fbpx
Wikipedia

Blazing Saddles

May 07, 2023

Blazing Saddles is a 1974 American satirical western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger, based on a story treatment by Bergman.[4] The film stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder.[5] The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, was nominated for three Academy Awards and is ranked No. 6 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Laughs list.

Blazing Saddles
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin[1]
Directed byMel Brooks
Screenplay by
Story byAndrew Bergman
Produced byMichael Hertzberg
Starring
CinematographyJoseph Biroc
Edited by
Music byJohn Morris
Production
company
Crossbow Productions
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • February 7, 1974 (1974-02-07)
Running time
93 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
Budget$2.6 million
Box office$119.6 million[3]

Brooks appears in three supporting roles: Governor William J. Le Petomane, a Yiddish-speaking Native American chief, and "a aviator/director" in line to help invade Rock Ridge (a nod to Howard Hughes); he also dubs lines for one of Lili Von Shtupp's backing troupe and a cranky moviegoer. The supporting cast includes Slim Pickens, Alex Karras and David Huddleston, as well as Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman. Bandleader Count Basie has a cameo as himself, appearing with his orchestra.

The film is full of deliberate anachronisms, from the Count Basie Orchestra playing "April in Paris" in the Wild West, to Pickens' character mentioning the Wide World of Sports.

In 2006, Blazing Saddles was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[6]

Plot

On the American frontier of 1874, a new railroad under construction will have to be rerouted through the town of Rock Ridge in order to avoid quicksand. Realizing this will make Rock Ridge worth millions, territorial attorney general Hedley Lamarr plans to force Rock Ridge's residents out of the town and sends a gang of thugs, led by his flunky Taggart, to shoot the sheriff and trash the town.

The townspeople demand that Governor William J. Le Petomane appoint a new sheriff to protect them. Lamarr persuades dim-witted Le Petomane to appoint Bart, a black railroad worker about to be executed for assaulting Taggart. A Black sheriff, Lamarr reasons, will offend the townspeople, create chaos, and leave Rock Ridge at his mercy.

After an initial hostile reception (Bart takes himself "hostage" to escape), he relies on his quick wits and the assistance of Jim, an alcoholic gunslinger known as the "Waco Kid", to overcome the townspeople's hostility. Bart subdues Mongo, an immensely strong and dim-witted yet philosophical henchman sent to kill him, then outwits German seductress-for-hire Lili Von Shtupp at her own game, with Lili falling in love with him.

Upon release, Mongo vaguely informs Bart of Lamarr's connection to the railroad, so Bart and Jim visit the railroad worksite and discover from Bart's best friend Charlie that the railway is planned to go through Rock Ridge. Taggart and his men arrive to kill Bart, but Jim outshoots them and forces their retreat. Lamarr, furious that his schemes have backfired, recruits an army of thugs, including common criminals, motorcycle gangsters, Ku Klux Klansmen, Nazis and Methodists.

East of Rock Ridge, Bart introduces the white townspeople to the Black, Chinese and Irish railroad workers who have all agreed to help them in exchange for acceptance by the community, and explains his plan to defeat Lamarr's army. They labor all night to build a perfect copy of the town as a diversion. When Bart realizes it will not fool the villains, the townsfolk construct copies of themselves.

Bart, Jim and Mongo buy time by constructing the "Gov. William J. Le Petomane Thruway", forcing the raiding party to send for change to pay the toll. Once through the tollbooth, the raiders attack the fake town and its population of dummies, which have been booby-trapped with dynamite. After Jim detonates the bombs with his sharpshooting, launching bad guys and horses skyward, the Rock Ridgers attack the villains.

The resulting brawl between townsfolk, railroad workers, and Lamarr's thugs literally breaks the fourth wall and bursts onto a neighboring movie set where director Buddy Bizarre is filming a Busby Berkeley-style top-hat-and-tails musical number; into the studio commissary for a food fight; and spilling out of the Warner Bros. film lot onto the streets of Burbank.

Lamarr, realizing he has been beaten, hails a taxi and orders the cabbie to "drive me off this picture". He ducks into Mann's Chinese Theatre, which is showing the premiere of Blazing Saddles. As he settles into his seat, he sees onscreen Bart arriving on horseback outside the theatre. Bart blocks Lamarr's escape and shoots him in the groin. Bart and Jim then enter the theater to watch the end of the film, in which Bart announces to the townspeople that he is moving on because his work is done (and because he is bored).

Riding out of town, he finds Jim, still eating his popcorn, and invites him along to "nowhere special". The two friends briefly ride into the desert before dismounting and boarding a limousine, which drives off into the sunset.

Cast

Cast notes:

  • Count Basie and his orchestra make a cameo, playing "April in Paris" in the middle of the desert as Bart rides toward Rock Ridge to assume the post of sheriff.
  • Brooks appears in three on-screen roles: Governor William J. Le Petomane, the Yiddish-speaking Native American chief (appearing in redface) in Bart's backstory, and an applicant for Hedley Lamarr's thug army (an aviator wearing sunglasses and a flight jacket). He also has two off-screen voice roles, as one of Lili's German chorus boys during "I'm Tired", and as a grouchy moviegoer.[7]
  • "Le Petomane" refers to Joseph Pujol, a performer in 19th-century France who was a professional flatulist using "Le Pétomane" as his stage name.[2][8]
  • Carol Arthur (Harriet Johnson) was DeLuise's wife.[2]
  • "Olson Johnson" is a reference to the vaudeville comedy team Olsen and Johnson, "Howard Johnson" to the defunct Howard Johnson's restaurant chain, "Van Johnson" to the actor Van Johnson, and "Dr. Samuel Johnson" to the 18th-century English writer by that name.[2] The character of "Gabby Johnson" is a direct parody of cowboy actor Gabby Hayes.[9]

Production

Development

The idea came from a story outline written by Andrew Bergman that he originally intended to develop and produce himself. "I wrote a first draft called Tex-X" (a play on Malcolm X's name), he said. "Alan Arkin was hired to direct and James Earl Jones was going to play the sheriff. That fell apart, as things often do."[10] Brooks was taken with the story, which he described as "hip talk—1974 talk and expressions—happening in 1874 in the Old West", and purchased the film rights from Bergman. Though he had not worked with a writing team since Your Show of Shows, he hired a group of writers (including Bergman) to expand the outline, and posted a large sign: "Please do not write a polite script."[11]

