Oops, actually I think it was "The Last Laugh," that was a favorite film of Mel Brooks. However, both films equally sardonic.

A.A. Dowd nailed it with "Make Way for Tomorrow." Haven't seen the Lithgow film, but heard an NPR review today and MWFT immediately popped in my head, having seen it for the first time a couple of months ago because Mel Brooks said it was one of his favorite films. It's a doozy!