Mel Brooks Celebrates His 100th Birthday With His 20 Favorite Films

Maybe the best part of living in Los Angeles is being able to attend film screenings from your favorite directors, where they program their favorite movies. It kind of feels like you're in the mix with those people, even if you've never met or talked to them.

And this month brings an absolutely legendary experience to Los Angeles: 100-year-old Mel Brooks is programming his 20 favorite movies for the big screen.

The retrospective series titled “Programmed by Mel Brooks: 100 Years at the Movies” is an exploration of 20 of Brooks’ favorite feature films across three famous Los Angeles venues, the Aero, Egyptian, and Los Feliz 3 theaters. from September 3rd through November 12th 2026.

You'd better believe I'll be at a few of these movies.

Let's dive into the titles.

A Century-Spanning Film History

Mel Brooks is one of my heroes when it comes to cinema. The guy is not only a hilarious writer, director, and producer, but a lover of movies who has seen the last century og Holylwood and been privileged enough to be an active participant in it as well.

Seeing his palpable love for movies and stories from many different generations is exciting, and I scrolled through all the titles, buying tickets to revel in it.

I mean, we have titles from Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights (1931), released when Brooks was just four years old, to Dolemite Is My Name (2019), when he was in his 90s.

“It was wonderful compiling a list of all these marvelous movies for American Cinematheque,” Brooks said in a statement. “It reminded me about why I first fell in love with the art of film.”

The selections of movies were made by Brooks, who spent a while just thinking hard, then telling assistant titles over the course of a few days. Then they would email the American Cinematheque to add them.

Some of the movies on display will even have a direct tie-in to Brooks's career. You have David Lynch’s The Elephant Man (1980), which Brooks produced, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), which was the inspiration behind his 1977 spoof film High Anxiety.

You can see the full lineup if you're not in LA and watch at home.

Full Screening Schedule

Sept. 3 — “City Lights” (1931), Aero Theatre
Sept. 4 — “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989), Aero Theatre
Sept. 5 — “I Vitelloni” (1953), Aero Theatre
Sept. 6 — “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), Aero Theatre
Sept. 9 — “The Elephant Man” (1980), Aero Theatre
Sept. 19 — “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), Los Feliz 3
Sept. 20 — “Shane” (1953), Los Feliz 3
Sept. 23 — “The Miracle Worker” (1962), Los Feliz 3
Oct. 6 — “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” (1986), Los Feliz 3
Oct. 10 — “Top Hat” (1935), Aero Theatre
Oct. 11 — “Dances With Wolves” (1990), Egyptian Theatre
Oct. 16 — “Jojo Rabbit” (2019), Los Feliz 3
Oct. 17 — “Double Indemnity” (1944), Egyptian Theatre
Oct. 18 — “Schindler’s List” (1993), Egyptian Theatre
Oct. 20 — “A Night at the Opera” (1935), Los Feliz 3
Oct. 22 — “Dolemite Is My Name” (2019), Los Feliz 3
Oct. 24 — “Broadway Melody of 1940” (1940), Los Feliz 3
Oct. 25 — “Ed Wood” (1994), Egyptian Theatre
Oct. 31 — “Psycho” (1960), Egyptian Theatre
Nov. 12 — “The Twelve Chairs” (1970), Egyptian Theatre

Summing It All Up

I grabbed tickets to Schindelr's Lsit and Psycho so far, and will try for a few others. Like I said at the top, being able to see these movies on the big screen is the best part of living in Los Angeles.

You get your ongoing film school just by going to the movie theater.

Let me know what you think, then he comments.