Brooks described the writing process as chaotic: "Blazing Saddles was more or less written in the middle of a drunken fistfight. There were five of us all yelling loudly for our ideas to be put into the movie. Not only was I the loudest, but luckily I also had the right as director to decide what was in or out."[12] Bergman remembers the room being just as chaotic, telling Creative Screenwriting, "In the beginning, we had five people. One guy left after a couple of weeks. Then, it was basically me, Mel, Richie Pryor and Norman Steinberg. Richie left after the first draft and then Norman, Mel and I wrote the next three or four drafts. It was a riot. It was a rioter’s room!"[10]

Title

The original title, Tex X, was rejected to avoid it being mistaken for an X-rated film,[2] as were Black Bart – a reference to Black Bart, a white highwayman of the 19th century[2] – and Purple Sage. Brooks said he finally conceived Blazing Saddles one morning while taking a shower.[13]

Casting

The casting was problematic. Pryor was Brooks' original choice to play Sheriff Bart, but the studio, claiming his history of drug arrests made him uninsurable, refused to approve financing with Pryor as the star.[13] The role of Sheriff Bart went to Cleavon Little, and Pryor remained as a screenwriter instead. Brooks offered the other leading role, the Waco Kid, to John Wayne; he declined, deeming the film "too blue" for his family-oriented image, but assured Brooks that "he would be the first one in line to see it."[14] Gig Young was cast, but he collapsed during his first scene from what was later determined to be alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and Wilder was flown in to replace him.[15][16]

Johnny Carson and Wilder both turned down the Hedley Lamarr role before Korman was cast.[17] Madeline Kahn objected when Brooks asked to see her legs during her audition. "She said, 'So it's THAT kind of an audition?'" Brooks recalled. "I explained that I was a happily married man and that I needed someone who could straddle a chair with her legs like Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again. So she lifted her skirt and said, 'No touching.'"[18]

Filming

Principal photography began on March 6, 1973, and wrapped in early May 1973. Brooks had numerous conflicts over content with Warner Bros. executives, including frequent use of the word "nigger", Lili Von Shtupp's seduction scene, the cacophony of flatulence around the campfire, and Mongo punching out a horse. Brooks, whose contract gave him final content control, declined to make any substantive changes, with the exception of cutting Bart's final line during Lili's seduction: "I hate to disappoint you, ma'am, but you're sucking my arm."[19] When asked later about the many "nigger" references, Brooks said he received consistent support from Pryor and Little. He added, "If they did a remake of Blazing Saddles today [2012], they would leave out the N-word. And then, you've got no movie."[20] Brooks said he received many letters of complaint after the film's release.[21]

Music

Brooks wrote the music and lyrics for three of Blazing Saddles' songs, "The Ballad of Rock Ridge", "I'm Tired" and "The French Mistake". Brooks also wrote the lyrics to the title song, with music by composer John Morris.[2] To sing the title song, Brooks advertised in the trade papers for a "Frankie Laine–type" singer; to his surprise, Laine himself offered his services. "Frankie sang his heart out ... and we didn't have the heart to tell him it was a spoof. He never heard the whip cracks; we put those in later. We got so lucky with his serious interpretation of the song."[22]

The choreographer for "I'm Tired" and "The French Mistake" was Alan Johnson. "I'm Tired" is a homage to and parody of Marlene Dietrich's performance of Cole Porter's song "I'm the Laziest Gal in Town" in Alfred Hitchcock's 1950 film Stage Fright, as well as "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" from The Blue Angel.[2]

The orchestrations were by Morris and Jonathan Tunick.[2]

Lawsuit

During production, retired longtime film star Hedy Lamarr sued Warner Bros. for $100,000, charging that the film's running parody of her name infringed on her right to privacy. Brooks said that he was flattered and chose to not fight it in court; the studio settled out of court for a small sum and an apology for "almost using her name." Brooks said that Lamarr "never got the joke."[21][2] This lawsuit would be referenced by an in-film joke where Brooks' character, the Governor, tells Lamarr that "This is 1874; you'll be able to sue HER."

Release

The film was almost unreleased. "When we screened it for executives, there were few laughs," said Brooks. "The head of distribution said, 'Let's dump it and take a loss.' But [studio president John] Calley insisted they open it in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago as a test. It became the studio's top moneymaker that summer."[18]

The world premiere took place on February 7, 1974, at the Pickwick Drive-In Theater in Burbank; 250 invited guests—including Little and Wilder—watched the film on horseback.[23]

Response

While Blazing Saddles is now considered a classic, critical reaction was mixed upon initial release. Vincent Canby wrote:[24]

Blazing Saddles has no dominant personality, and it looks as if it includes every gag thought up in every story conference. Whether good, bad or mild, nothing was thrown out. Woody Allen's comedy, though very much a product of our Age of Analysis, recalls the wonder and discipline of people like Keaton and Laurel and Hardy. Mr. Brooks's sights are lower. His brashness is rare, but his use of anachronism and anarchy recalls not the great film comedies of the past, but the middling ones like the Hope-Crosby "Road" pictures. With his talent he should do much better than that.

Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out of four, calling it a "crazed grab bag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken. Mostly, it succeeds. It's an audience picture; it doesn't have a lot of classy polish and its structure is a total mess. But of course! What does that matter while Alex Karras is knocking a horse cold with a right cross to the jaw?"[25] Gene Siskel awarded three stars out of four and called it "bound to rank with the funniest of the year," adding, "Whenever the laughs begin to run dry, Brooks and his quartet of gag writers splash about in a pool of obscenities that score belly laughs if your ears aren't sensitive and if you're hip to western movie conventions being parodied."[26]

Critics often perceived Blazing Saddles as inherently "un-cinematic,"[27] defying some expectations for Hollywood filmmaking in the era, often displaying production style associated with Broadway theater and US television variety shows. This was in part due to its "simplistic framing" and the casting of Harvey Korman, known for The Carol Burnett Show (CBS, 1967-1978), which was similarly "low on characterization and story, instead opting for a high volume of one-liners and visual gags."[28] Typical to this perception, Variety wrote, "If comedies are measured solely by the number of yocks they generate from audiences, then 'Blazing Saddles' must be counted a success ... Few viewers will have time between laughs to complain that pic is essentially a raunchy, protracted version of a television comedy skit."[29]

Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called the film "irreverent, outrageous, improbable, often as blithely tasteless as a stag night at the Friar's Club and almost continuously funny."[30] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post was negative, writing that "Mel Brooks squanders a snappy title on a stockpile of stale jokes. To say that this slapdash Western spoof lacks freshness and spontaneity and originality is putting it mildly. 'Blazing Saddles' is at once a messy and antiquated gag machine."[31] Jan Dawson of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Perhaps it is pedantic to complain that the whole is not up to the sum of its parts when, for the curate's egg that it is, Blazing Saddles contains so many good parts and memorable performances."[32] John Simon wrote a negative review of Blazing Saddles, saying, "All kinds of gags—chiefly anachronisms, irrelevancies, reverse ethnic jokes, and out and out vulgarities—are thrown together pell-mell, batted about insanely in all directions, and usually beaten into the ground."[33]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 89% approval rating based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's consensus reads: "Daring, provocative, and laugh-out-loud funny, Blazing Saddles is a gleefully vulgar spoof of Westerns that marks a high point in Mel Brooks' storied career."[34] On Metacritic it has a score of 73% based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[35]

Ishmael Reed's 1969 novel Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down has been cited as an important precursor or influence for Blazing Saddles, a connection that Reed himself has made.[36]

Box office

The film earned theatrical rentals of $26.7 million in its initial release in the United States and Canada. In its 1976 reissue, it earned a further $10.5 million and another $8 million in 1979.[37][38] Its total rentals in the United States and Canada totalled $47.8 million from a gross of $119.5 million, becoming only the tenth film up to that time to pass the $100 million mark.[39][40]

Awards and accolades

While addressing his group of bad guys, Harvey Korman's character reminds them that, although they are risking their lives, he is "risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor!" Korman did not receive an Oscar bid, but the film did get three nominations at the 47th Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Madeline Kahn.

In 2006, Blazing Saddles was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[6]

Upon the release of the 30th anniversary special edition in 2004, Today said that the movie "skewer[ed] just about every aspect of racial prejudice while keeping the laughs coming" and that it was "at the top of a very short list" of comedies still funny after 30 years.[41] In 2014, NPR wrote that four decades after the movie was made it was "still as biting a satire" on racism as ever, although its treatment of gays and women was "not self-aware at all".[42]

Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Madeline Kahn Nominated [43]
Best Film Editing John C. Howard and Danford B. Greene Nominated
Best Song "Blazing Saddles"
Music by John Morris;
Lyrics by Mel Brooks 		Nominated
British Academy Film Awards Best Screenplay Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman,
Richard Pryor and Alan Uger 		Nominated [44]
Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Cleavon Little Nominated
National Film Preservation Board National Film Registry Inducted [6]
Online Film & Television Association Awards Hall of Fame – Motion Picture Won [45]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Comedy – Written Directly for the Screenplay Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman,
Richard Pryor and Alan Uger 		Won [46]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Adaptations

TV series

A television pilot titled Black Bart was produced for CBS based on Bergman's original story. It featured Louis Gossett Jr. as Bart and Steve Landesberg as his drunkard sidekick, a former Confederate officer named "Reb Jordan". Other cast members included Millie Slavin and Noble Willingham. Bergman is listed as the sole creator. CBS aired the pilot once on April 4, 1975. The pilot episode of Black Bart was later included as a bonus feature on the Blazing Saddles 30th Anniversary DVD and the Blu-ray disc.[48]

Possible stage production

In September 2017, Brooks indicated his desire to do a stage version of Blazing Saddles in the future.[49]

In popular culture

The Rock Ridge standard for CD and DVD media is named after the town in Blazing Saddles.[50]

The 2022 animated film Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, starring Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Yeoh and Ricky Gervais, was originally titled Blazing Samurai and its creators called it "equally inspired by and an homage to Blazing Saddles." Brooks served as an executive producer for the production, and voiced one of the characters.[51]

Home media

The film was first released on DVD in 1997,[52] followed by a 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD in 2004 and a Blu-ray version in 2006.[53] A 40th anniversary Blu-ray set was released in 2014.[54]

