╌>

Blazing Saddles Is Still The Ultimate Western Comedy, 50 Years On

  
Via:  Buzz of the Orient  •  one month ago  •  23 comments

By:   empiremagazine (Empire)

Blazing Saddles Is Still The Ultimate Western Comedy, 50 Years On
 

Leave a comment to auto-join group MOVIES & TV - CLASSIC to CURRENT

MOVIES & TV - CLASSIC to CURRENT


S E E D E D   C O N T E N T


Blazing Saddles Is Still The Ultimate Western Comedy, 50 Years On

blazing-saddles-1.jpg?ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&crop=top&auto=format&w=1440&q=80

Five decades ago, a rip-roaring spoof Western came to town, with a six-shooter full of gags, a handful of ultra-catchy songs, and a roster of stellar performances to boot. It rode a blazing saddle, it wore a shining star - and it became one of the greatest cinematic comedies of all time. Yes, Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles has turned 50, holding on to its status as one of the funniest films ever made, with sharp satire to complement its pitch-perfect homage to the Western genre. 

Blazing Saddles arrived in a period of major creativity for Brooks - it landed in February 1974, followed-up before the year was out by his Universal monster spoof Young Frankenstein . And it connected with audiences for all kinds of reasons - not just the barrage of jokes and Looney Tunes -ish sense of antic mayhem, but its spot-on evocation of the American West, or at least the West as portrayed in classic Hollywood Westerns. Brooks knows genres inside out - it's his embrace of convention that allows him to shoot at the feet of those cliches, turning them inside out with comic glee. While he would go on to spoof horror classics in Young Frankenstein and space operas in Spaceballs , Blazing Saddles remains one of his finest pastiches - nailing the (seemingly) cosy town of Rock Ridge, the cavalcade cowboys and bandits, the corrupt leaders, and the sleazy saloon.

blazing-saddles-2.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80

When it comes to the comedy, Blazing Saddles doesn't so much extend a laurel (and hardy) handshake as take direct potshots. Sometimes those are in the direction of Western stereotypes - the campfire scene, in which a dinner of beans results in a cacophonous symphony of full-throttle farts, has gone down in infamy. Or there's the subversion in those musical numbers, particularly the saloon performance from Madeline Kahn's Lili Von Shtupp (aka 'The Teutonic Titwillow') - not a song to entice the town's menfolk, but a number about how fed up she is of sleeping with them all, by the name of 'I'm Tired'. ("Don't you know, she's pooped!" chimes in a backing vocal.) And then there's Hedy Lamarr - sorry, Hedley Lamarr - Harvey Korman's nefarious district attorney who has a plan to wipe out Rock Ridge in order to make a fortune from impending railway plans. This is a meddling villain with a penchant for bathing with squeaky toys ("Find my Froggy!").

But Blazing Saddles ' more daring comedy comes in the form of its incisive satire on race - Cleavon Little's Bart is the film's whip-smart lead, a Black railroad worker who escapes captivity, evades death, is hired as sheriff to enrage the people of Rock Ridge, and outwits everybody in the process, roping in help from Gene Wilder's Waco Kid (his name's Jim, but most people call him… Jim). Brooks doesn't sugar-coat the town's racism; nor does Bart pay it any mind. He's too busy running rings round everybody - "And now for my next impression… Jesse Owens!" - as something of a live-action Bugs Bunny, whether delivering dynamite to the muscular Mongo disguised as a 'Candygram', or donning Ku Klux Klan robes to scope out Hedley's plans (after beating up the Klansmen first, of course). Brooks counted the legendary Richard Pryor among his writers, on a screenplay that won Best Comedy at the Writers Guild Of America Awards, and earned a BAFTA nomination to boot.

blazing-saddles-4.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80

What stands out today is the freewheeling nature of Blazing Saddles ' comedy - particularly Brooks' penchant for anachronism. Early on, Count Basie and his orchestra appear in the middle of the desert; Bart and the railroad workers croon 'I Get A Kick Out Of You' (which wouldn't exist until 1936) when taunted into performing a 'work song'; the Waco Kid claims to have "killed more men than Cecil B. DeMille". But it's in the closing reel that Blazing Saddles shatters the fourth wall with its bonkers finale - the camera zooming out mid-brawl to reveal the studio backlot, before the bust-up spills over into the all-singing, all-dancing musical shooting one hangar over, and then out into the commissary where it turns into a pie fight. What other film can claim to end at a screening of… well, itself?

blazing-saddles-3.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80

Five decades on, the genius - and daring - of Blazing Saddles remains undeniable.


