I remember sitting at the breakfast table on a Saturday morning and my mom and dad trying to explain the movie they had seen the night before called Blazing Saddles. The problem was they could not stop laughing long enough to tell me about it. They finally just told me " you just have to go watch it." So I took my GF and we went and watched it. Been one of my favorites since. Sat through it on TV with my kids one day and by the time they edited out all the good parts it was a 1/2 hour show, my kids did not get it. So one year for Christmas they found the DVD and gave it to me. That day we sat down and watched the entire movie. They could not believe that it was actually made. They thought it was funny, but oh so wrong. Another comedy western that is one of my all time favorites is Paint Your Wagon, it has some great comedy in it also.
Writing from the gateway to the great BluMtns in southeastern Washington.
Just remember, "You are the trailer park and I am the tornado". Beth Dutton, Yellowstone.
Richard Pryor was a co-writer and adviser to Mel Brooks , he was considered to play the sheriff. P.
There were actually five writers on the writing "team" for Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Alan Uger, Andrew Bergman, and Richard Pryor. Andre Bergman had written the original novella, Tex X, in 1967, which eventaully morphed into Black Bart, which then later was titled Blazing Saddles.
According to Steinberg, when Pryor was brought to NewYork to join the writing team, he arrived with a lid of cocaine and a bottle of Courvoisier of which he frequently indulged while working with the other writers. Brooks commented that it didn't seem to affect his "stuff" during the writing sessions and that Pryor was "sensationally dependable."
Pryor left after a month of solid work with the team.
There was a long, bumpy road from the original novella to the finished movie, 1967 to 1974. The budget was $2,300,000.00. It made back a few more $$$$$ than that.
This info is from a long article in Written By, April/May 2017, "Backward In The Saddle Again," by Greg Beal. Written By is the official magazine of The Writers Guild Of America.
FWIW.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
Top 3 (*and arguably the Top 1) greatest comedy of all time. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder were never better. There will never be another Mel Brooks and his movies, Blazing Saddles in particular, could never be reproduced today.
It's a horrible western though. I'll agree with that.
Bud damn, if you can't LOVE Blazing Saddles then there's something wrong with you.
Probably the only reply to the original post that is required.
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
I rented it today - unedited version, Been a long time!! Silly, Politically Incorrect - makes it a classic! I thought the ending was stupid however, like they had a lot of fun making it but ran out of ideas to end it!
And these zombies line up and eat from the media’s trough
It's the little things that separate a masterpiece like this from a regular "good movie".
Everybody in the town had the same last name...Johnson. Howard Johnson ran the Hotel, etc. What does this tell you? If you watch it again, and really pay attention, I think you'll appreciate it....or maybe not.
I rented it today - unedited version, Been a long time!! Silly, Politically Incorrect - makes it a classic! I thought the ending was stupid however, like they had a lot of fun making it but ran out of ideas to end it!
True. Couldn't figure out a good and funny ending.
I'll agree with that. 