References

  1. ^ Stewart, Jocelyn (February 10, 2008). "John Alvin, 59; created movie posters for such films as 'Blazing Saddles' and 'E.T.'". Los Angeles Times. from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Blazing Saddles at the American Film Institute Catalog
  3. ^ "Blazing Saddles (1974)". Box Office Mojo. from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  4. ^ Faulx, Nadya (February 7, 2014). "'Blazing Saddles,' The Best Interracial Buddy Comedy, Turns 40". NPR. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  5. ^ . Getback.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c "Librarian of Congress Adds Home Movie, Silent Films and Hollywood Classics to Film Preservation List" (Press release). Library of Congress. December 27, 2006. from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Crick, Robert Alan (2002). The Big Screen Comedies of Mel Brooks. McFarland. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-0-7864-4326-0. from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2015. As for Mel Brooks himself, his aviator and voice-overs as a German dancer and cranky film-goer provide funny cameos .... The book credits him as playing "William J. LePetomane/Indian Chief/Aviator/Voice of German Dancer/Voice of Moviegoer."
  8. ^ Davis, Igor (June 28, 2016). "A Conversation With Mel Brooks". Tablet. from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Cox, Bob (June 29, 2019). "Pioneer Cowboy Gabby Hayes made a visit to Johnson City, Kingsport and Bluefield in October 1948, including members of his Western review". Johnson City Press. from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Swinson, Brock (June 24, 2016). "'It's a Good-Natured Insanity.' Andrew Bergman on Screenwriting". Creative Screenwriting. from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  11. ^ Pockross, Andrew (May 9, 2014). "Mel Brooks on Blazing New Comedic Trails in 'Blazing Saddles'". Yahoo! Movies. from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  12. ^ Swinson, Brock (January 14, 2016). "Mel Brooks on Screenwriting". Creative Screenwriting. from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Garrone, Max (May 8, 2001). . Salon. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  14. ^ Staff (May 20, 2016) "Mel Brooks on John Wayne, Improv and the Presidential Race" February 25, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Metro Philadelphia
  15. ^ Donnelly, Paul (2005). Fade To Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries (3 ed.). Omnibus. p. 746. ISBN 978-1-84449-430-9.
  16. ^ Parish, James Robert (2008). It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks. John Wiley and Sons. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-470-22526-4.
  17. ^ White, Timothy (March 22, 1979). "Johnny Carson: The Rolling Stone Interview"". In Wenner, Jann S. (ed.). The Rolling Stone Interviews. New York: Little Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-02313-9. from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2016 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ a b Lumenick, Lou (May 3, 2014). "Mel Brooks: 10 things you never knew about Blazing Saddles". New York Post. from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  19. ^ Madison, William V. (2015). Madeline Kahn: Being the Music, A Life. University Press of Mississippi. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-61703-762-7. from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2015 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ Weide, Robert (2012). "Quiet on the Set! Mel Brooks: the DGA Interview". DGA Quarterly. Los Angeles, California: Directors Guild of America, Inc.: 30–37. OCLC 68905662. from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016. Page 36: Q: Blazing Saddles also makes frequent use of the "N-word." Could you get away with that today? A: Never. If they did a remake of Blazing Saddles today, they would leave out the N-word. And then, you've got no movie. And I wouldn't have used it so much if I didn't have Richard Pryor with me on the set as one of my writers. And Cleavon Little [as Sheriff Bart] was great. Even though it was allowed, I kept asking Cleavon, "Is that all right there? Is that too much there? Am I pushing this?" and he'd say, "no, no, no, it's perfect there."
  21. ^ a b Interview: Mel Brooks — Blazing Saddles (DVD). Burbank, California: Warner Home Video. 2004. ISBN 978-0-7907-5735-3.
  22. ^ From the libretto of the La-La Land Records soundtrack album
  23. ^ Lozano, Carlos V. (October 8, 1989). "Death of a Drive-In: Pickwick Theater Shuts Down, Ending an Era for Burbank Moviegoers and Film Makers". Los Angeles Times. from the original on January 19, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  24. ^ Canby, Vincent (February 8, 1974). "Screen: 'Blazing Saddles', a Western in Burlesque". The New York Times. from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  25. ^ Ebert, Roger (February 7, 1974). "Blazing Saddles". Chicago Sun-Times. from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020 – via RogerEbert.com.
  26. ^ Siskel, Gene (March 1, 1974). "Shootout at 'Cockeyed Corral'". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 1.
  27. ^ Symons, Alex (2012). Mel Brooks in the cultural industries : survival and prolonged adaptation. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-7486-7648-4. OCLC 835909859.
  28. ^ Symons, Alex (2012). Mel Brooks in the cultural industries : survival and prolonged adaptation. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7486-7648-4. OCLC 835909859.
  29. ^ "Film Reviews: Blazing Saddles". Variety. February 13, 1974. p. 18.
  30. ^ Champlin, Charles (February 7, 1974). "Was the West Ever Like This?" Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 1.
  31. ^ Arnold, Gary (March 7, 1974). "'Blazing Saddles' On a Dead Horse". The Washington Post. p. B15.
  32. ^ Dawson, Jan (June 1974). "Blazing Saddles". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 41 (485): 120.
  33. ^ Simon, John (1982). Reverse Angle: A Decade of American Film. Crown Publishers Inc. p. 145. ISBN 9780517544716 – via Internet Archive.
  34. ^ "Blazing Saddles". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  35. ^ "Blazing Saddles". Metacritic. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  36. ^ Glenn, Joshua (December 24, 2018). "10 Best Adventures of 1969". Hilobrow. from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  37. ^ "'Blazing Saddles' In 109, $288,194 On New Trail". Variety. March 28, 1979. p. 7.
  38. ^ "Big Rental Films of 1979". Variety. January 9, 1980. p. 21.
  39. ^ . Variety. 1998. Archived from the original on October 7, 1999. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  40. ^ "Blazing Saddles (1974)". Box Office Mojo. January 1, 1982. from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  41. ^ Ventre, Michael (June 21, 2004). "'Blazing Saddles' still has big laughs". Today. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  42. ^ Faulx, Nadya (June 21, 2004). "'Blazing Saddles,' The Best Interracial Buddy Comedy, Turns 40". NPR. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  43. ^ "The 47th Academy Awards (1975) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  44. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1975". BAFTA. 1976. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  45. ^ "Film Hall of Fame Inductees: Productions". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  46. ^ "Writers Guild Awards Winners: 1995-1949". Writers Guild of America West. from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  47. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs" (PDF). American Film Institute. (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  48. ^ Black Bart at IMDb
  49. ^ Sabur, Rozina (September 21, 2017). "'Stupidly politically correct society is the death of comedy', warns veteran comedian Mel Brooks". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017. The director said he hopes he is able to recreate Blazing Saddles on the stage in the future.
  50. ^ RRIP, retrieved January 10, 2023
  51. ^ Busch, Anita (November 3, 2015). "'Blazing Samurai' Lands A-List Voice Talent Led By Samuel L. Jackson". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  52. ^ "Blazing Saddles DVD". Blu-ray.com. June 25, 1997. from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  53. ^ "Blazing Saddles Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  54. ^ "Blazing Saddles Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Blazing Saddles.