Red Box Rules

Save that two members besides the Group Administrator have blanket approval to post and promote seeds and articles, all members of this group are welcome to post to the Group seeds, articles and comments provided that: 1) Promotion to the Front (Home) Page of seeds and articles must first be approved by the Group Administrator, and 2) Discussion of politics and/or religion will be limited to the plots and themes of the movies or TV movies and series themselves and any religious comments or proselytizing or commentary concerning current political circumstances not in reference to the movies or TV movies and series themselves will be deleted along with all CoC and ToS violations.  As well, anything posted that the administer of this group deems to be offensive or off topic will be deleted.  Videos and images that the administrator cannot open must be described in text or they will be deleted.


Tags

jrGroupDiscuss - desc
[]
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient    one month ago

Not just the best Western comedy - there are few of them and none come even close to matching it, but one of the most hilarious comedy movies of all time.  

 
 
 
TᵢG
Professor Principal
1.1  TᵢG  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @1    one month ago

One that can be watched many times and still trigger chuckles?

”where da white women at?”   So many killer one-liners.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
1.1.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  TᵢG @1.1    one month ago

How about this one...

  • Bart : [ on grandstand to the townspeople ] Excuse me while I whip this out.
  • [ reaches into waistline as crowd gasps and screams; Bart pulls out paper, they sigh with relief ]

The movie has one of the longest lists of funny quotes I've ever seen on IMDb.

 
 
 
Jeremy Retired in NC
Professor Expert
2  Jeremy Retired in NC    one month ago

This is a movie that we can never expect a "reboot" of.  The brutal honesty and comedy just goes right over the heads of so many people.

 
 
 
Just Jim NC TttH
Professor Principal
2.1  Just Jim NC TttH  replied to  Jeremy Retired in NC @2    one month ago

Or offends them off the charts.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
2.1.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Just Jim NC TttH @2.1    one month ago

Who would be offended?  racists?  black people? (Wasn't Bart the star of the movie, the only normal person?)

 
 
 
arkpdx
Professor Quiet
2.2  arkpdx  replied to  Jeremy Retired in NC @2    one month ago

Even Mel Brooks said he could not make the movie today. In fact he said that the big wigs at the studio didn't want to release it back in 1975 saying it was too controversial. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
2.2.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  arkpdx @2.2    one month ago

Back in those days the studio bigwigs were chickens, too afraid of being "offensive".  In 1947 they didn't want to release Gentleman's Agreement either.

 
 
 
Ed-NavDoc
Professor Quiet
2.3  Ed-NavDoc  replied to  Jeremy Retired in NC @2    one month ago

Was just about to say the same until I read your post. Besides, it is impossible to reboot a already perfect film! 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
2.3.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Ed-NavDoc @2.3    one month ago

You're right.  It could be impossible to improve it.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
3  JohnRussell    one month ago

Mel Brooks was great at combining satire with broad almost slapstick comedy.   He made two or three of the funniest movies ever made. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  JohnRussell @3    one month ago

Absolutely.

 
 
 
Robert in Ohio
Professor Guide
4  Robert in Ohio    one month ago

I also liked these two 

City-Slickers.jpg

and

the-three-amigos-drawing-their-guns.jpeg

Interesting list here with the pictures

10 Best Western Comedies Of All Time, Ranked

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
4.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Robert in Ohio @4    one month ago
"The end result is one of the funniest movies not just in the Western genre but in film history altogether, certifying Blazing Saddles as the greatest Western comedy film of all time."

Which is what i said in so many words in my first comment above.

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
5  charger 383    one month ago

Still one of my favorite movies

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
5.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  charger 383 @5    one month ago

One of many others as well - certainly one of my favourite comedy movies generally. 

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
6  charger 383    one month ago

Harrumph, Harrumph!

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
6.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  charger 383 @6    one month ago
"Harrumph, Harrumph!"

Didn't you mean "Harrumph, Harrumph, Harrumph!"?

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
7  Kavika     one month ago

When the wagon train was heading west and they made the black family bring up the rear about a mile behind the white wagon and the Sioux attack and surrounded the white wagon and Mel Brooks the Sioux Chief ride up the the black wagon and speaks Yiddish to them finally tell they to take off and as they leave Brooks the Chief turnes to his other warriors and says, ‘’phew, they are darker than us.’’

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Kavika @7    one month ago

I forgot about the "yiddish" bit.  jrSmiley_4_smiley_image.png

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
7.1.1  Kavika   replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.1    one month ago

The lost tribe and all that…

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
9  Kavika     one month ago

The lost tribe and all that…

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
9.1  seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Kavika @9    one month ago

You can say THAT again....oh, you did. 

Have you any idea how many times I reply to the bottom (last) comment on the comment wall and forget to do it as a reply?  

 
 

Who is online











39 visitors