People complain about modern sensibilities and say, "You couldn't make a film like 'Blazing Saddles' today"! Mel Brooks heard that and replied, "We couldn't make it in '74!"
I seem to remember a story, pretty sure it was this film. The studio saw the first cuts and gave him several pages of changes he 'had' to make. He took them said he'd take care of it all. Then threw the notes away.
I think these days people don't understand irony. The fact you can make an overtly anti-racist film by making a seemingly racist film throw in Mel Brooks' sensibilities and humour.........AWESOME.
Ive seen some good videos pushing back on that narrative, the idea being why would you make blazing saddles today, everything it parodies is of another era
Too many people don’t understand that laughing about our problems and challenges is an important part of how we deal with them. All serious all the time provides no breathing room for genuine growth and leads to cynicism and resentment.
@@rustybarrel516 Also because some of the reasons for our problems are laughable when looked at in the light of day. One such is hating someone based on their skin color. How utterly ridiculous is that?
The Hedley Lamarr joke is a reference to Hedy Lamarr, a famous actress and inventor. She's worth looking up. Stunningly gorgeous, she was a top leading lady in the 40's and 50s.She helped invent a wave hopping radio frequency guidance system for allied bombs in WW2. And she wasn't happy about this particular joke, she sued the studio over it I believe.
@@zachbartell4193 : I have her autobiography. She got 'screwed hard' quite literally by many people which is one of the reasons that she got 'screwed hard' by the history books. She was a promiscuous woman at a time when doing so was socially unacceptable well before the 'sexual liberation' of the 60's and early to mid 70's, and that cost her quite a few opportunities in her life. Nonetheless she persevered and became successful and lived life largely on her own terms. Her autobiography isn't a whine about how unfair life might have been to her, it's actually mostly a story of triumph told unapologetically from her own point of view. To be fair, h er invention didn't seem super important (outside the war effort of course) at the time she wrote her book.
Frankie Laine, who was a classic western singer, sang the opening song with upmost passion, believing it to be a serious, historically accurate film with a heartfelt message. Mel Brooks didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a parody.
Harvey Corman was a regular on the Carol Burnett Show. That's how I came to know him, anyway. Young Frankenstein should be your next Brooks film, also starring Gene Wilder in one of his best and over the top performances.
How Corman survived working with Tim Conway for so many years is a mystery to me. The man looks like he's about to rupture something trying to keep it together during most of their skits.
He also was the voice Great Gazoo in The Flintstones and the Dictabird in The Flintstones movie plus being a guest star on the first season of The Muppet Show.
The scene in Django Unchained with the group complaining about not being able to see out of the bags on their heads had Blazing Saddles written all over it.
4:45 "And they're breaking the fourth wall"... OMG you had no idea what was coming, they don't only break it, they demolish it, tear it down, break down the little pieces and salt the land so no walls ever grow again...
13:38 A Mel Brooks cameo, he's wearing the white scarf and back jacket. And did you notice the bikers all had handlebars on their horses ? This is Brooks' funniest film IMHO but his best piece of actual film-making is Young Frankenstein. It's just beautiful.
The scene with Lily Von Schtup where she exclaims “It’s Twue, It’s Twue” there was a line cut (written by Richard Pryor) after in which Bart says “Madam, you’re sucking on my arm”
When I was about 12yo, me and my school mates went to see a double feature at our local cinema. (NOT in 1974 well after) It was... Blazing Saddles followed by Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We nearly died laughing XD The beans nearly killed us.
"Mel Brooks is making fun of racism." Yep. "This is a cartoon." Yep. Such a hilarious movie. Mel Brooks was at his peak with this but truly his greatest is Young Frankenstein. Still, how can you not love a movie with these performances especially from Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. They just carry this movie on their backs with a perfect buddy tandem. It's basically a live-action Looney Tunes episode where all the Yosemite Sam racist pieces of shit just get made to look like complete assholes by the Bugs Bunny-esque clever sheriff. Richard Pryor did fantastic work on this too, his genius was in full display here. Mel Brooks really understood the ridiculousness inherent in a lot of things, including Hollywood's system and just found the fun in breaking the fourth wall and exposing it all. Despite that, some of the actors really struggled to use such awful and cruel language and had to be coaxed into it. Burton Gilliam just couldn't utter the N-Word and it took Cleavon Little himself to take him aside and tell him not to worry about it, because they weren't his words but rather his character's words and that it was all in good fun. By all accounts, Little was a real prince of a man that was taken from us far too soon. Great, fantastic, riotous film and second only to Young Frankenstein for Mel Brooks' best.
Speaking of Looney Tunes cartoons... (and it was you who opened up the topic, not me) I recently discovered a sequel to the Warner Brothers animated short One Froggy Evening (1955). A true, one-of-a-kind gem that should remain a one-off. But, original director Chuck Jones, had another idea. Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/eX_Yy6VmvzI/w-d-xo.html I'm perfectly willing to take any brickbats for being slightly off topic. Best. Leo.
@@shanwatchesmovies If you haven't seen the original, I guess you would consider this to be full of spoilers. This is one of the rare instances where it couldn't matter less. I'd love to be able to direct you to a copy of the original, it's usually part of collections and not generally available gratis. Let me know your thoughts: macnmike@metrocast.net. Best. Leo.
Okay, I LOVE how you immediately understood that Mel Brooks' intention was to take the piss out of racism. Way too people watch this movie and think, "Hey, Mel Brooks uses racial and homophobic slurs, so who needs a filter?" Meaning that Mel Brooks' whole point went right over their heads.
My suggestion for Mel Brooks: Young Frankenstein Spaceballs History of the World Part One The Twelve Chairs The Producers (my personal favorite, btw Brooks won an Oscar for best screenplay of 1968)
Thank you for not bleeping the word out like so many others do, people need to understand that a word itself means nothing, it's the context behind it, and the context behind the word here is making fun of racists.
Shan, somewhere you mentioned that you had seen Vertigo. This compels me to recommend High Anxiety (1977) by Brooks, a spoof of the Hitchcock film. It has many of the usual suspects involved on both sides of the clapper. Best. Leo.
You'll love Young Frankenstein. It's filmed in monochrome in the expressionist style of the original Frankenstein films directed by James Whale in the 1930s. They even use some of the original props. Also it's REALLY FUNNY of course :D
@@shanwatchesmovies I forgot to say Young Frankenstein is played by Gene Wilder and he wrote the script. So, I might as well go to the first Wilder/Brooks collaboration. "The Producers" 1967. A young Gene Wilder is the co lead. I don't want to spoiler the plot so.... the eponymous producers attempt to put on the most offensive musical ever made for.... reasons. It's hilarious and has much of the anarchy of Blazing Saddles.
