Mel Brooks has donated more than 150,000 pieces of his career archives and more than 5,000 photographs to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, the same nonprofit institution that houses the papers of Brooks’ longtime collaborator Carl Reiner.
The archive includes Brooks’ early notes on comedy during his World War II service, from co-starring with Sid Caesar on NBC’s “Your Show of Shows” to “The Producers,” “Young Frankenstein,” It includes the work of Mr. Brooks, who emerged as a comedy writing icon in the 1960s and ’70s with films such as “Blazing Saddles,” “Silent Movie,” “History of the World, Part I” and “Spaceballs.”
“I’ve always prided myself on making a living making people laugh, so it gives me a deep sense of pride to think that my work will have a home at the National Archives of Comedy and continue to make people laugh,” Brooks said in announcing the archive deal. “I am honored that my contributions will be preserved for future generations at the National Comedy Center, especially since this is a meaningful place to my good friend Carl Reiner, who believed in the importance of preserving the history of comedy.”
Brooks and Reiner, who died in 2020 at age 98, worked together on “Your Show of Shows.” The two were also known for a reenactment known as “The Two Thousand Years Man,” in which Brooks plays an ancient man who is interviewed by Reiner about modern culture as a television newsman. Mr. Brooks is approaching his birthday on June 28th, and will celebrate his 100th birthday in 2026. Now 99 years old, he is a legend who has influenced three generations of comedians, actors and directors, and the list continues to grow.
“Mel Brooks is a true comedy giant, and his influence on my life and career is immeasurable. I’ve had the good fortune to know many hilarious and funny people over the years, but Mel is the king. His extraordinary body of work will now be housed in the National Comedy Center’s archives alongside the work of Carl Reiner,” Billy Crystal said in a statement. “They became my heroes, my friends, my mentors, and the hilarious uncles every comedian wishes they had. Now, together again, and for years to come, their legacy will live on for more than 2,000 years.”
The acquisition of the Brooks archive is a coup for the National Comedy Center, a nonprofit cultural institution that opened in 2018 in Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown in western New York. The National Comedy Center houses an unparalleled collection of historical documents and comedic iconography, including George Carlin’s extensive handwritten creative notebooks, Joan Rivers’ legendary 70,000-joke card catalog, Lenny Bruce’s annotated manuscripts and obscenity court documents, and Ball and Desi Arnaz’s pioneering Desilu Studio production records. It also houses original creative materials from “Saturday Night Live,” “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” “In Living Color” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” Liner’s archives were donated to the center in 2021.
“The Mel Brooks Archive represents an unparalleled primary source record of how a singular artist reshaped storytelling, satire, and film form through the lens of comedy,” said Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center. “Preserving this material is more than just an act of stewardship; it is about protecting an important cultural legacy that informs scholarship, creative research, and historical understanding for generations.”
