After the death of comic actor, writer and all-around wonderful human being Gene Wilder on Monday, tributes from his own inner circle and elsewhere began pouring in. Frequent collaborator Mel Brooks and others bid Wilder adieu on social media, Brooks reminisced during a previously scheduled Tonight Show appearance with Jimmy Fallon, and countless others chimed in across all mediums. Most concerned three classic films from Wilder’s body of work — Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
To honor Wilder’s memory and celebrate his many contributions to American cinema, AMC Theaters will screen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Blazing Saddles on Saturday, Sept. 3 and Sunday, Sept. 4. According to the Hollywood Reporter, 55 select locations across the country will stage these screenings, and tickets for each will cost no more than $5 a pop.
Wilder contributed far more to American movies than these two comedies alone. Yet the roles he performed in both — Blazing Saddles‘ depressed and drunken Jim and Willy Wonka‘s titular candy magnate — stand out above the rest. Each has attained cult status among film aficionados and Internet meme creators, so it seems appropriate that these two films specifically would be made available to the public.
To find out when and where either film is playing, check out the AMC Theaters website.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)