@@shanwatchesmovies Please consider Mel's "The Twelve Chairs". It's the film he made just before Blazing Saddles, and it's brilliant. Also has the best theme song ever. :)
@@Serai3 The first five films of Mel Brooks show Brooks at his best. The Producers is as different from The Twelve Chairs (a personal favorite of mine, too) as Blazing Saddles is from Young Frankenstein and Silent Movie in tone. Saddles had those wonderful surreal moments while Chairs has a lyrical melancholy beauty. Frankenstein is simply a perfect hybrid of parody and homage and Silent Movie's movie introduced the time Brooks' humor started to become broader and perhaps a bit cornier but had the audacity to have no spoken dialog or ambient sounds outside from comical sound effects and one spoken word from an unlikely source. The Producers is the one that started it all and there's a crudeness and roughness throughout that works wonderfully with the material and is simply brilliant. It also has a wonderful turn by Kenneth Mars, who also had a great role in Young Frankenstein. High Anxiety has a lot to recommend but there's a lot of goofy humor delivered over the top that pretty much describes the remainder of Mel Brooks' filmography. A portion of History of the World Part 1 script was printed in Playboy magazine before the movie opened and the script was a hilarious read. Yet when performed, it was done very vaudeville like (over the top) that it was less funny than when it was read. So as much as Brooks' movies had the same tone and style starting with History of the World, his first five are so different from one another that they would provide the best material to view and review. And when you see it, my favorite part in The Twelve Chairs is Father Fyodor's (Dom Deluise) failed attempt at suicide. It's short but hilariously unexpected.
I can't name a single favorite Mel Brooks film, he has so many great movies. At the top of my list (in no particular order) would be : Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, History of the World Part One, and Spaceballs.
Fun trivia: After promising Warner Brothers that he would edit out several "offensive" scenes, such as the infamous farting sequence, Mel Brooks never cut a single scene except one: after the room is darkened and Lilly (Madeline Kahn) informs Bart "It's TWUE! It's TWUE!," Bart (Cleavon Little) quietly states, "You're sucking on my arm." The scene was later added back to the home video release. Fun trivia: When auditioning for the role of Lili, Madeline Kahn was asked by Mel Brooks to pull up her skirt so he could see her legs. She was quite hesitant, being unclear of Brooks' intentions. Brooks actually just wanted to see if she had legs good enough to approximate Marlene Dietrich's famous "gams." So she lifted her skirt and said, "No touching." Fun trivia: At the end of the movie when the whole group is running out of the Warner Brothers studio front gates, there is a man in a sweater standing on the sidewalk, watching the action. Mel Brooks has said that the man was not part of the movie, and had simply wandered into the scene. They shooed him away and then went to film the scene. The guy came back into the shot, and is seen standing next to a light pole as the characters stream past him down the street. Brooks had asked the man to move, as they were getting ready to shoot that scene. The man, not understanding their requests, stood there. So Brooks sent out a waiver for him to sign, and left him in the movie.
@@shanwatchesmovies Seeing that "mongo" is mentioned here ; ) , it is slang for huge, I think that is possibly what Brooks and Pryor could have been going forrather than Mongoloid as in race or idiot. But, with this movie anything is possible.
In fact the Irish were not well received when they first arrived. They were stereotyped as being loudmouth drunks and lazy, restaurants would put up signs with "NO DOGS OR IRISH ALLOWED!". But to be fair most immigrant groups had difficulty's, to one degree or another in being accepted. The Irish and later the Italians had a strike against them in that they were Catholic which today means nothing, but back then people thought this was a Protestant country and that was considered very important.
Richard Pryor was one of the writers on this along with Brooks. It's a brilliant mix of what people consider to be "black humor" and "Jewish humor". Brooks later said, though, that many of the funny scenes that people attributed to Pryor were written by him and said it was the same thing about the humorous scenes that people figured Brooks had written. Pryor was supposed to be the Sherriff, but the studio said hell no, as Pryor was considered trouble. Cleavon Little should have gotten more work after this, but he expressed dissatisfaction with his performance later in life. I think he was fantastic
Not to mention that Pryor had can out of control cocaine and alcohol addiction and would vanish for days at a time. The studio saw him as a crude, foul mouthed nightclub preformer (which he was)
The joke is that he is called “Mongo”, so that the only Hispanic in town, Juan Hijo, says, “Mongo Santa Maria!” And flees. Mongo Santamaria was a legendary jazz percussionist. They sing Cole Porter and have Count Basie and his orchestra in the movie. It’s another jazz reference.
Easily, one of the funniest movies of all time. A television series based on the film was planned, with Lou Gosset Jr. taking on Clevon Little's role. The series didn't last long at all.
A little story about that theme song: It was recorded by Frankie Laine, who sang Western music. He was not told what kind of movie it was for, so he sang it completely straight because he thought he was being taken seriously. When he saw the movie, his feelings were apparently hurt by the laughter.
11:30 She was a master of comedic improv and song writing...RIP. Actually Madeline Kahn wrote the whole "I'm tiyahd" song an dance skit. There's a doc with Mel for the 30 or 35th anniversary of this movie. It's an awesome watch. I also think Madeline was around 25 when she got the part in this film. Mel was concerned about being maybe too offensive but Richard Pryor told him otherwise and really wanted to write Mongo's character and lines. My fav outta the whole movie when I saw this with my parents in the theater in "74" was when Mel showed up as the Indian, ehem, Native American chief. Who was speaking in both German, and Yiddish dialect. Golden moments in comedy.
If you want to see more Gene Wilder in a Mel Brooks film, check out "Young Frankenstein". Gene Wilder wrote the script, and Mel Brooks directed it. It's some of their best work. Totally hilarious, especially if you've seen the first couple of Frankenstein movies from the 1930's.
Alex Karras, who plays Mongo, played defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions from 1958-1970. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also a more than decent actor. His autobiography Even Big Guys Cry is funny and touching.
Now imagine what it was like sitting in the dark with 400 other people, none of whom expected any of this, either. I was twelve when this came out, my whole family went to see it, and I had never laughed like that in my life. It was bewilderingly funny - brash and loud and transgressive and compassionate and unapologetic and so very, very _strange._ I had no idea actors could talk to the camera like that, or had ever seen a film with so little regard for rules. Mel Brooks simply _did not care._ He knew what was funny, and that was all that mattered. Still the best comedy ever made, in my opinion. (And I'll stop now, LOL.)
I know now that you can't do or say things like in the movie. All I know is we need movies like this to bring some relief for these stressful times. We takes things anymore to far on what is acceptable any more! Sad times.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this film. It's one of my all-time favorite comedies. But, because of your age, you missed a few of the jokes. The band playing as Bart rides past is The Count Basie Orchestra. Count Basie was a world-famous orchestra leader back in the day. So his appearance in the film was meant for people my parents age. Then there were the two men on the second film set, dancing in the water. That was Burt Reynolds and James Caan. At the time they were considered super manly men in films, so they were doing a send-up of themselves. And yes of course, Blazing Saddles was definitely meant to mock the absurdity of racism and bigotry.
I never thought about it in that way, Shan, but you really did nail it. It IS a cartoon made into a movie with real actors. Mel Brooks is a comedic genius, and he knew how to select all the right people with whom to work.
It's an OLD movie, don't ya know? Who has time for movies with character development, sharp writing, and humanity? Then a lot of these OLD movies are in, eek, "black-and-white!" Hipsters only like DFX-heavy movies in color, with forgettable storylines, sarcastic dialogue, etc.
You are quickly becoming one of my favorite reactors. I loved how you enjoyed it, and you reviewed it with an awesome and descriptive intelligence. Thank you my man!👊
You are the FIRST reactor I've seen that actually got how funny this film is. Mel is genius. Period! For more, you absolutely MUST see Young Frankenstein!!!
