The great film writer-director Andrew Bergman is 70 years old today. There are other great birthdays today: Ansel Adams, Robert Altman, and last year’s birthday boy, Richard Matheson. But I picked Bergman this year. I really admire his work. He is one of the greatest comedy writers ever. His script for The In-Laws is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. He is also the true genius behind Blazing Saddles, although as usual, Mel Brooks has done everything he can to minimize the work of his betters. What has always amazed me about Bergman’s films (The Freshman, Soapdish, Striptease) is that they are funny all the way through. A big problem with most comedies is that they stop being funny in the third act. That is never the case with Bergman’s scripts and when he is also directing the comedy continues to the end like a freight train. Unfortunately, like a lot of filmmakers I admire, he doesn’t make films anymore. He’s even stopped writing novels. Here is one of many funny scenes from The In-Laws:

Happy birthday Andrew Bergman!