Long-lost sketch from Young Frankenstein comedy legend discovered after nearly 60 years

A long-lost sketch from comedy legend Marty Feldman was unearthed by dogged film preservationists, finally bringing images to a hilarious bit that was kept alive for decades through scraps of surviving audio.Feldman — renowned for roles like the hunchback Igor in 1974’s “Young Frankenstein” — appeared as an ancient Egyptian tomb carving in the sketch, which dated back to a 1968 BBC show and was believed to have been destroyed sometime after it aired.But the English film archivist group “Film is Fabulous!” recently discovered a copy hidden within an old 16mm film reel, which a former BBC film editor had put together in an undisclosed time after the sketch first ran on television.“Among the items on one of the reels is a missing sketch listed on the accompanying typed notes as ‘Egyptian Carvings’” Film is Fabulous! wrote on its Facebook page Thursday.“The sketch was, in fact, from series one, episode four, of the BBC television show ‘Marty’, starring Marty Feldman,” it added, noting show writer John Junkin also appeared in the sketch.In the sketch, Feldman and fellow hieroglyphics bickered back and forth about being forced to stare at each other for thousands of years, commenting and complaining about each other’s outfits and their inability to look anywhere but at each other.“It’s a bit effeminate isn’t, I mean, for a priest?” Feldman asked the carving of Junkin opposite him.“Well I cant help it, I was carved like it, wasn’t I?” Junkin replied.Later, Feldman asked Junkin about the carving of an Anubis-like human-dog hybrid standing behind him.“For the last 4,000 years I’ve had a feeling that there’s something behind me, but I cant look ’round to see,” Feldman said.

“Well what is it?”“Hard to say, really, half a duck and half a human!” Junkin replied.Audio of the sketch has existed for years, but the footage itself remained missing.Networks like the BBC typically erased and recorded over tapes to save mo...