May 07, 2023
blazing, saddles, 1974, american, satirical, western, black, comedy, film, directed, brooks, wrote, screenplay, with, andrew, bergman, richard, pryor, norman, steinberg, alan, uger, based, story, treatment, bergman, film, stars, cleavon, little, gene, wilder, . Blazing Saddles is a 1974 American satirical western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks who co wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman Richard Pryor Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger based on a story treatment by Bergman 4 The film stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder 5 The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences was nominated for three Academy Awards and is ranked No 6 on the American Film Institute s 100 Years 100 Laughs list Blazing SaddlesTheatrical release poster by John Alvin 1 Directed byMel BrooksScreenplay byMel Brooks Norman Steinberg Andrew Bergman Richard Pryor Alan UgerStory byAndrew BergmanProduced byMichael HertzbergStarringCleavon Little Gene Wilder Slim Pickens Alex Karras Mel Brooks Harvey Korman Madeline KahnCinematographyJoseph BirocEdited byDanford Greene John C HowardMusic byJohn MorrisProductioncompanyCrossbow ProductionsDistributed byWarner Bros Release dateFebruary 7 1974 1974 02 07 Running time93 minutes 2 CountryUnited StatesBudget 2 6 millionBox office 119 6 million 3 Brooks appears in three supporting roles Governor William J Le Petomane a Yiddish speaking Native American chief and a aviator director in line to help invade Rock Ridge a nod to Howard Hughes he also dubs lines for one of Lili Von Shtupp s backing troupe and a cranky moviegoer The supporting cast includes Slim Pickens Alex Karras and David Huddleston as well as Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman Bandleader Count Basie has a cameo as himself appearing with his orchestra The film is full of deliberate anachronisms from the Count Basie Orchestra playing April in Paris in the Wild West to Pickens character mentioning the Wide World of Sports In 2006 Blazing Saddles was deemed culturally historically or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry 6 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Title 3 3 Casting 3 4 Filming 3 5 Music 4 Lawsuit 5 Release 5 1 Response 5 2 Box office 6 Awards and accolades 7 Adaptations 7 1 TV series 7 2 Possible stage production 8 In popular culture 9 Home media 10 References 11 External linksPlot EditOn the American frontier of 1874 a new railroad under construction will have to be rerouted through the town of Rock Ridge in order to avoid quicksand Realizing this will make Rock Ridge worth millions territorial attorney general Hedley Lamarr plans to force Rock Ridge s residents out of the town and sends a gang of thugs led by his flunky Taggart to shoot the sheriff and trash the town The townspeople demand that Governor William J Le Petomane appoint a new sheriff to protect them Lamarr persuades dim witted Le Petomane to appoint Bart a black railroad worker about to be executed for assaulting Taggart A Black sheriff Lamarr reasons will offend the townspeople create chaos and leave Rock Ridge at his mercy After an initial hostile reception Bart takes himself hostage to escape he relies on his quick wits and the assistance of Jim an alcoholic gunslinger known as the Waco Kid to overcome the townspeople s hostility Bart subdues Mongo an immensely strong and dim witted yet philosophical henchman sent to kill him then outwits German seductress for hire Lili Von Shtupp at her own game with Lili falling in love with him Upon release Mongo vaguely informs Bart of Lamarr s connection to the railroad so Bart and Jim visit the railroad worksite and discover from Bart s best friend Charlie that the railway is planned to go through Rock Ridge Taggart and his men arrive to kill Bart but Jim outshoots them and forces their retreat Lamarr furious that his schemes have backfired recruits an army of thugs including common criminals motorcycle gangsters Ku Klux Klansmen Nazis and Methodists East of Rock Ridge Bart introduces the white townspeople to the Black Chinese and Irish railroad workers who have all agreed to help them in exchange for acceptance by the community and explains his plan to defeat Lamarr s army They labor all night to build a perfect copy of the town as a diversion When Bart realizes it will not fool the villains the townsfolk construct copies of themselves Bart Jim and Mongo buy time by constructing the Gov William J Le Petomane Thruway forcing the raiding party to send for change to pay the toll Once through the tollbooth the raiders attack the fake town and its population of dummies which have been booby trapped with dynamite After Jim detonates the bombs with his sharpshooting launching bad guys and horses skyward the Rock Ridgers attack the villains The resulting brawl between townsfolk railroad workers and Lamarr s thugs literally breaks the fourth wall and bursts onto a neighboring movie set where director Buddy Bizarre is filming a Busby Berkeley style top hat and tails musical number into the studio commissary for a food fight and spilling out of the Warner Bros film lot onto the streets of Burbank Lamarr realizing he has been beaten hails a taxi and orders the cabbie to drive me off this picture He ducks into Mann s Chinese Theatre which is showing the premiere of Blazing Saddles As he settles into his seat he sees onscreen Bart arriving on horseback outside the theatre Bart blocks Lamarr s escape and shoots him in the groin Bart and Jim then enter the theater to watch the end of the film in which Bart announces to the townspeople that he is moving on because his work is done and because he is bored Riding out of town he finds Jim still eating his popcorn and invites him along to nowhere special The two friends briefly ride into the desert before dismounting and boarding a limousine which drives off into the sunset Cast EditCleavon Little as Sheriff Bart Rodney Allen Rippy as Young Bart uncredited Gene Wilder as Jim the Waco Kid Slim Pickens as Taggart Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp Mel Brooks as Governor William J Le Petomane Indian Chief Aviator Applicant Voice of German Dancer Voice of Grouchy Moviegoer 7 Burton Gilliam as Lyle Alex Karras as Mongo David Huddleston as Olson Johnson Liam Dunn as Rev Johnson John Hillerman as Howard Johnson George Furth as Van Johnson Claude Ennis Starrett Jr as Gabby Johnson Carol Arthur as Harriett Johnson Richard Collier as Dr Sam Johnson Charles McGregor as Charlie Robyn Hilton as Miss Stein Don Megowan as Gum Chewer Dom DeLuise as Buddy Bizarre Count Basie as himself Robert Ridgely as Boris the hangman uncredited Ralph Manza as Man dressed as Hitler uncredited Cast notes Count Basie and his orchestra make a cameo playing April in Paris in the middle of the desert as Bart rides toward Rock Ridge to assume the post of sheriff Brooks appears in three on screen roles Governor William J Le Petomane the Yiddish speaking Native American chief appearing in redface in Bart s backstory and an applicant for Hedley Lamarr s thug army an aviator wearing sunglasses and a flight jacket He also has two off screen voice roles as one of Lili s German chorus boys during I m Tired and as a grouchy moviegoer 7 Le