Gene Wilder on the mixed responses for "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971) during its release & shares an heartwarming moment he experienced:
"'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' (1971) wasn't a success when it came out. And I heard some talk about mothers who thought it was cruel to the children. What... what they and everyone else found out later on was that maybe some mothers felt that way, but the children didn't feel that way. The children understood the movie very well. That there are limits. And they want to know the limits. And it's reassuring to know that someone can tell you what the limits are, and that's what Willy Wonka did.
If you had any idea of how many people stopped me about Willy Wonka, you'd be surprised. I mean you're thinking a lot but it's more than a lot. the mothers come up to me. Two days ago, a mother came up to me in the country market & asked, "Could I tell the children who you are?". I said, "If you don't say it loudly you can". And she whispered to the children, "That's Willy Wonka" & she smiled at me and said, "What a Legacy!".
Well, it is. That part warms my heart, it is a great legacy.
("Pure Imagination: The Story of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'", J.M. Kenny, 2001)
P.S: Remembering the great American actor, Gene Wilder, on his 93rd birthday!