I'm glad you got this movie was a satire on racism and sexism. It's also making fun of western films of that era which were notorious for being inaccurate and romanticizing that period in U.S. history. So many get offended by the racist and sexist language in 'Blazing Saddles,' often missing this film is making fun of those things. Fun little fact. African-American comedian Richard Pryor helped to write the script, and was supposed to play the role that Cleavon Little would eventually take. Pryor was only replaced because of other obligations Pryor had at the time. So here are my other favorite Mel Brooks flicks I think you should see. Young Frankenstein Spaceballs High Anxiety History Of The World, Part 1 (Note: There is no part 2)
You know, I've never heard anybody describe this movie as a 'live action cartoon', but it's really spot on with all the gags, fourth wall breaks, and the gaps in logic. I wish there was a named genre for this sort of film.
No, Mongo was named Mongo just so the one character could say "Mongo! Santa Maria!" because the Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria was one of Mel Brooks' favorite jazz musicians.
This is me trying to think of a "wholesome" Mel Brooks film: ...................................................................................................................................... Fun movie, isn't it?
I'm glad that you caught that he was making fun of racism and you didn't bleep out the language. I've seen some other reactors completely avoid damn near everything in their videos and make goofy faces when stuff was said. Another great review/reaction.
"I thought he was very PC... and did wholesome films." After taking some time to collect my thoughts, I believe The Fly (1986) is the most wholesome movie in which Mel Brooks has been involved. Best. Leo.
That laugh during the pan to the soundstages - wonderful! For some reason I thought you'd done all the Brooks films...hopefully you'll do them all in the future...High Anxiety is a personal favorite.. Had a lot of fun with this reaction - thanks!
I really enjoy the thought and effort you put into evaluating these films as well as genuinely reacting to it as a regular moviegoer. There are so many good classic movies, I hope you continue exploring them in every genre.
The actress who plays Lili von Schtup, Madeline Kahn, was a fully trained opera singer with an absolutely beautiful voice. To see her in her absolute best acting role, once again along side Gene Wilder, watch Young Frankenstein. To see her first massive breakout role, watch the absolutely brilliant Paper Moon.
@@shanwatchesmovies you are welcome! I really enjoy your analytical and entertaining reactions to these classic films. As a cinemaphile myself, I’ve probably got a million movies you’d never think to watch to recommend, but those are currently the most relevant.
Love your reaction because you got the spirit of the movie right off the bat, congrats! now if you watch again, you will find a lot of things you missed. I saw it in '74 when it came out in theaters...talked my older cousin into taking me.... and still watching it 46 years later and loving it!
I have seen this movie many many times over the years. I saw it new at the theater and a couple years later it was in the drive in as well. Your laughter is so contagious that I was able to laugh hysterically again like when it was new. As others have said, I'm so glad you "got it" about the racism. Too many don't "get it." I'm very glad you enjoyed it!
Gene Wilder - The Producers, Willy Wonka, his segment in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex, Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak, Stir Crazy
Really good review of the film. I never realized that the town itself was only the set that was shown...it seemed so real to me. Just hysterical for audiences in theaters at the time.
Shan: When Cleavon Little, dressed in his Gucci finery comes upon the band in the desert, that band is the Count Basie Orchestra playing their signature song, "April in Paris". Because Basie was at the height of his popularity in the late 1940s, many watchers even when the movie was released in 1974 didn't 'get' the ADDITIONAL humor of coming upon the Count Basie Orchestra in the middle of nowhere. And NOW, almost 47 years after the release of the movie, it's pretty safe to say that few get that fact. As for the "Heady', Brooks even makes a reference to that in the movie. Hedy Lamarr was a famous 1930s actress, who upon hearing that Korman's character was to be named "Headley", threatened to sue Mel Brooks.
I love the way you combine analysis of the film with the pure enjoyment of the movie - a true fan of movies in general, and it shows. I'd love to recommend my favourite Mel Brooks film, but this is it! The second choice would likely be either Robin Hood: Men in Tights, or The Producers. I recommend both!
One of my all time favorite comedies. So happy to see you reacting to it. Bart holding himself hostage cracks me up every single time! When John Wayne was asked if he wanted a part in it: "I can't be seen in a movie like that. But I'll be the first in line at the cinema to watch it!"
Harvey Kormann was a regular on The Carol Burnett Show. He and Tim Conway were great in that. My favorite Mel Brooks film besides this one was also released in 1974... "Young Frankenstein", which also stars Gene Wilder and Madeline Khan.
Since this IS my favorite Mel Brooks film, I'll recommend one that doesn't get enough attention, and as someone who obviously loves films, I think you'll enjoy: Silent Movie, starring Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, and Dom DeLuise. It's probably my second favorite Mel Brooks film, and nobody really talks about it these days.
Am I crazy or is the pilot in the leather jacket (seen right of screen @13:35) also Mel Brooks? I can't seem to get confirmation on this. People only credit Mel as playing the Governor and the Jewish Indian. But I'm pretty sure he's the pilot as well. It looks just like him.
One of the main reasons I like your reactions is that you pay attention to the movies and don't miss much. 👍👍 Yes, Mel Brooks is a creative genius. He's got a few good movies out.
I love your reaction. You were so tickled 😆 Lamar was played by Harvey Korman a great comedic who spent many years on the Carol Burnett Show. Him and Tim Conway were a dynamic comedy duo.
This is a cartoon. -Scene with Bug Bunny gag They're acknowledging it's a film -Fight breaks out into other studios. You're ahead of the game, I'll give you that.
I think the toll booth gag, the lone wagon riding in a circle gag, the taking yourself hostage gag and a lot of the other jokes were ripped off from Mel Blanc cartoons or at least inspired by them to one degree or another.
The other forgotten gem is The Twelve Chairs. Hilarious film but hardly anyone remembers it. Also had the best theme song ever, "Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst".
Best review of Blazing Saddles, Shan. A critic that actually gets it. You would like “Raising Arizona” it’s a cartoonesque film by the Coen brothers with a lot of subliminal depth.
Hedy Lamarr was a movie star and she also helped develop technology that is still used in cell phones. Mel Brooks changed the character's name to Hedley to try to avoid getting sued, which didn't work. (They settled out of court.)
Happy New Year Shan. As many have noted Young Frankenstein is where you go from this film. Wilder stepped into the Waco Kid role after the original actor had some personal issues and the deal he made with Brooks was - make my Frankenstein movie. It is amazing. It is hilarious. It is beautifully filmed. Have I over sold it? No.
@@shanwatchesmovies Spaceballs is good silly fun. Frankenstein is good silly fun in the middle of a great film. They paid attention to details. I'll be the first to spoil for you they used original sets and props from the 1930's film. You will enjoy both films.
The hilarious anachronisms and use of simulacra in Brooks' parody of the American Western genre takes this film to a whole new level of absurdity. Love ❤️ it!
Glad you enjoyed this flick! TBH... One of my favorite Brooks flicks is “the Twelve Chairs”, with Frank Langella, Ron Moody, Dom Deluise (He was “Buddy” the director of the musical, in the big fight sequence, & he’s really terrific as “Father Fyodor”, in the Twelve Chairs!) Mel even has a few scenes, as well! It’s not as zany as Blazing Saddles, or most of Mel’s later works, & he even catches some really great dramatic moments from Langella.) I hope you will take a chance with my suggestion, & I hope you will enjoy it! 😉😁 Be well!
