'Blazing Saddles' at 45: The Movie That Couldn't Get Made Today

PJ Media ^ | 7 Feb 2019 | Stephen Kruiser

[Rummyfan]

The Hollywood Reporter celebrated the occasion by republishing its original review of Blazing Saddles. Here is an excerpt:

The screenplay by Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor and Alan Uger (from a story by Bergman) is totally irreverent, never passing up a chance to point up a cliche and sparing nothing or no one along the way. The language is definitely R-rated but it never becomes offensive. In fact, the incongruous pairing of the language and the characters accounts for a great deal of the boisterous humor.

Brooks' fast-paced direction is a masterpiece of comedy detail, filled with delightful and perfectly timed sight gags. The predominant style is one of the extremely broad burlesque but the film is also packed with more subtle touches, especially in Morey Hoffman's clever set decoration and in Peter Wooley's production design.

The line about "sparing nothing or no one along the way" is key. Blazing Saddles seems to send up almost everything. And it does it brilliantly. The humor employed is filled with what today would be known as triggers for the emotionally weak, politically correct, Social Justice Warrior crowd.

[Rummyfan]

[dfwgator]

There was some talk of adapting Blazing Saddles for Broadway, as was “Young Frankenstein” and “The Producers”, but Mel Brooks basically concluded there was no way it could be done.

[SkyDancer]

Well at least All In The Family is still on retro-TV

[Rebelbase]

It could easily be done but there would be no theater that host it nor actors or production crew to be in it.

[rktman]

Where da white wymun at?

[dfwgator]

It could easily be done but there would be no theater that host it nor actors or production crew to be in it.

That's basically what Mel meant.

[FatherofFive]

A true classic. One of those rare movies I like to watch again and again.

[dfwgator]

“They lose me right after the bunker scene.”

[Rebelbase]

Can’t imagine any black men who would be offended by schnitzengruben.

[Delta 21]

[NohSpinZone]

I'd like to extend this laurel, and hardy handshake, to our new...

[TADSLOS]

Too much racist white privileged toxic masculinity.

...and “too Jewish”

[dfwgator]

“Please baby, I am not from Havana”

[Equine1952]

Can you even get a copy of the original movie?

[ssaftler]

It could easily be done but there would be no theater that host it nor actors or production crew to be in it.

Sort of like "Springtime for Hitler"???

[dfwgator]

"Why do I always get a warped one?"

[Army Air Corps]

Yes. It is still commercially available.

[dfwgator]

Don’t bother watching it on commercial TV, they cut all the good stuff out.

[USMC79to83]

Obligatory Ping to Serkit

BLAZING SADDLES at 45

[paulcissa]

“Candygram for Mongo!”