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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000000367 Tap to enlarge
MOVIESpaceballs
SCENEYogurt
FILM FORMAT35MM
YEAR1987
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000000367
Film Record Public record
Directed by
Mel Brooks
Studio
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer · Brooksfilms · 96 min
Scholarship
Named in the title of 1 peer-reviewed work
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.

FILM NOTES

Spaceballs arrived in 1987 as Mel Brooks's send-up of the science fiction blockbusters that had defined the previous decade, released through MGM at a moment when Star Wars and its imitators were ripe for parody. Its blend of slapstick, sight gags, and genre affection has kept it in steady rotation among comedy and sci-fi fans alike, cementing its place as a cult favorite rather than a mainstream juggernaut. The film's reputation rests on quotable lines and broad performances that reward repeat viewing, qualities that have made frames from the production desirable to collectors decades later.

This cell centers on Yogurt, the diminutive sage played by Mel Brooks himself, a clear stand-in for Yoda whose wisdom is delivered with equal parts mysticism and merchandising humor. Collectors seek him out because he embodies the film's central joke, that spoofing a beloved icon can be both loving and mercenary. Whether pulled from dialogue or a supporting scene, a Yogurt frame captures the character central to Spaceballs's parody engine, a physical artifact of the gag that made "merchandising" a punchline for a generation of viewers.

This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000059677