You are enjoying the humor the way it was intended. You were right when you said Mel Brooks was making fun of racism. That is a major theme i think of this movie.
I needed a moment to collect my emotions. One of my favorite persons/actresses, Dawn Wells, passed. 😢 A gem of a lady. ... No way a movie like this could be made today. As a matter of fact, Mel Brooks got hate for this recently. It's sad really. Fun Fact: during the chaotic chase scene at the end, a guy (probably a tourist) wandered onto the set. He kept coming back after many attempts to shoo him so they kept him in. History of the World was good but there's a lull in the latter half.
Sadly, the western town on the WB lot was torn down years and years ago. If you noticed, when everyone was running out of the WB main gate, there's a seemingly random man standing on the corner. He wasn't supposed to be there! Here's a fun clip of Mel talking about it: th-cam.com/video/987L5nDBID4/w-d-xo.html I would recommend The Producers, for which Mel won an Academy Award. It's not as zany as this, but Gene and Zero Mostel make a great team. There are bootlegs of the Broadway musical version of the movie - won the most Tony Awards ever and it's Mel's love letter to Broadway. Happy New Year!
Once again you showed me a good time Shan. You started laughing near the beginning because they broke the 4th wall; I knew at the end, no movie ever shattered the 4th wall more.
There's another comedy-western starring Gene Wilder called The Frisco Kid. This is another great movie and I can't recommend it enough! While it is a comedy, this one is grounded in reality like how you thought Blazing Saddles would be before seeing it. All of Gene Wilder 's movies with Mel Brooks are excellent! The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and this one. Also, Gene Wilder's movies with Richard Pryor, while uneven, are good movies to watch. The Silver Streak is my favorite, it's a romantic-comedy-suspense film. Head No Evil, See No Evil and Stir Crazy are good with moments of greatness. Another You is their worst received film, Pryor was visibly suffering from Multiple Sclerosis by this point a d it was his last movie. While it's barely good, I do seem to like it more than others and believe it's worth watching. Richard Pryor almost played the part of Sheriff Bart in this movie, but the studio was too concerned about him, so the part went to Little. However, Pryor did write a good bit of this film with Brooks.
Great comedy. Mel Brooks (His films are not PC) has great spoof movies like Spaceballs (only if you seen the original Star Wars original trilogy) or High Anxiety (only if you seen classic Hitchcock movies) . This movie had the first Fart Scene joke :). Jesse Owens is a famous black olympic runner and Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress.
Top 3 things I can't get enough of people reacting to - Jinjer - Pisces (Live Session) Blazing Saddles John Carpenter's The Thing Honorable mention - The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody live 1965
Great reaction, Shan. I'm sure most people are going to suggest Young Frankenstein as your next Mel Brooks movie, an I would agree with that. It's one of my favorites. However, if you have seen an Alfred Hitchcock films I would suggest checking out High Anxiety. Stars Mel Brooks, with Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn (again), and a great performance by Cloris Leachman (who also does great in Young Frankenstein). If you're looking for an "authentic" western, I would suggest checking out "Silverado" with Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover and Brian Dennehy.
People complain about modern sensibilities and say, "You couldn't make a film like 'Blazing Saddles' today"! Mel Brooks heard that and replied, "We couldn't make it in '74!"
@Mitchell Beston That's his point.
I seem to remember a story, pretty sure it was this film. The studio saw the first cuts and gave him several pages of changes he 'had' to make. He took them said he'd take care of it all. Then threw the notes away.
I think these days people don't understand irony. The fact you can make an overtly anti-racist film by making a seemingly racist film throw in Mel Brooks' sensibilities and humour.........AWESOME.
Ive seen some good videos pushing back on that narrative, the idea being why would you make blazing saddles today, everything it parodies is of another era
What the heck are you talking about?
“Mel Brooks is making fun of racism itself”.
YES! I knew you would spot that right away, Shan! So many other YT reactors don’t get that!
Yeah I was impressed with how quickly Shan figured that out, this was a really good reaction.
Thank you guys!
Too many people don’t understand that laughing about our problems and challenges is an important part of how we deal with them. All serious all the time provides no breathing room for genuine growth and leads to cynicism and resentment.
@@rustybarrel516 Also because some of the reasons for our problems are laughable when looked at in the light of day. One such is hating someone based on their skin color. How utterly ridiculous is that?
You got to see Space Balls
"A cartoon made into a film" -- that's the best description of this movie I've ever heard.
Someone in the comments pointed out it's essentially Yosemite Sam (Lamarr) and Bugs Bunny (Bart&Jim)
@@shanwatchesmovies I would have pegged Taggert more as Yosemite Sam and Hedley Lamarr more as Wile E. Coyote.
Other films that that fit this description include The Great Race (1965) and The Villain (1979)
@@spaceactivistarchive4180 Two classics sir! You are a man of refined breeding and taste! 😁
Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, "Young Frankenstein." Also Marty Feldman.
Watch that movie! It's one of the greatest comedies of all time!
Agreed, fantastic movie... also they tracked down the original props from Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein
Yes indeed!
Young Frankenstein is so epic
Totally agree, Absolutely classic must watch.
The Hedley Lamarr joke is a reference to Hedy Lamarr, a famous actress and inventor. She's worth looking up. Stunningly gorgeous, she was a top leading lady in the 40's and 50s.She helped invent a wave hopping radio frequency guidance system for allied bombs in WW2. And she wasn't happy about this particular joke, she sued the studio over it I believe.
And that invention of hers was the basis for Bluetooth technology.
Yeah she was a brilliant lady that deserves way more accolades and to be a role model. She got screwed hard by the history books
Thanks for the insights! I wasn't aware of that!
@@zachbartell4193 : I have her autobiography. She got 'screwed hard' quite literally by many people which is one of the reasons that she got 'screwed hard' by the history books. She was a promiscuous woman at a time when doing so was socially unacceptable well before the 'sexual liberation' of the 60's and early to mid 70's, and that cost her quite a few opportunities in her life. Nonetheless she persevered and became successful and lived life largely on her own terms. Her autobiography isn't a whine about how unfair life might have been to her, it's actually mostly a story of triumph told unapologetically from her own point of view.
To be fair, h er invention didn't seem super important (outside the war effort of course) at the time she wrote her book.
And Mel's response to the lawsuit was, "She's a legend, pay her whatever she wants!"
Shan: "I love how they keep breaking the fourth wall"
Me: giggles waiting for the ending.
Frankie Laine, who was a classic western singer, sang the opening song with upmost passion, believing it to be a serious, historically accurate film with a heartfelt message.
Mel Brooks didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a parody.
I think, that Frankie Laine also sang the theme to "Rawhide"..
Well its sort of both in a way.
Harvey Corman was a regular on the Carol Burnett Show. That's how I came to know him, anyway.
Young Frankenstein should be your next Brooks film, also starring Gene Wilder in one of his best and over the top performances.
The Producers (the original) and Space Balls also come to mind.
Also, Corman was in "Dracula:Dead and Loving it"as Doctor Seward(which definitely needs to be reacted to in the future!)
How Corman survived working with Tim Conway for so many years is a mystery to me. The man looks like he's about to rupture something trying to keep it together during most of their skits.