Petomane refers to Joseph Pujol a performer in 19th century France who was a professional flatulist using Le Petomane as his stage name 2 8 Carol Arthur Harriet Johnson was DeLuise s wife 2 Olson Johnson is a reference to the vaudeville comedy team Olsen and Johnson Howard Johnson to the defunct Howard Johnson s restaurant chain Van Johnson to the actor Van Johnson and Dr Samuel Johnson to the 18th century English writer by that name 2 The character of Gabby Johnson is a direct parody of cowboy actor Gabby Hayes 9 Production EditDevelopment Edit The idea came from a story outline written by Andrew Bergman that he originally intended to develop and produce himself I wrote a first draft called Tex X a play on Malcolm X s name he said Alan Arkin was hired to direct and James Earl Jones was going to play the sheriff That fell apart as things often do 10 Brooks was taken with the story which he described as hip talk 1974 talk and expressions happening in 1874 in the Old West and purchased the film rights from Bergman Though he had not worked with a writing team since Your Show of Shows he hired a group of writers including Bergman to expand the outline and posted a large sign Please do not write a polite script 11 Brooks described the writing process as chaotic Blazing Saddles was more or less written in the middle of a drunken fistfight There were five of us all yelling loudly for our ideas to be put into the movie Not only was I the loudest but luckily I also had the right as director to decide what was in or out 12 Bergman remembers the room being just as chaotic telling Creative Screenwriting In the beginning we had five people One guy left after a couple of weeks Then it was basically me Mel Richie Pryor and Norman Steinberg Richie left after the first draft and then Norman Mel and I wrote the next three or four drafts It was a riot It was a rioter s room 10 Title Edit The original title Tex X was rejected to avoid it being mistaken for an X rated film 2 as were Black Bart a reference to Black Bart a white highwayman of the 19th century 2 and Purple Sage Brooks said he finally conceived Blazing Saddles one morning while taking a shower 13 Casting Edit The casting was problematic Pryor was Brooks original choice to play Sheriff Bart but the studio claiming his history of drug arrests made him uninsurable refused to approve financing with Pryor as the star 13 The role of Sheriff Bart went to Cleavon Little and Pryor remained as a screenwriter instead Brooks offered the other leading role the Waco Kid to John Wayne he declined deeming the film too blue for his family oriented image but assured Brooks that he would be the first one in line to see it 14 Gig Young was cast but he collapsed during his first scene from what was later determined to be alcohol withdrawal syndrome and Wilder was flown in to replace him 15 16 Johnny Carson and Wilder both turned down the Hedley Lamarr role before Korman was cast 17 Madeline Kahn objected when Brooks asked to see her legs during her audition She said So it s THAT kind of an audition Brooks recalled I explained that I was a happily married man and that I needed someone who could straddle a chair with her legs like Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again So she lifted her skirt and said No touching 18 Filming Edit Principal photography began on March 6 1973 and wrapped in early May 1973 Brooks had numerous conflicts over content with Warner Bros executives including frequent use of the word nigger Lili Von Shtupp s seduction scene the cacophony of flatulence around the campfire and Mongo punching out a horse Brooks whose contract gave him final content control declined to make any substantive changes with the exception of cutting Bart s final line during Lili s seduction I hate to disappoint you ma am but you re sucking my arm 19 When asked later about the many nigger references Brooks said he received consistent support from Pryor and Little He added If they did a remake of Blazing Saddles today 2012 they would leave out the N word And then you ve got no movie 20 Brooks said he received many letters of complaint after the film s release 21 Music Edit Brooks wrote the music and lyrics for three of Blazing Saddles songs The Ballad of Rock Ridge I m Tired and The French Mistake Brooks also wrote the lyrics to the title song with music by composer John Morris 2 To sing the title song Brooks advertised in the trade papers for a Frankie Laine type singer to his surprise Laine himself offered his services Frankie sang his heart out and we didn t have the heart to tell him it was a spoof He never heard the whip cracks we put those in later We got so lucky with his serious interpretation of the song 22 The choreographer for I m Tired and The French Mistake was Alan Johnson I m Tired is a homage to and parody of Marlene Dietrich s performance of Cole Porter s song I m the Laziest Gal in Town in Alfred Hitchcock s 1950 film Stage Fright as well as Falling in Love Again Can t Help It from The Blue Angel 2 The orchestrations were by Morris and Jonathan Tunick 2 Lawsuit EditDuring production retired longtime film star Hedy Lamarr sued Warner Bros for 100 000 charging that the film s running parody of her name infringed on her right to privacy Brooks said that he was flattered and chose to not fight it in court the studio settled out of court for a small sum and an apology for almost using her name Brooks said that Lamarr never got the joke 21 2 This lawsuit would be referenced by an in film joke where Brooks character the Governor tells Lamarr that This is 1874 you ll be able to sue HER Release EditThe film was almost unreleased When we screened it for executives there were few laughs said Brooks The head of distribution said Let s dump it and take a loss But studio president John Calley insisted they open it in New York Los Angeles and Chicago as a test It became the studio s top moneymaker that summer 18 The world premiere took place on February 7 1974 at the Pickwick Drive In Theater in Burbank 250 invited guests including Little and Wilder watched the film on horseback 23 Response Edit While Blazing Saddles is now considered a classic critical reaction was mixed upon initial release Vincent Canby wrote 24 Blazing Saddles has no dominant personality and it looks as if it includes every gag thought up in every story conference Whether good bad or mild nothing was thrown out Woody Allen s comedy though very much a product of our Age of Analysis recalls the wonder and discipline of people like Keaton and Laurel and Hardy Mr Brooks s sights are lower His brashness is rare but his use of anachronism and anarchy recalls not the great film comedies of the past but the middling ones like the Hope Crosby Road pictures With his talent he should do much better than that Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out of four calling it a crazed grab bag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken Mostly it succeeds It s an audience picture it doesn t have a lot of classy polish and its structure is a total mess But of course What does that matter while Alex Karras is knocking a horse cold with a right cross to the jaw 25 Gene Siskel awarded three stars out of four and called it bound to rank with the funniest of the year adding Whenever the