Born Sep 17, 1931, Anne Bancroft would rise from the depression era Bronx to become a thespian and Hollywood star. Her role as Mrs. Robinson, in The Graduate, fueled the imagination of males around the world and established her as a cinema, if not American, icon.

Mrs. Robinson... Yikes! No wonder Mel is such a happy and energetic guy. If you haven't figured it out from the pictures, Anne was a superstar and devoted soul mate to Mel. To quote William Holtzman (SeeSaw : A Dual Biography of Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks),

"Theirs is the rarest of relationships - a marriage of two highly individualistic professionals that has survived their wildly divergent and successful careers in the uncertain world of show business."

And that was written in 1979! Forget all the glamor and glitz of their showbiz lives. Time truly proved that their story was woven out of love and devotion.

But like any other relationship, it started with lust. Just kidding, but not really, the lust didn't just "start", it grew into this huge, gigantic, obsession that manifested itself in all of Mel's future works. Okay, I'm kidding.

Anyway, the story goes like this... It's Jan 1947 and Mel is working on an adaptation of "Professor Fodorski" for a former "Your Show of Shows" alum, Charles Strouse. One day at work, to Mel's surprise, Charles receives a visit from Anne Bancroft. Afterwards, Charles explains to Mel that Anne is an acquaintance from his days at the Actors Studio (during which Anne was working on Seesaw). Despite being attracted to Anne himself, and no doubt under pressure from Mel, Charles agrees to introduce him to Anne.

The actual introduction took place in early Feb when Anne was working down the street from Mel & Charles on a guest appearance on the Perry Como Show. It started with a quick hello which, with a bit of quick thinking, led to a taxi ride. Mel thought about, and called, Anne, all night. When he finally got in touch with her the next day she agreed to meet up with him at her place. After six hours of chatting, Mel knew she was the one. Everyday after that, when he would arrive at work he would proclaim that his intention to marry Anne Bancroft. He was right and the rest is history.

In the midst of the record breaking success of the musical revival of the Producers, a project he originally began tinkering with around the time he met Anne, "Mrs. Brooks" fell ill. On June 6, 2005, Anne lost her battle with cancer. Six months later, the Producers would be re-released as a musical movie, completing its nearly six decade journey which spanned the length of their relationship.

One of Anne's final performances is on the screen with Mel re-enacting a scene from the original Producers in the Season 4 finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Watching the scene now brings out mixed emotions of joy & sadness. On one hand the episode, and really the entire season, is a celebration of everything Mel. On the other hand, the premise of the episode and the rare performance by Anne brings about a strong sense of closure, a sign of the end of something wonderful...

Anne, wherever you are, the world misses you. Thank you for entertaining and sharing Mel with us.

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