Posted on 05/09/2014 7:05:49 AM PDT by rktman
There are plenty of lousy film comedies, but there are only two that I outright hate: "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Both were released in 2006 when Hollywood's fury against George W. Bush had reached its peak, and both let the voters who re-elected him in 2004 have it with both barrels.
On its face you would think that Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" chose the exact same targets (rural Red Staters) to humiliate, but he didn't. With his masterpiece (that has just been released as a special 40th anniversary edition Bluray), Brooks managed to craft a hilarious comedy with a social message, and do it without coming off as a cold, mean-spirited Hollywood snob.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Ouch!
I don't think they "chickened out". Pryor was in the midst of his substance abuse problems, and they were more worried about his erratic behavior.
Pryor did write some memorable scenes -- such as all of the ones involving "Mongo". I also remember hearing or reading that one particular scene was feared to be offensive to blacks, and Pryor said: "If anyone complains, I'll tell them that I wrote it, so shut up!". Unfortunately, I now can't find which scene that was.
Watch movie for free: http://www.vuke.net/2014/08/blazing-saddles-1974.html
Beautiful film, with a gripping storyline, I hope you like it at all. Hello
You sending me to Blazing Saddles? I’ve seen it.
The Wagon Train with the Black Family in their own circle and the ‘Jewish’ Indian Chief ...did he say ‘There goes the neighborhood’?
Or the Foreman comes riding up with the ‘Guards’ trying to get the Black Laborers to sign a ‘N..Work Song’ and they are doing “Camptown Races” to get them in the Spirit - the Foreman berates them for ‘dancing around like a bunch of Kansas City Faggots’.
I think in that era is when R Pryor set his head on fire.
Blazing Saddles would be about 5 minutes long if they tried to make it today. I read someplace that the studio heads to Mel Brooks that he had to take some things out or they wouldn’t release it. He told them okay, I’ll edit it, did nothing and released it anyway. I still laugh at it today for it’s blatant poke at the hipocracy(sp, it’s early) it sheds light on.
I bought it just a few years ago on DVD.
One of the last movies I actually went to a theater to see.
I remember it well, my wife kept poking me and ‘telling’ me to be quiet - the ONLY people in the theater laughing AT the movie were Me and the Blacks in the audience.
There were a few nervous ‘titters’ but the Whites in attendance apparently had come down with a case of ‘White Guilt’ or PC and were ‘afraid’ to offend the audience.
Don’t recall the year but it was in Virginia and we know how ‘long’ it took to mix theaters etal....<:
Didn’t really ‘bother’ me as I was running Asphalt Crews/Company at the time and 98% of the labor was Black -
I did have a token White Laborer or two - mostly HS kids but not many Whites wanted to work shoveling asphalt - those ‘older’ ones I would hire every now and then to ‘help out’ turned out to be ‘bad hires’ because they figured I should show them ‘special privilege’ because we may have had a beer now and then..
Yes, musn’t forget
“THAT is HEDLEY LAMAR”
Watched it again last night, still laugh my butt off.
It is (almost) like Seinfeld.
So many one liners and thought jokes and interconnecting jokes that you can virtually watch it 3 or 4 times and get a different read on something or ask yourself how you ‘missed’ that the other 5 times you watched it....
Watch it on you tube
Ok. I need some help on this one, because to this day I still have no clue what the reference to “The Dr. Gillespie Killings” was all about.
Apparently you aren’t alone...
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-478380.html
Pretty obscure.
No dad blame it!
“The Sheriff’s near”
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