Decades of comedy gold: Mel Brooks donates document archive to National Comedy Center

Pop Culture NewsDecades of comedy gold: Mel Brooks donates document archive to National Comedy CenterThe donation includes a treasure trove of production documents spanning Brooks’ decadeslong career as a writer, performer, director and producer.Polaroids from Mel Brooks' archive that have now found a home at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y.Mel Brooks / Courtesy National Comedy CenterShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 17, 2026, 12:09 PM EDTBy Francie EbertThrough films like “Blazing Saddles” and “Spaceballs” and a pioneering career on television and Broadway, Mel Brooks has had a lifetime of serving up the funny. Now, the 99-year-old comedy legend plans to share it all with his legion of fans.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, announced last week that the Oscar-winning filmmaker and comedian has donated a major collection of previously unseen documents and photographs to the museum.The donation includes approximately 150,000 production documents and 5,000 photographs spanning Brooks’ decadeslong career as a writer, performer, director and producer.Brooks is one of the few entertainers to achieve EGOT status, having won an Academy Award for screenwriting, four Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and three Tonys.“I’ve always been proud to say that I make people laugh for a living,” Brooks said in the press release. “So, knowing that my work will have a home at comedy’s national archive and continue making people laugh leaves me with a deep sense of pride.”Mel Brooks directs on a film set.Mel Brooks / Courtesy National Comedy CenterThe archive features material from many of Brooks’ most iconic films, including “The Producers” (1967), “Blazing Saddles” (1974), “Young Frankenstein” (1974), “Silent Movie” (1976) and “Spaceballs” (1987). Items include storyboards, visual development materials and extensive production records from every feature film B...