"Old" Frau Blucher Challenges Young Frankenstein

• Jun 13, 2007 05:14 PM ET
• by Matt Mitovich

Did Mel Brooks deem Cloris Leachman too old for Young Frankenstein? Sources tell the New York Post that while Leachman was a riot when she reprised her role as Frau Blücher in a workshop of the coming Broadway musical, Brooks & Co. feared that, at 81, she wouldn't possess the stamina to do eight shows a week, so they gave SCTV's Andrea Martin the gig instead. Leachman is now literally fighting mad, challenging Brooks (who soon turns 81 himself) to "three rounds in the ring [to] see who's left standing," and has enlisted retired Variety icon Army Archerd to lobby Brooks to change his mind (not to mention avoid a potential lawsuit). Ageism anyone? - Reporting by Raven Snook