The many sides of Mel Brooks He's a specialist in Russian literature, produced some of the most respected dramas of the modern age including The Elephant Man and, at one time, had his sights set on the Oval Office. Yet fame came to Mel Brooks in the form of farce and flatulence, and for that, the veteran actor, writer, producer, director and comedian remains eternally grateful. "I found my true joy telling jokes and making people laugh -- but I took a few left turns along the way." Speaking from his Los Angeles office prior to the release of his latest DVD collection, The Incredible Mel Brooks -- a motley assembly of early interviews, forgotten performances and career tributes available in stores this week -- Brooks says he was always drawn to public service, especially in the wake of seeing former U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the first time as a young man. "I remember I was six years old and he was on his way to Williamsburg (Va). We were taken out of school and we lined the sidewalks," says Brooks, with a flush of nostalgia audibly surging through his veins. "He had this cigarette holder jauntily jutting up and his hat had the brim up, and he'd wave from side to side in an open car. And I said to my mother, 'Ma, he looked at me. He really looked straight at me!'" Brooks's boyish, effervescent tone bubbles over the phone line. "He came from a very