Mel Brooks has been one of the kings of parody throughout his over 70-year career. Brooks was a comedy writer on some of the best variety shows of his early time in the 1950s before carrying his name recognition and success into movies. He has made some of the biggest, most well-regarded, and beloved comedy films ever, many of them being spoofs of different genres. Young Frankenstein is his ode to monster movies, while Blazing Saddles skewers the Wild West.
Spaceballs is a direct parody of the original Star Wars trilogy and came out in 1987. The film was a decent box office hit, earning over $40 million globally. But its life on video rental helped spread its popularity, and now it has been passed down through generations as a premier spoof on the beloved sci-fi films. The movie stars Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, John Candy as Barf, Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, Joan Rivers as the voice of Dot Matrix, Brooks as both Yogurt and President Skroob, and Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet. With the recent revelation that Spaceballs 2 is currently in production, it’s time to look at some jokes that audiences may have missed in the original.
Skroob Is an Anagram of Brooks
Brooks often cast himself as either the main character or a highly recognizable side character in many of his films. He has multiple roles in History of the World Part I and Blazing Saddles, and pulls double duty in Spaceballs. Considering there isn’t really a character to base President Skroob, the leader of the Spaceballs (the inhabitants of Planet Spaceball), on, it was probably hard to parody any type of character name.
That’s probably why he just used an anagram of his own last name. President Skroob is often caught in precarious situations in the film, while also being a stereotype for a tyrannical bureaucrat. His plan to steal the oxygen from the neighboring planet Druidia involves stealing the codes to the planet’s air shield. In order to do so, he kidnaps Princess Vespa.
‘Spaceballs’ Starts with Chapter Eleven
The text scroll that begins each Star Wars film is iconic. John Williams’ main theme bursts through the speakers and plays as the words slowly go upward, allowing audiences to read about what has happened before to set the stage. Of course, Spaceballs had to parody that with its own scroll. With an orchestral wave and a similar font, the scroll is playful and silly.
The description for the film starts with “Chapter Eleven.” This is a play on Star Wars starting with Episode IV: A New Hope. Chapter Eleven is also a play on the bankruptcy code, referring to businesses filing Chapter Eleven, meaning they are restructuring their finances and claiming bankruptcy.
“Mawg on Board” Sign on the Winnebago
Lone Starr is supposed to be a combination of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Pullman’s character wears a jacket, a la Han, and can use the Schwartz (the play on the Force) like Luke. He travels the galaxy in a Winnebago (instead of the Millennium Falcon) alongside his half-man, half-dog, Barf.
Candy’s character has a long tail, and his eye makeup looks like he has a classic dog-like spot on his face. While flying through the sky, a “Mawg on Board” sign can be seen on the Winnebago. It’s an obvious reference to the “Baby on Board” stickers that are still popular to this day, and the fact that Barf is a Mawg.
Everything on Spaceball One Is Named “Mr. Something” (Mr. Radar, Mr. Microphone)
The main ship that Dark Helmet and President Skroob are on for much of the film is Spaceball One, with many scenes taking place in the main control room. In just a simple parody of that time in history, Mr. Coffee was the most widely used slow-drip coffee machine available.
When Dark Helmet wants to see Druidia, he walks over to the side of the ship and is confounded looking at what he believes to be a radar. It turns out he’s staring at the inner workings of a Mr. Coffee machine, labeled as such. Right next to it is the radar, labeled Mr. Radar. Later on, when he goes to use a microphone, it’s labeled Mr. Microphone.
All the Videos in Mr. Rental Are Mel Brooks Movies
Of course, keeping with the previous theme, the video rental library on Spaceball One is called Mr. Rental. When Dark Helmet and Colonel Sandurz (the main colonel on the ship) are trying to figure out where Lone Starr is headed next, Sandurz suggests watching a copy of Spaceballs to see if the location is given away. While Dark Helmet shoots it down as preposterous, Sandurz mentions that advancements in home movie marketing make it possible.
A Spaceball One crew member goes over to Mr. Rental and looks through a number of VHS tapes for Spaceballs. The other movies that are available in the library are all Mel Brooks films. Copies of History of the World Part 1, To Be or Not To Be, High Anxiety, Silent Movie, The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein are all visible. It’s during this scene that they fast-forward through the film and can see themselves on the screen, and Sandurz gives the iconic line, “You’re looking at now, sir!”
President Skroob’s Bedside Reading
There’s a scene where they interrupt President Skroob in his bedroom. He’s caught with two women in bed and tries to cover up what he’s doing. He grabs a book that’s next to his bed, and on the cover of the book is a picture of President Richard Nixon. The book is titled “Don’t Blame Me” and below that it says “As told to Jo Lustig.”
This is a fictitious book, as Lustig was a famous music entrepreneur, manager, and agent. Nixon had famously tried to claim he was innocent in the Watergate scandal that had ultimately forced him out of the Presidency. Skroob likely would have had sympathy for Nixon.
As Skroob and Dark Helmet unlock the airspace of Druidia, their goal is to steal the oxygen from the planet’s atmosphere. In order to do so, they must transform Spaceball One for this purpose. They call the process “metamorphosis,” and the Spaceball crew member in charge of turning the ship into its next form is named Kafka. Dark Helmet says, “Ready Kafka?” which elicits a stare from Skroob.
This is a play on the famous novel The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka, which features a man who wakes up and is transformed into an insect. Upon metamorphosis, Spaceball One turns into Mega-Maid, a ship that’s in the shape of a woman vacuuming. The vacuuming is how they are going to steal the oxygen from Druidia. Later on, Lone Starr saves the planet by turning the switch of Mega-Maid’s vacuum from suck to blow.
Nobody May Enter the Self-Destruct Button Room
During the final battle between Dark Helmet and Lone Starr, both use the Schwartz, which comes out of their signature rings. As the battle ensues, Lone Starr deflects one of Dark Helmet’s energy blasts back at him with a mirror, sending him flying backward and into the self-destruct button. This ends their battle as the ship is set to explode, and they both race to try and escape.
During the panic, a sign can be seen outside the room with the self-destruct button. It reads “No Unauthorized Or Authorized Personnel Permitted To Enter.” Ultimately, Mega-Maid explodes, and Lone Starr, Barf, Dot Matrix, and Princess Vespa escape to Druidia. Skroob, Sandurz, and Dark Helmet are left behind as the escape pods are all taken. As the ship blows up, they are flung to safety, landing on an unknown planet, protected by the head of the ship, which resembles the head of the Statue of Liberty. It will be interesting to see where Spaceballs 2 picks up and how Dark Helmet might be involved in the sequel.
- Release Date
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June 24, 1987
- Runtime
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96 minutes
- Director
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Mel Brooks
- Writers
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Mel Brooks, Ronny Graham, Thomas Meehan
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Mel Brooks
President Skroob / Yogurt
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