00:10In the early 1970s, a new breed of funny girl named Madeline Kahn perfected the balance
00:18of funny business and stylish femininity on screen. Born in 1942 in Chelsea, Massachusetts,
00:31Madeline learned the art of improv in her early education, or as her New York boarding
00:36school called it, creative plays. During these formative years, she developed her
00:46distinctive voice, erasing any hint of her New England origin that later became a principal
00:55element for many of her riotous characters. After several years on Broadway, Madeline made
01:08her feature film debut in writer-director Peter Bogdanovich's loving and pitch-perfect
01:14homage to classic school ball comedies. As the overbearing Eunice Burns, Madeline shines
01:22bright, leading Bogdanovich to realize Kahn's hilarious but straight performance
01:29was going to win over critics and audiences alike. In fact, Bogdanovich cast her again in his next
01:38film, Paper Moon, Kahn as a buxom, carny stripper named Trixie Delight, who was firmly grounded in
01:45something more than just for laughs. Thinking of her as a Tennessee Williams character, Madeline wanted
01:51Trixie to be genteel, clinging to her airs even when she was down on her luck.
01:56Tell them at the time you almost got thrown down, Miss Trixie.
01:59Madeline's tender vulnerability in the part landed her her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
02:06You're going to ruin it, ain't you? Look, I don't want to wipe you out, and I don't want you
02:12wiping me out, you know?
02:13So I'm going to level with you, okay?
02:18In 1974, she continued to make her mark, this time in Mel Brooks' blazing saddles as Miss Lily Von Stupp,
02:26a body cross between the raw sexuality of Marlena Dietrich and the lascivious lip of Mae West.
02:32I'm tired, sick and tired of love. I've had my fill of love from below and above.
02:49In a film overrun with comic genius, Madeline's bunched up stopped the show with her double entendres.
02:56Hello, handsome. Is that a ten-gallon hat, or are you just enjoying the show?
03:02And sincere hospitality.
03:04You care for another schnitzengroben?
03:06She earned a second consecutive Best Supporting Actress nomination in a comic performance for the ages.
03:12Ooh, a red rose. How romantic.
03:17But she wasn't done with 1974 or Mel Brooks as she appeared in the director's Young Frankenstein
03:24as a prim, repressed, bride-to-be.
03:27No tongues.
03:28Who soon learns the pleasures of, well, let's just say, the monster from within.
03:38Reserved, polished, and intensely private, Madeline had little in common with the ditzy dames and loony ladies she played.
03:46Genuinely surprised that others found her funny, Madeline's intuitive approach was to take the most ludicrous of situations very seriously.
03:55In doing so, she found laughs in the smallest of places.
03:59I'm a stud in the area!
04:02Often alternating inflections and intonations.
04:05You, you are an animal!
04:07That made even the simplest of declarations just plain funny.
04:12All you need is a screwdriver and I will tell you what to do.
04:16Before passing much too early in 1999 at the age of 57, Madeline's singular brilliance beamed brightly in scores of
04:25comedies,
04:27dramas,
04:27Maybe where do you come from?
04:29and everything in between.
04:31Hello, sailor. Buy me a drink?
04:33Her extensive rap sheet of stolen scenes in those movies and more has earned her our adoration and a standing
04:41ovation.
04:46Madeline Kahn, what a character.
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