He also was the voice Great Gazoo in The Flintstones and the Dictabird in The Flintstones movie plus being a guest star on the first season of The Muppet Show.
Harvey Korman was amazing in High Anxiety!
The scene in Django Unchained with the group complaining about not being able to see out of the bags on their heads had Blazing Saddles written all over it.
That was hilarious!!
4:45 "And they're breaking the fourth wall"... OMG you had no idea what was coming, they don't only break it, they demolish it, tear it down, break down the little pieces and salt the land so no walls ever grow again...
I had no idea what they were building up to at the end! Crazy stuff!
@@shanwatchesmovies MellVerse reactor said it best: "The breaking of the 4th wall is monumental".
At the end they _literally_ broke the wall, into the dance number... :)
13:38 A Mel Brooks cameo, he's wearing the white scarf and back jacket. And did you notice the bikers all had handlebars on their horses ? This is Brooks' funniest film IMHO but his best piece of actual film-making is Young Frankenstein. It's just beautiful.
_Blazing Saddles_ and _Young Frankenstein_ are peak Brooks. It's downhill after that. Not saying the films aren't good, but not nearly _as_ good.
I still find "Dracula:Dead and Loving It"hilarious. Namely the "Stake"scene.
The scene with Lily Von Schtup where she exclaims “It’s Twue, It’s Twue” there was a line cut (written by Richard Pryor) after in which Bart says “Madam, you’re sucking on my arm”
And it's a Marlene Dietrich parody
... Sucking on my elbow actually. The line was written by Richard Pryor
When I was about 12yo, me and my school mates went to see a double feature at our local cinema. (NOT in 1974 well after)
It was... Blazing Saddles followed by Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
We nearly died laughing XD The beans nearly killed us.
Wow! Lucky you!
Aged about 17 me and two mates saw the same double bill, we left the cinema in pain with laughing
@@OldiesAl Ni!
@@papalaz4444244 ecky ecky ecky petang nooooowom
what gets me the best is when Mel Brooks is dressed like an Indian chief... with a Yiddish accent!
"Mel Brooks is making fun of racism."
Yep.
"This is a cartoon."
Yep.
Such a hilarious movie. Mel Brooks was at his peak with this but truly his greatest is Young Frankenstein. Still, how can you not love a movie with these performances especially from Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. They just carry this movie on their backs with a perfect buddy tandem. It's basically a live-action Looney Tunes episode where all the Yosemite Sam racist pieces of shit just get made to look like complete assholes by the Bugs Bunny-esque clever sheriff. Richard Pryor did fantastic work on this too, his genius was in full display here. Mel Brooks really understood the ridiculousness inherent in a lot of things, including Hollywood's system and just found the fun in breaking the fourth wall and exposing it all.
Despite that, some of the actors really struggled to use such awful and cruel language and had to be coaxed into it. Burton Gilliam just couldn't utter the N-Word and it took Cleavon Little himself to take him aside and tell him not to worry about it, because they weren't his words but rather his character's words and that it was all in good fun. By all accounts, Little was a real prince of a man that was taken from us far too soon.
Great, fantastic, riotous film and second only to Young Frankenstein for Mel Brooks' best.
So many miss this point.
Thanks for the insights man! The bugs bunny analogy was exactly how I was feeling throughout!
Speaking of Looney Tunes cartoons... (and it was you who opened up the topic, not me) I recently discovered a sequel to the Warner Brothers animated short One Froggy Evening (1955). A true, one-of-a-kind gem that should remain a one-off. But, original director Chuck Jones, had another idea. Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/eX_Yy6VmvzI/w-d-xo.html I'm perfectly willing to take any brickbats for being slightly off topic. Best. Leo.
Watching it after dinner! Thanks Leo!
@@shanwatchesmovies If you haven't seen the original, I guess you would consider this to be full of spoilers. This is one of the rare instances where it couldn't matter less. I'd love to be able to direct you to a copy of the original, it's usually part of collections and not generally available gratis. Let me know your thoughts: macnmike@metrocast.net. Best. Leo.
Okay, I LOVE how you immediately understood that Mel Brooks' intention was to take the piss out of racism. Way too people watch this movie and think, "Hey, Mel Brooks uses racial and homophobic slurs, so who needs a filter?" Meaning that Mel Brooks' whole point went right over their heads.
Brooks uses comedy to defeat racism and anti semitism.
@@andrewreisinger6860 Yep. And in the wrong hands, that strategy could go completely ass-up, but Brooks nails it.
He came right out and called the "common clay of the new west" "morons". How can one miss THAT?!
"Mel Brooks is making fun of racism itself." You got it straight away! :-)
My suggestion for Mel Brooks:
Young Frankenstein
Spaceballs
History of the World Part One
The Twelve Chairs
The Producers (my personal favorite, btw Brooks won an Oscar for best screenplay of 1968)
Yes , "The Producers" is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen
The scene from History where Moses is descending the mountain with the "10" Commandments is one of the best gags in film.
Thank you for not bleeping the word out like so many others do, people need to understand that a word itself means nothing, it's the context behind it, and the context behind the word here is making fun of racists.
Definitely do Young Frankenstein, but don’t miss the original Producers with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.
Yes! Those two films and Blazing Saddles are Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder at their best.
Still makes me laugh. Gene Wilder was absolutely adorable. Cleavon Little was so funny. Mel Brook's 'GOV' still makes me laugh.
I loved his version of the livable goofball!
Shan, somewhere you mentioned that you had seen Vertigo. This compels me to recommend High Anxiety (1977) by Brooks, a spoof of the Hitchcock film. It has many of the usual suspects involved on both sides of the clapper. Best. Leo.
I'll add it to the list Leo!
You'll love Young Frankenstein. It's filmed in monochrome in the expressionist style of the original Frankenstein films directed by James Whale in the 1930s. They even use some of the original props. Also it's REALLY FUNNY of course :D
I'll definitely check it out man
@@shanwatchesmovies I forgot to say Young Frankenstein is played by Gene Wilder and he wrote the script. So, I might as well go to the first Wilder/Brooks collaboration. "The Producers" 1967. A young Gene Wilder is the co lead. I don't want to spoiler the plot so.... the eponymous producers attempt to put on the most offensive musical ever made for.... reasons. It's hilarious and has much of the anarchy of Blazing Saddles.
@@shanwatchesmovies Please consider Mel's "The Twelve Chairs". It's the film he made just before Blazing Saddles, and it's brilliant. Also has the best theme song ever. :)
@@Serai3 thanks for reminding me about that movie, remember seeing it when it came out. Yes, definitely.
@@Serai3 The first five films of Mel Brooks show Brooks at his best. The Producers is as different from The Twelve Chairs (a personal favorite of mine, too) as Blazing Saddles is from Young Frankenstein and Silent Movie in tone. Saddles had those wonderful surreal moments while Chairs has a lyrical melancholy beauty. Frankenstein is simply a perfect hybrid of parody and homage and Silent Movie's movie introduced the time Brooks' humor started to become broader and perhaps a bit cornier but had the audacity to have no spoken dialog or ambient sounds outside from comical sound effects and one spoken word from an unlikely source. The Producers is the one that started it all and there's a crudeness and roughness throughout that works wonderfully with the material and is simply brilliant. It also has a wonderful turn by Kenneth Mars, who also had a great role in Young Frankenstein. High Anxiety has a lot to recommend but there's a lot of goofy humor delivered over the top that pretty much describes the remainder of Mel Brooks' filmography. A portion of History of the World Part 1 script was printed in Playboy magazine before the movie opened and the script was a hilarious read. Yet when performed, it was done very vaudeville like (over the top) that it was less funny than when it was read. So as much as Brooks' movies had the same tone and style starting with History of the World, his first five are so different from one another that they would provide the best material to view and review.
