It takes a special kind of schmuck to call your YouTube channel “Real Studio Tales” and to fill it with tales that aren’t real. I don’t know who this particular schmuck is: based on his voice, he’s a British schmuck, who delivers the alleged Hollywood “Studio Tales” in a dead fish, enervated tone like a bored BBC announcer who is about to perish of ennui. I stumbled upon one of the channel’s videos late last night. The title sucked me in as YouTube’s algorithm enticed me with “At 100, Mel Brooks Names the Five Actors He Hates”; I had just watched the excellent documentary about Mel released last year.
I didn’t even watch the whole thing. I fast-forwarded through it to find out who the five were. Frank Langella….that was no surprise: Langella’s good, but has had several clashes with directors and producers in his long career. Gene Wilder…I knew Wilder and Brooks had something of a falling out after “Young Frankenstein.” Chevy Chase…everybody hates Chevy Chase. Jerry Lewis….compared to Jerry, Chevy is beloved in Hollywood. But…Harvey Korman? I was surprised at that one, so I watched that segment.
Dead Mackerel Limey explained that though Mel thought Harvey was brilliant, his insistence on improvisation after years doing a sketch comedy on “The Carol Burnett Show” aggravated Brooks as a director. Korman kept that style within workable range in his first role with Brooks directing, as the evil Hedley Lamar in “Blazing Saddles,” but according to “Studio Tales” Korman made Brook’s directing chores unbearable in their next collaboration, 1977’s “High Anxiety,” Mel’s Hitchcock film parody. There was tension on the set as Korman seemed to want to debate every line and every scene. Eventually, we are told, the two didn’t speak except when the cameras were rolling, and Mel, though always extolling Harvey in later interviews and deeply respecting his talent, never used Harvey Korman in a Mel Brooks project again.
The ethics problem? He did. Three times.
Ethics Alarms 
I listened to a random tale for about 20 seconds. I am pretty sure the voice is A.I. It is likely some overseas content farm producing low effort slop and hiding behind the seemingly respectable voice of a British gentleman.
Also, it tries to cover its digital butt with a catchall disclaimer hidden down in the netherworld that is the video description:
1. ARRGH! I am abashed! I never considered AI…and I know I have to consider it all the time now.
2. What a ridiculous disclaimer. They obviously don’t aim to present these tales as accurately as possible, because nobody checks the facts.
“The Nutt House” is available on YouTube. I was disappointed in it because I felt it should have been funnier with both Korman and Cloris Leachman as the leads.
Carol Burnett had friction with Korman, too, but it was worked out. Apparently, he was a bit of a perfectionist.
The other “Fawlty Towers” rip-off starred Bea Arthur, and it was no better. It like the episode in “Mad Men” where the client wanted a TV ad using an Ann-Margret type doing a parody of her famous opening to “Bye-Bye Birdie.” The client sees the finished product and rejects it. The “Mad Men” are confused. “why didn’t they like it? the actress did a great job!” “She isn’t Ann-Margret,” a partner says with a shrug. Harvey and Bea were really good, but neither was a John Cleese.
I vaguely remember Bea Arthur’s show. Wasn’t it called, “Amanda’s” or something like that?