Gene Wilder the star of Mel Brooks’ comedy classics like “The Producers”, “Blazing Saddles”, and “Young Frankenstein”, as well as being known for starring in a string of comedies with the late Richard Pryor, died this past Sunday at the age of 83 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. The actor had not starred in a feature film since 1991’s “Another You” which was also his last teaming with Pryor. After the death of his third wife, the late Gilda Radner who died from cancer in 1989, he left the film scene in the early 1990’s to devote more time to cancer awareness afterwards. He since remarried, and also devoted more time to writing books, and made a few television appearances most notably, a guest appearance on an episode of “Will and Grace” in the early 2000’s.
Despite a very reputable and prolific acting career, Wilder’s best known and remembered performance by many different generations was as the title character in the 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, the first film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic 1964 children’s novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” If you have never seen the film, it tells the story of chocolate factory owner Willy Wonka, who puts five golden tickets in his “Wonka Bars” and will give five lucky children as well as one of their parents’ a chance to tour his mysterious, unique factory. In between this we are introduced to Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who lives with his mother and grandparents, who can barely keep themselves fed. Charlie’s Grandpa Joe encourages his grandson to pursue getting a Golden Ticket, feeling he has just as good a chance as anyone else. Eventually Charlie is one of the lucky winners, and joins four other spoiled, rotten children for the factory tour. One child turns into a blueberry, one gets sent down a garbage chute as a “bad egg”, another drowns in a river of chocolate, and one is shrunk to microscopic size, all due to these kids neglecting to listen to Wonka’s warnings about the power of his inventions. Charlie succeeds all four other kids as being the only decent, honest one with a good heart.
Sounds like a rather odd plot for a children’s story doesn’t it? So what was it that attracted me and so many other parents and kids around the world about this film? For starters, it was a box-office flop upon original release in 1971, and critics only responded modestly to it at the time. By the early 1980’s due to repeated television viewings, the film went on to become one of the most popular, and best-selling movie titles of all time, and became essential in family movie viewing. Critical reception began to improve as well. For me, the answer is very obvious the best and most appealing thing about this movie, aside from some wonderful songs, and some nice early scenes with Charlie Bucket and his family, is Wilder’s portrayal of the candy man himself.
I was first read “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” aloud by my first grade teacher at age six. I don’t remember much about the book aside from the fact it differed quite a bit from the film version, and that it was very dark and I was actually not a fan of the Wonka that was Roald Dahl’s original creation on paper. We watched the movie in class immediately after finishing the book, and upon seeing Wilder as Willy Wonka for the first time I immediately fell in love with the character. The very first second we see Wonka in the film he is limping with a cane, walking out to greet his guests, and he pauses for about ten seconds with a look of uncertainty on his face. His guests and the audience are a little concerned as to what might happen next. He then proceeds to do a somersault, which I remember finding odd, seeing for the first time, but then smiles as he greets his guests at which point we as the audience know there is something very endearing about this portrayal of the character.
As the film proceeds Wilder keeps a calm, and cool demeanor to his Wonka which is a much better approach than what was in the book. The book character was like a hyperactive child, who panicked all the time when kids didn’t listen to him, and he had his mind in a million different places all at once. Wilder is more restrained, quoting poetry and philosophical sayings, cracking jokes based on whatever situation may be happening at the moment, and at times he even gets a little intimidating, especially during the boat scene in the chocolate river. But you can tell that he cares a lot for his guests well-being and when they ignore his warnings, and his oompa-loompas sing songs about whatever trouble the kids may be getting into, he reacts like an audience member and sits back and enjoys the show. It’s not like he wants the children to suffer. It’s more the fact he knows he can’t do anything because they won’t listen to him, so he lets them learn their lessons the hard way. This is a very funny, sometimes scary and enjoyable approach that provides the movie with a whole lot of fun.
When Wilder doesn’t have an intimidating, mysterious persona as Wonka, he seems almost like a guy you just want to give a hug to, because he is so likable. This becomes all the more evident in the final scenes of the movie. If you haven’t seen the movie, please note the upcoming section will address some spoilers so read no further if you don’t want to know what happens.
Before Charlie’s visit to the factory upon winning the Golden Ticket, Wonka’s rival candy-maker, Arthur Slugworth tells Charlie he wants him to bring him an Everlasting Gobstopper from Wonka. A Gobstopper is a jawbreaker that is huge and never gets smaller, and will break your teeth if you attempt to bite into it. Slugworth wants to steal the Gobstopper recipe and ruin Wonka, and promises Charlie and his family to have food and fortune for the rest of their lives if he brings him one. When Charlie and his grandpa are on the factory tour, they sample some of Wonka’s fizzy lifting drinks, when no one else is looking, and are immediately lifted off the ground and nearly hit a ceiling fan which could destroy them to pieces. Eventually they return to the ground burping all the way down, and thinking Wonka never found out because he didn’t see. When Charlie remains the only child at the end of the tour, Wonka dismisses them, but Charlie and Grandpa Joe are wondering why they don’t receive the lifetime supply of chocolate that was promised to the last remaining child of the tour. Wonka angrily confronts them about stealing the fizzy lifting drinks, and declares them both as prize losers and demands them out of his factory. Grandpa Joe wants to get his revenge on Wonka by giving Slugworth the Gobstopper, but Charlie cannot bring himself to hurt Wonka. He returns the Gobstopper to Wonka, who declares that Charlie has won the lifetime supply of chocolate, begs Charlie and Grandpa Joe to forgive him for his outburst and then names Charlie as the new owner of the factory and allows him to move into it with his family. It is also revealed that Slugworth was Mr. Wilkinson, an employee of Wonka’s acting as Slugworth to see which children would give the Gobstopper away and which would return it.
