producers (2005)
3:15 AM ET/PT Robin Hood: Men in Tights
# # #
About Sundance Channel
Sundance Channel is the destination for What’s Next, Now. Showcasing both today’s creative icons and the emerging talent of tomorrow, Sundance Channel tells credible, authentic, and emotionally immersive stories of Invention, Fashion, Film, Travel, Design, and Enterprise. Launched in 1996 and owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc, Sundance Channel provides perspectives dedicated to founder Robert Redford’s mission to celebrate creativity. sundancechannel.com
About AMC Networks Inc.
Dedicated to producing quality programming and movie content for more than 30 years, AMC Networks Inc. owns and operates several of the most popular and award-winning brands in cable television. AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv, and IFC Films produce and deliver distinctive, compelling and culturally relevant content that engages audiences across multiple platforms. The company also operates AMC/Sundance Channel Global, an international programming business, and AMC Networks Broadcasting & Technology, a full-service network programming feed origination and distribution company.