The Wonky Side of Gene Wilder
By Antionette Kerr
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"The suspense is terrible...I hope it'll last.”Gene Wilder
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Growing up there was nothing more magical than the quirky
smile of Gene Wilder and his witty lines as Willy Wonka in "Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory." Born Jerome Silberman, Mr. Wilder died this week
at the age of 83. Throughout his career, he approached each role with comedic
timing, wisecracks and intrigue beyond our imaginations.
He made us laugh in the strangest ways in iconic films such
as "The Producers," "Young Frankenstein,” and "Blazing
Saddles." All of these solidified Wilder’s role as a beloved jokester. But
he stumbled upon acting for more serious reasons.
Wilder first became interested in acting as a young boy
while trying to make his mother laugh after she was diagnosed with rheumatic
fever. A doctor warned him not to display anger or happiness in front of his emotionally
fragile mother.
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"My mother was suffering every day of her life, and what right did I have to be
happy if she was suffering? So whenever I got happy about something, I felt
the need to cut it off, and the only way to cut it off was to pray. 'Forgive me Lord.'
For what, I didn't know."
Gene Wilder
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His family quickly discovered his larger-than-life persona
needed nurturing so they sent the young artist to Black-Foxe military institute
in Hollywood. Wilder stayed there briefly after reports of being bullied and
assaulted due to his Jewish faith.
Later the actor decided that he didn’t like how “Starring
Jerry Silberman” look on playbills. He adopted “Gene” because of Thomas Wolfe's
character, Eugene Gant, in "Look Homeward, Angel" and "Of Time
and the River" and “Wilder” because of his admiration of novelist Thorton
Wilder.
Wilder shared these and other intriguing stories in his 2005
Memoir “Kiss Me Like A Stranger: My Search for Love and Art.” At age 71 when he
penned the book, the comedian was in a position to be brutally honest about
life, love and what I would describe as a career surrounded by lovable weirdos.
The book begins with him walking nervously into a psychiatrist office in 1962,
and sessions discussing serious accounts of his early life and
career.
Probably one of most intriguing influences on Wilder (who
became known as the charming crazy guy in most films) came as he was drafted
into the Army on September 10, 1956 and sent to Fort Sam Houston for training.
He served in the Medical Corps in order to stay near New York City and attend
acting classes. During that time Wilder worked as a paramedic in the Department
of Psychiatry and Neurology at Valley Forge Army Hospital, in Phoenixville,
Pennsylvania.
Wilder lost his mother to a battle with ovarian cancer and
was discharged from the army a year later. He returned to acting school and
survived on unemployment insurance and odd jobs until his big break. It turned
out that the wiry haired man could play "insane" so well he became an
overnight success at 34-years old. Wilder's career soared, starring in many of
famed screenwriter and director Mel Brooks' comedies.
while doing it...Just be real and it will be funnier”
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What intrigued me the most about Wilder’s story was his
camaraderie with Richard Pryor. As a Pryor fan, some of my earliest memories of
Wilder was his portrayal Dave Lyons, a hearing impaired man who witnesses a
murder that Pryor's character hears in "See No Evil, Hear No Evil."
And the mere mention of the duo dressed in zany big chicken costumes from the
film "Stir Crazy" makes me smile.
Little did I know that as "Stir Crazy" was filmed,
Pryor was experiencing problems with drug abuse. In 1980, the same year it was
released, Pryor set himself on fire after freebasing cocaine and drinking
151-proof rum. In 2005, Wilder told the London Independent that the two were
never close socially, and he was not aware of the Pryor’s drug use. “Until he
set fire to himself, when he was freebasing,” he said. “Then I knew.”
Pryor's near-fatal addiction was the subject of his
autobiographical film, "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling." Although
Wilder described his co-star as being difficult to get along with off screen,
the two were inextricably linked together for comedic roles.
The script for the classic comedy, "Trading
Places," was actually developed for him and Pryor. However due to Pryor
being so badly burned, Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy received the lead roles
instead. The 1983 film turned out to be the fourth highest grossing film of the
year— making over $90 million. Meanwhile, Wilder wrote and directed the pair’s
final two films together: "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" (1989) and
"Another You" (1991).
Between side-splitting moments of hilarity from the
comedian’s memoir, Wilder describes his intrigue with other artists, even when
things got complicated.
He fell for Saturday Night Live sweetheart Gilda Radner and
the couple married in September 1984 in the south of France. They made
beautiful movies together and shared moments that Wilder once referred to as
“the best years of my life.”
It wasn’t always easy. Wilder wrote about his beloved's
painful battle with ovarian cancer, describing Radner as a “clinging baby
pulling at my shirtsleeve every minute.” A few sentences later, he describe her
as “the most generous and compassionate and original person I had ever known.”
Radner died on May 20, 1989, at just 42 leaving the comedian heart-broken. He
is survived by his wife of 25 years, Karen Wilder. The pair married in 1991.
Wilder’s nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, confirmed his death
as being caused by complications from Alzheimer’s (something Wilder wanted to
keep a secret so as not to disappoint his young fans who remember him as Willy
Wonka.)
As someone who grew up enamored by the witty Wonka, I found
Wilder's memoir to be one of the best parts of his legacy. He takes fans on a
journey through real life challenges and shows the evolution of a young man who
grew up and taught the world that laughter is truly the best medicine.
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Antionette Kerr is a journalist, consultant and author of “Just Sayin' " Conversations My Mother Would Never Let Me Have at a Southern Dinner Table.”
You may email her at akerr@thewritefolks.net.