It’s not a parody of racism? It’s a parody of all Hayes Western Movies / TV before it- As well as all movies made using The Hayes code, the indoctrination of the morel police. Under which (In movies, TV and comics) You weren’t allowed to show gays, a black lead, sympathize with the bad guy, nor was the good guy allowed to showcase flaws--Racism was always a one bad apple and never systemic, farting was not allowed, the clergy and law was to never to be mocked or portrayed as inept or corrupt. Kissing scenes could only be shown via shadows on the wall or less than three seconds. Mel Brooks said that simply putting a black person as the lead was like fist fighting the movie studio so he put in a Movie Studio fight scene in the movie . The movie satires the genre of Hayes Code Westerns so ruthlessly that not another Hayes Code Western was ever made, he destroyed that whole genre that’s why he’s breaking the Studio walls, Subsequently the actor Clevon Little was black listed (Same reason Richard Pryor wrote the script but didn’t star in it) To the point that he wasn’t allowed to make another movie until Jim Carrey came along and they made Once Bitten
It's unfortunately missed by people in this millennium that the racist characters in this movie are always totally evil. Either that or incredibly stupid. You know. Like the people that can't make that connection 🤔.
Cleavon's performance is awesome and one of the strengths of the movies. His expressions and sophisticated demeanor was a perfect contrast to the racists.
I'm glad you liked Madeline Kahn's "BAD" SINGING. In truth she was an excellent singer. She even had a bachelor's degree in operatic singing. It take a truly good musician to sound like a not so good musician.
The only thing you might have missed out on from not seeing a lot of westerns is when Bart (Cleavon Little) asks for 24 hours to come up with a plan and the townspeople all shout "NO!", Bart says "You'd do it for Randolph Scott.", everybody takes off their hat and says, "Randolph Scott." with a certain reverence. It's because Randolph was a movie actor from the golden age of Hollywood who happened to be the hero in a lot of westerns. Also I think you missed the whole Headly/Hedy Lamarr joke. Headly was the bad guy in this movie (Harvey Korman), Hedy was a brilliant and lovely movie actress from the 30's and 40's mostly. They were playing off the similarity of their names so much that Hedy actually sued Mel Brooks for not asking if they could use her name. In fact Mel Brooks as the governor makes reference to this fact when he tells Headley, "Hell, this is 1874. You can sue HER.". They settled out of court and Hedy donated the settlement money to charity.
"It's twue, it's twue!" Censors forced Mel to cut a joke there. After "it's twue!" Bart's response was going to be "I hate to disillusion you, ma’am, but you’re sucking on my arm.'"
I love the toll booth gag, not just because obviously they could go around, but that such hardened criminals with no qualms about hurting and killing people, would stop to give ten cents to a toll booth
*OFTEN-MISSED JOKE: Old man in wheelchair ('Dr. Gillespie Killings) IS BASED ON A COP-CRIME MOVIES SERIES FROM THE 1940s STARRING LIONEL BARRYMORE ("Old man Potter" in movie **_It's a Wonderful Life_** ).* DR GILLESPIE MOVIES ARE REALLY GOOD ABOUT MEDICAL DOCTORS HELPING SOLVE CRIMES WITH POLICE.... It is kind of like CSI in the 1940s. btw, Dick Van Dyke tv series _Diagnosis Murder_ is loosely based on the Dr. Gillespie books/movies.
The old man talking gibberish is a lampooning of the famous actor Gabby Hayes. Gabby was the side kick of many Western actors of the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
@@Retr0racin : Yep. Credited in 'Blazing Saddles' under his FULL name - Claude Ennis Starrett, Jr.; but later, like for 'First Blood' ( Rambo 1, ) just credited as Jack Starrett.
FYI there was a famous actress Named Hedy Lamar in the years around WWII. He kept saying hedly Lamar. She was a girlfriend or wife of a German weapons producer so she brought some of his shop talk with her when she moved to the US. She patented some innovations for frequency skipping for guided torpedoes that are in use today with Cellular phones. She was fascinating in her accomplishments. I am sure she is well represented on the inter-webs. She used her beauty to influence the bad guys and disguise the fact that she had a superior intellect.
@@procopiusaugustus6231 And true to form, she sued Mel Brooks for $10M. Brooks says he insisted they shouldn't fight her, because she was a legend and had brought so much joy to the world. Instead he wanted to have a meeting with her. There was probably some settlement (presumably less than $10M) but he never disclosed how much.
She was also the first Actress in the world to have a nude scene and had the Navy actually listen to her, they could have saved countless lives, but they figured she’s too pretty for intelligence
15:16 Fun fact: Gene Wilder ad-libbed that scene. Cleavon Little's laugh was genuine - he had no idea where Gene was going with that, and broke character when Gene said "morons." Mel Brooks left it in because it was funnier than what he had written.
