Brooks cements an extra finger in Hollywood ceremony prank

MEL BROOKS made Hollywood history and a ceremonial joke yesterday as he cemented his place outside the TLC Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

Known as Hollywood´s oldest practical joker, Brooks decided to add an extra prosthetic finger to his left hand as he knelt down to receive the honour of leaving a cement placard of his fingerprints and shoe prints on the forecourt of the famous theatre.

The 88-year-old Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein director said, “I decided to pep it up a little bit, do something different in the forecourt, here in the cement, so I put an extra finger on my left hand, just in case somebody from Des Moines, Iowa says ‘Harry, Harry, look, Mel Brooks had six fingers on his left hand!’

“Anyway, it’s my job to make people laugh, and I hope this peps up the cement business here at Grauman’s Chinese,” he added as he made a mock Nazi salute at the ceremony.

Brookes who directed films such as Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, Silent Movie, History of the World Part 1, and The Producers amongst many others, is considered to be one of the best comedy film directors of all time.