And when you see it, my favorite part in The Twelve Chairs is Father Fyodor's (Dom Deluise) failed attempt at suicide. It's short but hilariously unexpected.
I can't name a single favorite Mel Brooks film, he has so many great movies. At the top of my list (in no particular order) would be : Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, History of the World Part One, and Spaceballs.
Fun trivia: After promising Warner Brothers that he would edit out several "offensive" scenes, such as the infamous farting sequence, Mel Brooks never cut a single scene except one: after the room is darkened and Lilly (Madeline Kahn) informs Bart "It's TWUE! It's TWUE!," Bart (Cleavon Little) quietly states, "You're sucking on my arm." The scene was later added back to the home video release.
Fun trivia: When auditioning for the role of Lili, Madeline Kahn was asked by Mel Brooks to pull up her skirt so he could see her legs. She was quite hesitant, being unclear of Brooks' intentions. Brooks actually just wanted to see if she had legs good enough to approximate Marlene Dietrich's famous "gams." So she lifted her skirt and said, "No touching."
Fun trivia: At the end of the movie when the whole group is running out of the Warner Brothers studio front gates, there is a man in a sweater standing on the sidewalk, watching the action. Mel Brooks has said that the man was not part of the movie, and had simply wandered into the scene. They shooed him away and then went to film the scene. The guy came back into the shot, and is seen standing next to a light pole as the characters stream past him down the street. Brooks had asked the man to move, as they were getting ready to shoot that scene. The man, not understanding their requests, stood there. So Brooks sent out a waiver for him to sign, and left him in the movie.
Thanks you as usual for the trivia mongo! I actually didn't know most of it!
@@shanwatchesmovies Seeing that "mongo" is mentioned here ; ) , it is slang for huge, I think that is possibly what Brooks and Pryor could have been going forrather than Mongoloid as in race or idiot. But, with this movie anything is possible.
9:36 Mongo is played by Alex Karras a former NFL defensive lineman.
And now NFL Hall of Famer
Stars literally, aligned... to make this movie possible.
😀
Legendary comedian, Richard Pryor, co -wrote the script with Mel Brooks.
Thank you for pointing out what most people didn't.😜😜
Brooks also wanted him to play Bart but his comedy was a bit too blue for the studio
Hedy Lamarr was a well-known actress who appeared in many Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s.
Alberto Ramirez
And she sued them. Mel told them not to fight it, just pay her.
please watch Mel Brooks'
Young Frankenstein
Second, third, and Fourth this.
The guy that said “but not the Irish” is actually Irish
He’s also The Big Lebowski in the movie on the same name
In fact the Irish were not well received when they first arrived. They were stereotyped as being loudmouth drunks and lazy, restaurants would put up signs with "NO DOGS OR IRISH ALLOWED!". But to be fair most immigrant groups had difficulty's, to one degree or another in being accepted. The Irish and later the Italians had a strike against them in that they were Catholic which today means nothing, but back then people thought this was a Protestant country and that was considered very important.
Cleavon little was so talented wish we didn’t loose him at such a young age. He was so amazing.
Richard Pryor was one of the writers on this along with Brooks. It's a brilliant mix of what people consider to be "black humor" and "Jewish humor". Brooks later said, though, that many of the funny scenes that people attributed to Pryor were written by him and said it was the same thing about the humorous scenes that people figured Brooks had written. Pryor was supposed to be the Sherriff, but the studio said hell no, as Pryor was considered trouble. Cleavon Little should have gotten more work after this, but he expressed dissatisfaction with his performance later in life. I think he was fantastic
Not to mention that Pryor had can out of control cocaine and alcohol addiction and would vanish for days at a time. The studio saw him as a crude, foul mouthed nightclub preformer (which he was)
The joke is that he is called “Mongo”, so that the only Hispanic in town, Juan Hijo, says, “Mongo Santa Maria!” And flees. Mongo Santamaria was a legendary jazz percussionist. They sing Cole Porter and have Count Basie and his orchestra in the movie. It’s another jazz reference.
I’ve seen him live a great Conga man
Easily, one of the funniest movies of all time. A television series based on the film was planned, with Lou Gosset Jr. taking on Clevon Little's role. The series didn't last long at all.
Now watch Stir Crazy with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor... So funny!!
This is my most enjoyable reaction and review of Blazing Saddles. Very excellent!
A little story about that theme song: It was recorded by Frankie Laine, who sang Western music. He was not told what kind of movie it was for, so he sang it completely straight because he thought he was being taken seriously. When he saw the movie, his feelings were apparently hurt by the laughter.
To get an idea of Mel Brooks' style, his background is in old school Vaudville.
11:30 She was a master of comedic improv and song writing...RIP.
Actually Madeline Kahn wrote the whole "I'm tiyahd" song an dance skit. There's a doc with Mel for the 30 or 35th anniversary of this movie. It's an awesome watch.
I also think Madeline was around 25 when she got the part in this film. Mel was concerned about being maybe too offensive but Richard Pryor told him otherwise and really wanted to write Mongo's character and lines. My fav outta the whole movie when I saw this with my parents in the theater in "74" was when Mel showed up as the Indian, ehem, Native American chief. Who was speaking in both German, and Yiddish dialect. Golden moments in comedy.
If you want to see more Gene Wilder in a Mel Brooks film, check out "Young Frankenstein". Gene Wilder wrote the script, and Mel Brooks directed it. It's some of their best work. Totally hilarious, especially if you've seen the first couple of Frankenstein movies from the 1930's.
Alex Karras, who plays Mongo, played defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions from 1958-1970. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also a more than decent actor. His autobiography Even Big Guys Cry is funny and touching.
Now imagine what it was like sitting in the dark with 400 other people, none of whom expected any of this, either. I was twelve when this came out, my whole family went to see it, and I had never laughed like that in my life. It was bewilderingly funny - brash and loud and transgressive and compassionate and unapologetic and so very, very _strange._ I had no idea actors could talk to the camera like that, or had ever seen a film with so little regard for rules. Mel Brooks simply _did not care._ He knew what was funny, and that was all that mattered. Still the best comedy ever made, in my opinion. (And I'll stop now, LOL.)
It's right up there, but the best comedy ever made was Some Like It Hot.
@@flarrfan In your opinion.
For more Gene Wilder please watch "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" from 1989 !
Better start with Silver Streak or Stir Crazy.
Thanks for the recommendations!
@@zvimur second Stir Crazy
Silver Streak is more than just a comedy. It is a good overall mpvie with action romance and mystery. And Jaws from Jame Bond.
I third Stir Crazy. 👍
I know now that you can't do or say things like in the movie. All I know is we need movies like this to bring some relief for these stressful times. We takes things anymore to far on what is acceptable any more! Sad times.
