2,000 reasons Brooks, Reiner are classics

It was in 1968 that Mel Brooks' first movie, "The Producers," was released. When I came across newspaper ads for the film and his name was listed as writer-director, I was quite excited to see it.

Most of my circle of friends couldn't understand why. They had no clue who Brooks was.

But he was no stranger to me. I had the 1960 comedy record "2000 Years With Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks," and I knew the routines by heart.

Reiner: "Is it true that you are 2,000 years old?"

Brooks (in a weary voice): "Ohhhh boy."

Reiner: "What was the means of transportation then (in primitive times)?"

Brooks: "Mostly fear."

Reiner: "I'm almost afraid to ask this next question, you had hundreds of wives, how many children do you have?"

Brooks: "I have over 42,000 children. (Pause, then, in a clipped tone.) And not one. Comes. To visit me."

Hilarious.

There were other comedy routines on the record, with Reiner always playing the straight-man interviewer and Brooks the eccentric interviewee — an astronaut, a beatnik, a psychiatrist — you get the idea.

But the 2,000-year-old man remains their most inspired work … well, on records.

Let's not forget Reiner's comic brilliance as a second banana for Sid Caesar's 1950s TV shows, as the creator/writer of "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and as an actor ("The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming") and director ("Oh, God!") for myriad movies and TV shows.

And Brooks' genius is well-documented as a filmmaker ("Young Frankenstein"), TV performer ("Mad About You") and Broadway showman (the musical version of "The Producers").

But in 1960, Brooks was more than a decade away from stardom, and these records were his introduction to the public.

He and Reiner met on Caesar's shows, with Brooks as the most manic voice in the writers' room. They came up with the 2,000-year-old man spontaneously, honed it and began performing at parties.

They did this for several years, convinced that it was too Jewish for the world at large (Brooks does the character with a Yiddish accent and occasionally drops inside Jewish jokes). But Steve Allen wasn't Jewish and he loved it, and Allen eventually convinced them to record it.

After the first "2,000 Years" album, Reiner and Brooks began doing the routine on TV guest shots, and later Brooks did some solo appearances as the character, including radio commercials (with Dick Cavett filling in for Reiner).

After Reiner and Brooks' individual careers took off, there was less time for records, but they still made a few more over the years, including the inspired "The 2,000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000."

And now the recordings are gathered in a four-disc box set, "The 2,000 Year Old Man: The Complete History" (Shout!).