Dave Chappelle made a Mrs. Robinson joke to Anne Bancroft — and it…
Don’t mess with Mrs. Robinson.
In the upcoming HBO documentary, “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!,” Dave Chappelle mirrored on the awkward interplay he had with Brooks’ spouse, Anne Bancroft, after they met.
“Sometimes he’d take me to lunch, and his old friend Carl Reiner was directing a movie on the next soundstage, and then at some point, the two of them started doing the ‘2000 Year Old Man,’ the greatest comedy routine by two of the greatest comics, and me as the audience. I’ll never forget it,’” said Chappelle, 52, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025. Getty Images for Jazz At Lincoln Center
Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft attend the twentieth Annual American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Awards in March 1992. Ron Galella Collection by way of Getty Images
“Then I met his wife,” the comic recalled. “She comes and says, ‘Oh, Mel says so many wonderful things about you.’ She goes on and on and gushes about how much she likes me.”
But according to Chappelle, the pleasantries had been ruined as soon as he introduced up Bancroft’s iconic 1967 movie “The Graduate.”
“I go, ‘Oh, you’re not trying to seduce me, are you, Mrs. Robinson?’” he said in the doc. “Not thinking that she’s heard that joke a million times. Nothing. Silence.”
“All you could hear was Dom DeLuise’s labored breath,” Chappelle recalled of the uncomfortable second. “That was really f–king terrible and hilarious.”
Anne Bancroft in “The Graduate.” Everett Collection / Everett Collection
Anne Bancroft in “The Graduate.” Courtesy Everett Collection
“Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” comes out Jan. 22. HBO
Bancroft starred in “The Graduate” as Mrs. Robinson, the older married girl who has an affair with latest faculty grad Benjamin Braddock, performed by Dustin Hoffman.
The movie was directed by Mike Nichols and also starred Katharine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton and Elizabeth Wilson. It was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actress for Bancroft and Best Director, which it received.
Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman in “The Graduate.” Everett Collection / Everett Col
Brooks and Bancroft met in 1961 at a rehearsal for Perry Como’s selection present “Kraft Music Hall.” They obtained married in 1964 and had one son together, writer Max Brooks.
Bancroft died in 2005 from uterine cancer. She was 73.
The late actress appeared in a number of of Brooks’ motion pictures including “Silent Movie,” “To Be or Not to Be” and Blazing Saddles.” They also collaborated on the 1980 film “The Elephant Man,” which Bancroft starred in and Brooks produced.
Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks during “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” HBO
Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks during the opening night time of “The Producers.” FilmMagic
David Chappelle, Cary Elwes in “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Chappelle, for his half, labored with Brooks on the filmmaker’s 1973 adventure comedy “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” also starring Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees and Amy Yasbeck.
Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” covers the comedy legend’s life and profession, that includes interviews with Brooks, the late Rob Reiner, and other well-known comedians such as Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, and Ben Stiller.
“Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man” premieres Thurs. Jan. 22 (8 p.m.) on HBO.
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