Earlier this week, legendary comedian and actor Gene Wilder sadly died at age 83. After gaining his big break in Mother Courage and Her Children, Wilder famously starred in a number of movies by Mel Brooks, including Blazing Saddles, The Producers and Young Frankenstein, as well as a number of films by other acclaimed comedic directors. He was perhaps most famous, though, for playing Willy Wonka in the 1971 version of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (renamed Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory).
One of the film’s most memorable moments comes when Wonka, the children and their adult companions first enter the factory’s chocolate garden, and Wilder sings ‘Pure Imagination.’ American indie rockers Oberhofer – whose latest LP Chronovision was released last year – have covered the song as a tribute to the late actor, and they’ve given it a bit of a raucous twist. On Facebook, frontman Brad Oberhofer said: “I’ve watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory a few hundred times. I’ve never identified with a character as much as I have with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Gene Wilder is a hero.” Listen below.