laughs begin to run dry Brooks and his quartet of gag writers splash about in a pool of obscenities that score belly laughs if your ears aren t sensitive and if you re hip to western movie conventions being parodied 26 Critics often perceived Blazing Saddles as inherently un cinematic 27 defying some expectations for Hollywood filmmaking in the era often displaying production style associated with Broadway theater and US television variety shows This was in part due to its simplistic framing and the casting of Harvey Korman known for The Carol Burnett Show CBS 1967 1978 which was similarly low on characterization and story instead opting for a high volume of one liners and visual gags 28 Typical to this perception Variety wrote If comedies are measured solely by the number of yocks they generate from audiences then Blazing Saddles must be counted a success Few viewers will have time between laughs to complain that pic is essentially a raunchy protracted version of a television comedy skit 29 Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called the film irreverent outrageous improbable often as blithely tasteless as a stag night at the Friar s Club and almost continuously funny 30 Gary Arnold of The Washington Post was negative writing that Mel Brooks squanders a snappy title on a stockpile of stale jokes To say that this slapdash Western spoof lacks freshness and spontaneity and originality is putting it mildly Blazing Saddles is at once a messy and antiquated gag machine 31 Jan Dawson of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote Perhaps it is pedantic to complain that the whole is not up to the sum of its parts when for the curate s egg that it is Blazing Saddles contains so many good parts and memorable performances 32 John Simon wrote a negative review of Blazing Saddles saying All kinds of gags chiefly anachronisms irrelevancies reverse ethnic jokes and out and out vulgarities are thrown together pell mell batted about insanely in all directions and usually beaten into the ground 33 On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an 89 approval rating based on 65 reviews with an average rating of 8 1 10 The site s consensus reads Daring provocative and laugh out loud funny Blazing Saddles is a gleefully vulgar spoof of Westerns that marks a high point in Mel Brooks storied career 34 On Metacritic it has a score of 73 based on reviews from 12 critics indicating generally favorable reviews 35 Ishmael Reed s 1969 novel Yellow Back Radio Broke Down has been cited as an important precursor or influence for Blazing Saddles a connection that Reed himself has made 36 Box office Edit The film earned theatrical rentals of 26 7 million in its initial release in the United States and Canada In its 1976 reissue it earned a further 10 5 million and another 8 million in 1979 37 38 Its total rentals in the United States and Canada totalled 47 8 million from a gross of 119 5 million becoming only the tenth film up to that time to pass the 100 million mark 39 40 Awards and accolades EditWhile addressing his group of bad guys Harvey Korman s character reminds them that although they are risking their lives he is risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor Korman did not receive an Oscar bid but the film did get three nominations at the 47th Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actress for Madeline Kahn In 2006 Blazing Saddles was deemed culturally historically or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry 6 Upon the release of the 30th anniversary special edition in 2004 Today said that the movie skewer ed just about every aspect of racial prejudice while keeping the laughs coming and that it was at the top of a very short list of comedies still funny after 30 years 41 In 2014 NPR wrote that four decades after the movie was made it was still as biting a satire on racism as ever although its treatment of gays and women was not self aware at all 42 Award Category Recipient Result Ref Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Madeline Kahn Nominated 43 Best Film Editing John C Howard and Danford B Greene NominatedBest Song Blazing Saddles Music by John Morris Lyrics by Mel Brooks NominatedBritish Academy Film Awards Best Screenplay Mel Brooks Norman Steinberg Andrew Bergman Richard Pryor and Alan Uger Nominated 44 Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Cleavon Little NominatedNational Film Preservation Board National Film Registry Inducted 6 Online Film amp Television Association Awards Hall of Fame Motion Picture Won 45 Writers Guild of America Awards Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screenplay Mel Brooks Norman Steinberg Andrew Bergman Richard Pryor and Alan Uger Won 46 The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists 2000 AFI s 100 Years 100 Laughs No 6 47 Adaptations EditTV series Edit A television pilot titled Black Bart was produced for CBS based on Bergman s original story It featured Louis Gossett Jr as Bart and Steve Landesberg as his drunkard sidekick a former Confederate officer named Reb Jordan Other cast members included Millie Slavin and Noble Willingham Bergman is listed as the sole creator CBS aired the pilot once on April 4 1975 The pilot episode of Black Bart was later included as a bonus feature on the Blazing Saddles 30th Anniversary DVD and the Blu ray disc 48 Possible stage production Edit In September 2017 Brooks indicated his desire to do a stage version of Blazing Saddles in the future 49 In popular culture EditThe Rock Ridge standard for CD and DVD media is named after the town in Blazing Saddles 50 The 2022 animated film Paws of Fury The Legend of Hank starring Michael Cera Samuel L Jackson Michelle Yeoh and Ricky Gervais was originally titled Blazing Samurai and its creators called it equally inspired by and an homage to Blazing Saddles Brooks served as an executive producer for the production and voiced one of the characters 51 Home media EditThe film was first released on DVD in 1997 52 followed by a 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD in 2004 and a Blu ray version in 2006 53 A 40th anniversary Blu ray set was released in 2014 54 References Edit Stewart Jocelyn February 10 2008 John Alvin 59 created movie posters for such films as Blazing Saddles and E T Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on March 14 2010 Retrieved February 10 2008 a b c d e f g h i j Blazing Saddles at the American Film Institute Catalog Blazing Saddles 1974 Box Office Mojo Archived from the original on July 14 2019 Retrieved January 17 2012 Faulx Nadya February 7 2014 Blazing Saddles The Best Interracial Buddy Comedy Turns 40 NPR Retrieved July 21 2022 Director and Leading Actors Getback com Archived from the original on October 4 2008 Retrieved November 1 2012 a b c Librarian of Congress Adds Home Movie Silent Films and Hollywood Classics to Film Preservation List Press release Library of Congress December 27 2006 Archived from the original on April 12 2020 Retrieved April 23 2020 a b Crick Robert Alan 2002 The Big Screen Comedies of Mel Brooks McFarland pp 65 66 ISBN 978 0 7864 4326 0 Archived from the original on May 5 2016 Retrieved November 21 2015 As for Mel Brooks himself his aviator and voice overs as a German dancer and cranky film goer provide