The "morons" line was improvised and made Cleavon crack up for real. Support Your Local Sheriff & it's sequel are more good western comedies from this era (late 60s-70s).
Aria, I have watched hundreds of reactions but this was by far in my top 5. Your edit hit every one of my favorite parts of the movie. Most of the younger reactors just do not get the humor or are offended but you did not miss a single joke. You are now my favorite.
Don't feel pressured to get all the gags and references in the older movies, a lot are cultural references to the time and what were gags of the day. The great thing about re-watching movies is picking up on the small details we miss the 1st time watching. Love your reactions, you do an awesome job. Thanks for creating content for us all to watch! ❤
I like that they have the horse fall the wrong direction to show that it didn't really get punched. Mongo punches to the left, horse falls to the right.
@Billinois78 No, the direction was fine. The important bit is that the horse's head traveled along the direction of the punch. Then its legs"collapsed," causing its body to fall in the opposite direction, maintaining the spine's curve. (If Mongo had punched the horse's _body_ instead, that would have been different.)
Aria, great job reacting to this Mel Brooks classic! I think you're a terrific reactor and your channel has become one of favorites! Have a great day !
I swear that the 'Fought Dix' joke is a tag on the famous U.S. Army's Fort Dix, but nobody else ever goes for it. 'Yes' and 'No' used to be painted on the backs of American school buses, to remind drivers what side of the vehicle to pass on.
This came before Young Frankenstein or Space Balls. The Producers came before all 3. It's really good. The History of the World Part I came after them, another really funny one.
Great movie choice to react too.. May I also suggest another comedy with Gene Wilder You will like it.. The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother (1975)
LOL! Fun one, Aria! I really enjoyed rewatching this one with you. Yes, Men In Tights will be great to watch soon. You'll love it. Thanks for sharing this one. 🙂
I was looking for some reaction channels I haven’t seen in a little while and i decided to watch this one. You are absolutely gorgeous, your hair is beautiful, and I love your personality, you made me so happy while I watched the reaction. You now have a new fan, I will remain loyal watch as many of your reactions as I can, keep it up beautiful ❤️❤️❤️
"You'd do it for Randolph Scott!" Randolph Scott starred in dozens upon dozens of Westerns, including several classics -- Ride the High Country (1962), Virginia City (1940), The Spoilers (1942), Western Union (1941), and Ride Lonesome (1959) to name a few. Madeline Kahn's saloon dance hall routine as Lili Von Shtupp parodies Marlene Dietrich in The Spoilers (1942). Shtupp is a Yiddish term for having sexual intercourse.
A comedy from that same era that may be even crazier is the hilarious "Kentucky Fried Movie" from the team that later created "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun." Many big laughs.
Before you watch 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' it would be to your advantage to see ... first, 'The Adventure of Robin Hood' (Errol Flynn) from the 1940's (?) and then 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' (Kevin Costner) from the 1990's (?). Both are referenced in 'Men in Tights' and would give you a good reference for the humor.
Frankie Laine's most famous song was the theme from Rawhide. It's true he didn't know Blazing Saddles was a comedy, but he never said he was tricked. He just didn't know Mel Brooks' rep as a comedy director, and simply took the job because he was the kind of guy who didn't like to turn down a payday. He reportedly was a good sport about it after the fact, but he did like to tell the story of how he first saw the movie and discovered his mistake: "I thought I was doing a song for another High Noon, and I gave it my best dramatic reading ... When I saw wacky things happening on the screen, like a guy punching a horse, I sunk down into my seat with embarrassment." Mel Brooks wrote the song of course, and it was best sung in a serious tone.
About all the uses of the N word, and other words that today would not be allowed in a movie. Back in those days, the point was to mock racism and bigotry by having racists and bigots in the movie, doing and saying racist and bigoted things. In general, the more racist/bigoted someone was in a movie (or TV show, like All in the Family), the dumber they were. So while people realized the N word and such were not good words even back then, the usage made them acceptable: have someone use racist terms, then show that person to be a "more-on". There could even be character growth ... like the folks of Rock Ridge who wanted to kill Bart when he rode in to be sheriff, but at the end all accepted him and would have liked for him to stay. Also, Richard Pryor - an African American actor, write, and comedian - wrote "half" of the script.
"About all the uses of the N word, and other words that today would not be allowed in a movie." Apparently you have never seen a Quentin Tarantino movie.
Cleavon Little also has a significant role in "Fletch Lives". I recommend watching both movies, Fletch, and then Fletch Lives. Comedy with a mess load of good lines. I've watched them many, many, many many times.