This is where the character of Wonka is at its best. He shows the kind, humble edge that is almost like a father figure to Charlie. The morality test with Slugworth was actually not part of the book and was specifically written for this movie and this allows Wilder to truly shine. You can tell he has a real heart and love for Charlie and knew in spite of his small mistake, he really is a good kid who is worthy of succeeding Wonka’s grand reputation.
Wilder really has a lot of warmth and joy in this part. You can tell the character is flawed and edged but that in the end, he has a heart of gold, just as Charlie aims to have. In a way it’s almost as if they are making a parallel that Charlie is in fact the younger Wonka. Wilder portrays Wonka like the grandpa that a grandchild wants to follow around everywhere just to hear his stories, and who a kid just wants to spend every second with. He also portrays the character with a high level of sophistication and intelligence. His dialogue is a treat to listen to, and I’m sure the writers must have kept in mind that dialogue is only as good on paper if you have the right actor to deliver it properly. It’s almost as if the screenwriters tailor-made Wonka’s dialogue for Wilder specifically and he delivers it beautifully.
There is also another scene in the film shortly after we meet Wonka which proved to be such a magic moment of my childhood. Upon entering his mysterious “Chocolate Room” Wilder sings the song “Pure Imagination”. The first split second you hear him sing, it’s a moment as memorable and exciting as your first trip to Disneyland as a kid, or seeing Elliot ride his bike with E.T. in the basket over the moon, or seeing Dorothy tap her ruby slippers saying “There’s no place like home” in “The Wizard of Oz”. The lyrics are dazzling, so is Wilder’s singing voice which has a calming, serene sound that only he give to the character of Wonka.
Gene Wilder went on to make other memorable films before his sabbatical from acting . Among some of his other great roles are “Jim” from “Blazing Saddles”, and of course his wonderful work with Pryor. My favorites of their’s still remains a tie between “Silver Streak” and “Stir Crazy.” But no other role before or after will have as big of an impact as the candy man. How Sean Connery will always be remembered by me as James Bond, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones the same is true for Wilder and Wonka. There is only one person who could take us to that world of pure imagination and that one man was Gene Wilder, a gentle, humble comedic actor who could make us laugh out loud, and smile with endless joy at the same time.
In 2005 Tim Burton and Johnny Depp decided to give their own adaptation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” a chance, in hopes of sticking closer to Dahl’s original book. Many people like myself who grew up with the original film version knew it wouldn’t be as good but I still went to see it in the theater with an open mind. Although I love Johnny Depp as an actor, he simply cannot compare with the master of Wilder. Not that his portrayal of Wonka was as bad as I make it out to be sometimes, and you have to give he and Burton credit for trying to stay truer to the book, but without Gene Wilder the movie simply had no chance of maintaining classic status and if you ask me it never will. I remember after I left the theater seeing the 2005 version I wanted to watch the original version yet again on video when I got home. For all you millennials out there who know Mr. Depp as Willy Wonka, do yourself a favor and ask your parents to buy you a copy of the original. Experience the wonder and joy of being a kid that Gene Wilder gave me as the iconic candy man.
Hearing of Gene Wilder’s death was almost to me like losing an uncle or close relative. That’s how much of an impact he had on me as Wonka. I would watch it over and over again to the point where I memorized it like a science. That’s just how important his Wonka portrayal and this movie defined my childhood. Every time I hear “Pure Imagination” I escape to a time in my life that was endless joy and hope and I still think about Gene Wilder and hum the song whenever I want to go back there. I know he is now resting with his beloved Gilda whom he survived without for nearly 30 years, and I know God has a special place in store for Him in Heaven for all the children whose childhood he made just that more exciting and special. He really was a true legend and icon and a joy to all generations who saw him as Wonka. His legend will live on in that film and many others, and I want to raise my kids to know who the one and only Willy Wonka was, and I hate to say it but Johnny Depp it certainly isn’t.
R.I.P. Gene. I miss you so much. I hope your eternal reunion with Gilda is joyous. The wait is now over. Whenever I want to think of happiness, innocence and childhood I will just think of you singing “Pure Imagination” or saying “don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted. He lived happily ever after.”
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