If y'all loved this movie then ya have to see Young Frankenstein also by Mel Brooks 😂
I'm so glad you enjoyed this film. It's one of my all-time favorite comedies. But, because of your age, you missed a few of the jokes. The band playing as Bart rides past is The Count Basie Orchestra. Count Basie was a world-famous orchestra leader back in the day. So his appearance in the film was meant for people my parents age. Then there were the two men on the second film set, dancing in the water. That was Burt Reynolds and James Caan. At the time they were considered super manly men in films, so they were doing a send-up of themselves. And yes of course, Blazing Saddles was definitely meant to mock the absurdity of racism and bigotry.
I really did! And thank you as usual for the insights!
Also, when they sing the "work song" at the beginning, it's from the 1934 Cole Porter musical, "Anything Goes".
I never thought about it in that way, Shan, but you really did nail it. It IS a cartoon made into a movie with real actors. Mel Brooks is a comedic genius, and he knew how to select all the right people with whom to work.
Can’t believe you never seen blazing saddles one of the funniest movies ever made
It's an OLD movie, don't ya know? Who has time for movies with character development, sharp writing, and humanity? Then a lot of these OLD movies are in, eek, "black-and-white!" Hipsters only like DFX-heavy movies in color, with forgettable storylines, sarcastic dialogue, etc.
You are quickly becoming one of my favorite reactors. I loved how you enjoyed it, and you reviewed it with an awesome and descriptive intelligence. Thank you my man!👊
And thank you for watching 😀
You are the FIRST reactor I've seen that actually got how funny this film is. Mel is genius. Period! For more, you absolutely MUST see Young Frankenstein!!!
I'm glad you got this movie was a satire on racism and sexism. It's also making fun of western films of that era which were notorious for being inaccurate and romanticizing that period in U.S. history. So many get offended by the racist and sexist language in 'Blazing Saddles,' often missing this film is making fun of those things. Fun little fact. African-American comedian Richard Pryor helped to write the script, and was supposed to play the role that Cleavon Little would eventually take. Pryor was only replaced because of other obligations Pryor had at the time. So here are my other favorite Mel Brooks flicks I think you should see.
Young Frankenstein
Spaceballs
High Anxiety
History Of The World, Part 1 (Note: There is no part 2)
Thanks for the insights :)
You know, I've never heard anybody describe this movie as a 'live action cartoon', but it's really spot on with all the gags, fourth wall breaks, and the gaps in logic. I wish there was a named genre for this sort of film.
No, Mongo was named Mongo just so the one character could say "Mongo! Santa Maria!" because the Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria was one of Mel Brooks' favorite jazz musicians.
Also mongo is a slang for huge.
The best Wilder/Brooks collaboration is Young Frankenstein. I don’t even care if you make a video on it. Just make sure you see it!
Lee Mullen is quite correct. I couldn't have said it better myself-and now I needn't. Best. Leo.
This is me trying to think of a "wholesome" Mel Brooks film:
......................................................................................................................................
Fun movie, isn't it?
Springtime for Hitler
I'm glad that you caught that he was making fun of racism and you didn't bleep out the language. I've seen some other reactors completely avoid damn near everything in their videos and make goofy faces when stuff was said. Another great review/reaction.
You really need to see The Producers as well,
"I thought he was very PC... and did wholesome films." After taking some time to collect my thoughts, I believe The Fly (1986) is the most wholesome movie in which Mel Brooks has been involved. Best. Leo.
Yea, I laughed out loud on that one!!!
I'm glad to have been wrong! Going to have to watch The Fly soon. I heard it's a cult classic!
@@shanwatchesmovies Directed by David Cronenberg, if that does anything for you. Best. Leo.
@@shanwatchesmovies The Fly is a great movie. Love your channel Shan!!!!
That laugh during the pan to the soundstages - wonderful! For some reason I thought you'd done all the Brooks films...hopefully you'll do them all in the future...High Anxiety is a personal favorite.. Had a lot of fun with this reaction - thanks!
I really enjoy the thought and effort you put into evaluating these films as well as genuinely reacting to it as a regular moviegoer. There are so many good classic movies, I hope you continue exploring them in every genre.
“Young Frankenstein” for more Brooks & Wilder magic!
The actress who plays Lili von Schtup, Madeline Kahn, was a fully trained opera singer with an absolutely beautiful voice. To see her in her absolute best acting role, once again along side Gene Wilder, watch Young Frankenstein. To see her first massive breakout role, watch the absolutely brilliant Paper Moon.
Thank for the recommendation Nick!
@@shanwatchesmovies you are welcome! I really enjoy your analytical and entertaining reactions to these classic films. As a cinemaphile myself, I’ve probably got a million movies you’d never think to watch to recommend, but those are currently the most relevant.
Love your reaction because you got the spirit of the movie right off the bat, congrats! now if you watch again, you will find a lot of things you missed. I saw it in '74 when it came out in theaters...talked my older cousin into taking me.... and still watching it 46 years later and loving it!
I have seen this movie many many times over the years. I saw it new at the theater and a couple years later it was in the drive in as well. Your laughter is so contagious that I was able to laugh hysterically again like when it was new. As others have said, I'm so glad you "got it" about the racism. Too many don't "get it." I'm very glad you enjoyed it!
Gene Wilder - The Producers, Willy Wonka, his segment in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex, Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak, Stir Crazy
Really good review of the film. I never realized that the town itself was only the set that was shown...it seemed so real to me. Just hysterical for audiences in theaters at the time.
Shan: When Cleavon Little, dressed in his Gucci finery comes upon the band in the desert, that band is the Count Basie Orchestra playing their signature song, "April in Paris". Because Basie was at the height of his popularity in the late 1940s, many watchers even when the movie was released in 1974 didn't 'get' the ADDITIONAL humor of coming upon the Count Basie Orchestra in the middle of nowhere. And NOW, almost 47 years after the release of the movie, it's pretty safe to say that few get that fact. As for the "Heady', Brooks even makes a reference to that in the movie. Hedy Lamarr was a famous 1930s actress, who upon hearing that Korman's character was to be named "Headley", threatened to sue Mel Brooks.
I love the way you combine analysis of the film with the pure enjoyment of the movie - a true fan of movies in general, and it shows. I'd love to recommend my favourite Mel Brooks film, but this is it! The second choice would likely be either Robin Hood: Men in Tights, or The Producers. I recommend both!
One of my all time favorite comedies. So happy to see you reacting to it. Bart holding himself hostage cracks me up every single time!
When John Wayne was asked if he wanted a part in it: "I can't be seen in a movie like that. But I'll be the first in line at the cinema to watch it!"
It was excellent and still stands the test of time!
You have to watch Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder)
Harvey Kormann was a regular on The Carol Burnett Show. He and Tim Conway were great in that. My favorite Mel Brooks film besides this one was also released in 1974... "Young Frankenstein", which also stars Gene Wilder and Madeline Khan.
Outstanding observations! Great reaction! Keep up the great work. Your reviews always bring me joy!
Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me :)
My pleasure!!! Nothing but good things for you
If i ever make it to Vegas, let us know!’
