I've seen a couple over the years: Robin Hood, Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, and most recently Spaceballs. I found them all funny, theoretically, but they rarely got an open laugh out of me. It seems like most of the time this is just because the comedic timing makes every joke or funny bit land very awkwardly, or with just a bit too much space to leave room for any subtlety or reward for the watcher.
I feel like I remember the few I saw as a kid being funnier at that time. Is it just because my brain has been attention-poisoned with the rapid fire wit of modern comedic television?
Oh yeah, the Brooks comedies knocked the fourth wall down in the first few minutes. They're so genre-aware and so much winking and laughing along with the audience i can't think of any other good comparisons.
Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. That, "see what we did there? We've got jokes!" Kind of energy. He would often give the audience a second or two to figure out the joke before moving on.