The first movie directed by Mel Brooks is The Producers with Gene Wilder. The actor who plays the hangman, has the same role in Robin Hood Men in Tights.
Glad Minnie and you enjoyed it! Need to see this one before Men in Tights. Movie was by Warner Brothers, that is the actual Warner Brothers studio lot. Lots of trivia, too much to list. But you will get so many references in Men in Tights, I think you will get most of them. The expression is something like "Dag nabbit" or "dog gone" or "darn" (old man talking gibberish-like). Can't wait for more!
2:32 A bit of history regarding Bart saying, “My grandmother was Dutch”. That's a reverse play on the "One drop rule" where a social and legal principle of racial classification that was prominent in the 20th century United States that asserted any person with even one ancestor of black ancestry ('one drop' of 'black blood') is considered black. Bart was implying that since he had "one drop" of Caucasian blood that he wasn't really black. A subtle yet brilliant joke. 5:02 "Why hang the horse?" You know the saying, "Eff you and the horse you rode in on!" Another subtle one. 13:39 "Indian" Mel Brooks speaking Yiddish and wearing red, white and blue warpaint.
I saw this when it first came to the theaters. We realized that it wasn't racist, but a parody of racism. Mel pokes fun at everybody. We laughed our asses off.
Harvey Korman (Hedley), is also very well known for the comedy skits he did on The Carol Burnett Show, an American TV show. Some of the skits are hilarious, especially when Tim Conway would be so funny that the other actors kept breaking up. You might like the 'Elephant Story,' and the 'Dentist.'
Burton Gilliam aka the guy who asked for the work song was working as a firefighter when he did this movie which was his second movie his first was paper moon starring Ryan Oneil Mel had loved him in that movie and wanted him to be in this picture but Burton turned him down three times he only agreed after Richard Pryor personally called him and asked him to do this picture. Buttons next issue was the racial slurs he didn't want to say them because he was not a racist and didn't want to offend anyone. But Cleavon little talked to him letting him know that everyone working on the picture knows that he is nothing like the character he is playing and that its okay to say the slurs because he is acting.
"He said 'The Sherriff is near!" (not pictured) This is what you tell your friends when another friend is yelling something across a parking lot, and no one can understand them. Then wait and see who gets it.
I was 7 years old when my dad took me to see this in 1974. Most of the film went over my head, too. The longest running joke was Hedy/Hedley. I had no idea what that meant.
Randolph Scott was one of the most popular Western actor of the 40´s & 50’s.. when the sherif asked for 24 hours the township said No. You’d do it for Randolph Scott . Town changed their mind just at the mention of the name .
Another great reaction. Always enjoy your reactions to movies from my youth. I believe the great comedian and actor Richard Pryor worked with Mel Brooks on this script.
If you like Mel Brooks, and are looking for more, check out the TV series Get Smart. Mel Brooks was one of the writers on that show, and it’s hilarious.
Probably better to call Mel a creator of Get Smart. He and Buck Henry originated the show, but Mel was not much involved as the series went forward. Still, a great show, a fine recommendation. Many younger people would overlook that part of Mel's resume.
19:28 "How long is this thing?" - that's what Lili Von Shtupp said. Usually in disappointment, no doubt! 😅 Ah yes, Blazing Saddles. The Mel Brooks film that broke not only the fourth wall, but all the others and the ceiling too! 🤣 I love it, right down to the riding off into the sunset, where the heroes leave their horses and, in true actor style, drive off in a limo!
Mel Brooks originally wanted Richard Pryor to play Bart. Pryor helped write the screenplay. Lyle, the idiot in the red shirt, is now 85, and lives just outside Dallas, Texas. He still does public appearances, portraying a character similar to Lyle, only more pleasant. He was doing commercials for a local car dealership, just a few years ago.
1. Mel Brooks played the Governor, the Indian Chief, the round-up thug with the aviator hat. 2. Mel Brooks doesn't just break the 4th wall he shatters, steps on and grinds it into the ground. 3. The preacher/Liam Dunn also plays in Young "Frankenstein" as Mr. Hilltop. Madeline Kahn also had a great role in it. 4. Imagine how much fun this was to make. 5. The line, "You know morons" was ad lib by Wilder. Little's reaction was real. 6. "Look, it's comin' off"🤣 7. Gig Young was supposed to play Jim but showed up the first day drunk so he was let go. Wilder agreed to do this movie for Mel Brooks only if Mel would direct Young Frankenstein for him. 8. Richard Pryor was supposed to play Bart but he was going through his addictions at the time and they thought it wouldn't be a good idea. However, he did some of the writing. 9. Finally, Mel Brooks is the oldest member of "Blazing Saddles" still living.
Franky Lane was famous for dinging the themes to classic Westerns. