Madeline Kahn (60 page)

“Let me see your legs”: Madeline as Lili von Shtupp (
Blazing Saddles
, 1974). Photofest.

The most important collaboration of her professional life: Madeline with Mel Brooks during the filming of
Young Frankenstein
(1974). Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Kahn.

Hello, stranger: Madeline with Peter Boyle in
Young Frankenstein
(1974). Photofest.

No entourage. No stylists. No artificial lighting. No mirror checks or “fabulous” chitchat.
Portrait of Madeline
(circa 1974). Photo © Shaun Considine. Used with permission.

An extraordinary level of trust: Madeline with Gene Wilder in a scene from
Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother
(1975). Photofest.

“Down in the Dumps”: Madeline during the original opening scene of
At Long Last Love
(1975). Photofest.

The would-be star of the family: Paula Kahn’s headshot from the 1960s, and posing with Madeline on the set of
Won Ton Ton
(1975). Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Kahn.

Live from New York: Madeline’s appearances on
Saturday Night Live
in the 1970s were among her most important professional engagements. Photo from 1977, taken during her second hosting gig. Photofest.

“Numb despair and doomed frivolity”: Mavis Danton rehearses with Eunice Higgins (
The Carol Burnett Show
, 1976). Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Kahn.

“Paula is my responsibility. I have to take care of her”: A fateful conversation between Madeline and Jef (1976). Photo by Denny R. McElyea. Used with permission.

If the 2,000-Year-Old Man had a wife: Mel Brooks and Madeline in
High Anxiety
(1977). Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Kahn.

“I hope you don’t think I can do that every night”: Madeline in the “Veronique” finale (
On the Twentieth Century
, 1978). Photofest.

Madeline’s appearances with the Muppets exposed her to several generations of younger audiences that had no idea who she was. With Kermit and Telly Savalas in
The Muppet Movie
(1979). Photofest.