Since this IS my favorite Mel Brooks film, I'll recommend one that doesn't get enough attention, and as someone who obviously loves films, I think you'll enjoy: Silent Movie, starring Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, and Dom DeLuise. It's probably my second favorite Mel Brooks film, and nobody really talks about it these days.
With a noteworthy cameo from Marcel Marceau.
@@rustybarrel516 It's a real who's who of the 1970s and before.
Am I crazy or is the pilot in the leather jacket (seen right of screen @13:35) also Mel Brooks? I can't seem to get confirmation on this. People only credit Mel as playing the Governor and the Jewish Indian. But I'm pretty sure he's the pilot as well. It looks just like him.
Young Frankenstein has Wilder & Madeline Kahn. One of Gene's strongest performances also.
One of the main reasons I like your reactions is that you pay attention to the movies and don't miss much. 👍👍 Yes, Mel Brooks is a creative genius. He's got a few good movies out.
Masterclass movie making by Mel Brooks. So funny and poignant simultaneously. So happy youre doing this one.
I love your reaction. You were so tickled 😆
Lamar was played by Harvey Korman a great comedic who spent many years on the Carol Burnett Show. Him and Tim Conway were a dynamic comedy duo.
This is a cartoon.
-Scene with Bug Bunny gag
They're acknowledging it's a film
-Fight breaks out into other studios.
You're ahead of the game, I'll give you that.
Mel Brookes dropped more hints like slow build up of breaking the fourth wall
I think the toll booth gag, the lone wagon riding in a circle gag, the taking yourself hostage gag and a lot of the other jokes were ripped off from Mel Blanc cartoons or at least inspired by them to one degree or another.
I will say that from a truly cinematic viewpoint, Young Frankenstein is beautiful. It's funny as all get out, but it's also just brilliantly shot.
a hidden mel brooks gem is life stinks, nobody talks about it.. its funny and a parody of wealth vs homeless ppl :D
The other forgotten gem is The Twelve Chairs. Hilarious film but hardly anyone remembers it. Also had the best theme song ever, "Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst".
Best review of Blazing Saddles, Shan. A critic that actually gets it. You would like “Raising Arizona” it’s a cartoonesque film by the Coen brothers with a lot of subliminal depth.
Hedy Lamarr was a movie star and she also helped develop technology that is still used in cell phones. Mel Brooks changed the character's name to Hedley to try to avoid getting sued, which didn't work. (They settled out of court.)
Happy New Year Shan. As many have noted Young Frankenstein is where you go from this film. Wilder stepped into the Waco Kid role after the original actor had some personal issues and the deal he made with Brooks was - make my Frankenstein movie. It is amazing. It is hilarious. It is beautifully filmed. Have I over sold it? No.
I'll definitely have to watch Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs. Too many recommendations for these two in the comments!
@@shanwatchesmovies Spaceballs is good silly fun. Frankenstein is good silly fun in the middle of a great film. They paid attention to details. I'll be the first to spoil for you they used original sets and props from the 1930's film. You will enjoy both films.
Popped up in my recommended videos today. Nice job. Happy new year
You're the first person I've watched react to this movie, to get the 'lively' joke. I'm so glad you watched this.
The hilarious anachronisms and use of simulacra in Brooks' parody of the American Western genre takes this film to a whole new level of absurdity. Love ❤️ it!
Glad you enjoyed this flick!
TBH... One of my favorite Brooks flicks is “the Twelve Chairs”, with Frank Langella, Ron Moody, Dom Deluise (He was “Buddy” the director of the musical, in the big fight sequence, & he’s really terrific as “Father Fyodor”, in the Twelve Chairs!) Mel even has a few scenes, as well! It’s not as zany as Blazing Saddles, or most of Mel’s later works, & he even catches some really great dramatic moments from Langella.) I hope you will take a chance with my suggestion, & I hope you will enjoy it! 😉😁
Be well!
You are enjoying the humor the way it was intended. You were right when you said Mel Brooks was making fun of racism. That is a major theme i think of this movie.
I needed a moment to collect my emotions. One of my favorite persons/actresses, Dawn Wells, passed. 😢 A gem of a lady.
...
No way a movie like this could be made today. As a matter of fact, Mel Brooks got hate for this recently. It's sad really.
Fun Fact: during the chaotic chase scene at the end, a guy (probably a tourist) wandered onto the set. He kept coming back after many attempts to shoo him so they kept him in.
History of the World was good but there's a lull in the latter half.
Sadly, the western town on the WB lot was torn down years and years ago. If you noticed, when everyone was running out of the WB main gate, there's a seemingly random man standing on the corner. He wasn't supposed to be there! Here's a fun clip of Mel talking about it: th-cam.com/video/987L5nDBID4/w-d-xo.html
I would recommend The Producers, for which Mel won an Academy Award. It's not as zany as this, but Gene and Zero Mostel make a great team. There are bootlegs of the Broadway musical version of the movie - won the most Tony Awards ever and it's Mel's love letter to Broadway.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Years to you too! And thanks for the insights!
Once again you showed me a good time Shan. You started laughing near the beginning because they broke the 4th wall; I knew at the end, no movie ever shattered the 4th wall more.
Loved your reaction Shan! Thanks! May I also suggest two more Mel Brooks' films: Young Frankenstein (1974) and High Anxiety (1978). 😊
There's another comedy-western starring Gene Wilder called The Frisco Kid. This is another great movie and I can't recommend it enough! While it is a comedy, this one is grounded in reality like how you thought Blazing Saddles would be before seeing it.
All of Gene Wilder 's movies with Mel Brooks are excellent! The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and this one.
Also, Gene Wilder's movies with Richard Pryor, while uneven, are good movies to watch.
The Silver Streak is my favorite, it's a romantic-comedy-suspense film.
Head No Evil, See No Evil and Stir Crazy are good with moments of greatness.
Another You is their worst received film, Pryor was visibly suffering from Multiple Sclerosis by this point a d it was his last movie. While it's barely good, I do seem to like it more than others and believe it's worth watching.
Richard Pryor almost played the part of Sheriff Bart in this movie, but the studio was too concerned about him, so the part went to Little. However, Pryor did write a good bit of this film with Brooks.
Great comedy. Mel Brooks (His films are not PC) has great spoof movies like Spaceballs (only if you seen the original Star Wars original trilogy) or High Anxiety (only if you seen classic Hitchcock movies) . This movie had the first Fart Scene joke :). Jesse Owens is a famous black olympic runner and Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress.
FYI: Hedy Lamarr was a famous screen siren of the 1930s through 1950s. That's why Harvey Korman's character is so angry about being called Hedy.
Hi , hahaha. I'm so glad you watched this film and understood the great writing involved, epic film ,, RESPECT.😂😂😂😂👍👍👍.
Top 3 things I can't get enough of people reacting to -
Jinjer - Pisces (Live Session)
Blazing Saddles
John Carpenter's The Thing
Honorable mention - The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody live 1965
Great reaction, Shan.
I'm sure most people are going to suggest Young Frankenstein as your next Mel Brooks movie, an I would agree with that. It's one of my favorites.
However, if you have seen an Alfred Hitchcock films I would suggest checking out High Anxiety. Stars Mel Brooks, with Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn (again), and a great performance by Cloris Leachman (who also does great in Young Frankenstein).
If you're looking for an "authentic" western, I would suggest checking out "Silverado" with Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover and Brian Dennehy.