funny cameos The book credits him as playing William J LePetomane Indian Chief Aviator Voice of German Dancer Voice of Moviegoer Davis Igor June 28 2016 A Conversation With Mel Brooks Tablet Archived from the original on July 18 2020 Retrieved July 18 2020 Cox Bob June 29 2019 Pioneer Cowboy Gabby Hayes made a visit to Johnson City Kingsport and Bluefield in October 1948 including members of his Western review Johnson City Press Archived from the original on April 24 2021 Retrieved September 23 2020 a b Swinson Brock June 24 2016 It s a Good Natured Insanity Andrew Bergman on Screenwriting Creative Screenwriting Archived from the original on June 27 2016 Retrieved June 24 2016 Pockross Andrew May 9 2014 Mel Brooks on Blazing New Comedic Trails in Blazing Saddles Yahoo Movies Archived from the original on September 29 2017 Retrieved May 9 2014 Swinson Brock January 14 2016 Mel Brooks on Screenwriting Creative Screenwriting Archived from the original on January 21 2016 Retrieved January 21 2016 a b Garrone Max May 8 2001 Blazing Saddles Salon Archived from the original on January 14 2009 Retrieved November 9 2017 Staff May 20 2016 Mel Brooks on John Wayne Improv and the Presidential Race Archived February 25 2021 at the Wayback Machine Metro Philadelphia Donnelly Paul 2005 Fade To Black A Book of Movie Obituaries 3 ed Omnibus p 746 ISBN 978 1 84449 430 9 Parish James Robert 2008 It s Good to Be the King The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks John Wiley and Sons p 9 ISBN 978 0 470 22526 4 White Timothy March 22 1979 Johnny Carson The Rolling Stone Interview In Wenner Jann S ed The Rolling Stone Interviews New York Little Brown ISBN 978 0 316 02313 9 Archived from the original on April 24 2021 Retrieved May 24 2016 via Google Books a b Lumenick Lou May 3 2014 Mel Brooks 10 things you never knew about Blazing Saddles New York Post Archived from the original on June 9 2016 Retrieved May 24 2016 Madison William V 2015 Madeline Kahn Being the Music A Life University Press of Mississippi p 119 ISBN 978 1 61703 762 7 Archived from the original on May 16 2016 Retrieved November 21 2015 via Google Books Weide Robert 2012 Quiet on the Set Mel Brooks the DGA Interview DGA Quarterly Los Angeles California Directors Guild of America Inc 30 37 OCLC 68905662 Archived from the original on March 6 2016 Retrieved January 21 2016 Page 36 Q Blazing Saddles also makes frequent use of the N word Could you get away with that today A Never If they did a remake of Blazing Saddles today they would leave out the N word And then you ve got no movie And I wouldn t have used it so much if I didn t have Richard Pryor with me on the set as one of my writers And Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart was great Even though it was allowed I kept asking Cleavon Is that all right there Is that too much there Am I pushing this and he d say no no no it s perfect there a b Interview Mel Brooks Blazing Saddles DVD Burbank California Warner Home Video 2004 ISBN 978 0 7907 5735 3 From the libretto of the La La Land Records soundtrack album Lozano Carlos V October 8 1989 Death of a Drive In Pickwick Theater Shuts Down Ending an Era for Burbank Moviegoers and Film Makers Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 19 2020 Retrieved May 31 2016 Canby Vincent February 8 1974 Screen Blazing Saddles a Western in Burlesque The New York Times Archived from the original on March 8 2021 Retrieved July 3 2020 Ebert Roger February 7 1974 Blazing Saddles Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on June 5 2020 Retrieved July 3 2020 via RogerEbert com Siskel Gene March 1 1974 Shootout at Cockeyed Corral Chicago Tribune Section 2 p 1 Symons Alex 2012 Mel Brooks in the cultural industries survival and prolonged adaptation Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press p 118 ISBN 978 0 7486 7648 4 OCLC 835909859 Symons Alex 2012 Mel Brooks in the cultural industries survival and prolonged adaptation Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press p 64 ISBN 978 0 7486 7648 4 OCLC 835909859 Film Reviews Blazing Saddles Variety February 13 1974 p 18 Champlin Charles February 7 1974 Was the West Ever Like This Los Angeles Times Part IV p 1 Arnold Gary March 7 1974 Blazing Saddles On a Dead Horse The Washington Post p B15 Dawson Jan June 1974 Blazing Saddles The Monthly Film Bulletin 41 485 120 Simon John 1982 Reverse Angle A Decade of American Film Crown Publishers Inc p 145 ISBN 9780517544716 via Internet Archive Blazing Saddles Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on September 25 2020 Retrieved January 30 2023 Blazing Saddles Metacritic Retrieved September 22 2022 Glenn Joshua December 24 2018 10 Best Adventures of 1969 Hilobrow Archived from the original on November 24 2020 Retrieved April 24 2021 Blazing Saddles In 109 288 194 On New Trail Variety March 28 1979 p 7 Big Rental Films of 1979 Variety January 9 1980 p 21 All Time Top Film Rentals Variety 1998 Archived from the original on October 7 1999 Retrieved December 24 2020 Blazing Saddles 1974 Box Office Mojo January 1 1982 Archived from the original on July 14 2019 Retrieved November 1 2012 Ventre Michael June 21 2004 Blazing Saddles still has big laughs Today Retrieved July 21 2022 Faulx Nadya June 21 2004 Blazing Saddles The Best Interracial Buddy Comedy Turns 40 NPR Retrieved July 21 2022 The 47th Academy Awards 1975 Nominees and Winners oscars org Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved October 2 2011 BAFTA Awards Film in 1975 BAFTA 1976 Retrieved September 16 2016 Film Hall of Fame Inductees Productions Online Film amp Television Association Retrieved August 15 2021 Writers Guild Awards Winners 1995 1949 Writers Guild of America West Archived from the original on January 25 2021 Retrieved January 20 2021 AFI s 100 Years 100 Laughs PDF American Film Institute Archived PDF from the original on April 12 2019 Retrieved July 17 2016 Black Bart at IMDb Sabur Rozina September 21 2017 Stupidly politically correct society is the death of comedy warns veteran comedian Mel Brooks The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on September 22 2017 Retrieved September 22 2017 The director said he hopes he is able to recreate Blazing Saddles on the stage in the future RRIP retrieved January 10 2023 Busch Anita November 3 2015 Blazing Samurai Lands A List Voice Talent Led By Samuel L Jackson Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on August 3 2020 Retrieved September 7 2016 Blazing Saddles DVD Blu ray com June 25 1997 Archived from the original on June 30 2016 Retrieved September 7 2016 Blazing Saddles Blu ray Blu ray com Archived from the original on September 16 2016 Retrieved September 7 2016 Blazing Saddles Blu ray Blu ray com Archived from the original on September 6 2016 Retrieved September 7 2016 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Blazing Saddles Official website Blazing Saddles essay by Michael Schlesinger at National Film Registry 1 Blazing Saddles at the American Film Institute Catalog Blazing Saddles at IMDb Blazing Saddles at the TCM Movie Database Blazing Saddles at AllMovie Blazing Saddles at Box Office Mojo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Blazing Saddles amp oldid 1151871831, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.