I’m in tears thinking about Madeline. What an incredibly gifted gift from God, Madeline Kahn. The funniest and most talented comedienne I think, including people like Carol Burnett, who are great, you know, and Gilda Radner who was magnificent. But nobody — listen to me, David Bianculli — nobody could approach the magnificence and wonder of Madeline Kahn.

“She was really a great gift to us all. … I saw art [in her], not just funny. But I saw a person who was gifted with art. She’s the only one who actually could have worked in opera as an opera singer, as a coloratura. She was that talented. Or I think she could have worked as a longshoreman in New Jersey. I don’t think there’s anything that Madeline Kahn couldn’t do.

-Mel Brooks

Listen to a Mel Brooks interview here. And don’t forget to watch Mel Brooks: Make a Noise tonight 9m central standard time on PBS! Can’t tune in/overseas? Fear not it is being released on dvd. You can purchase it on places like Amazon.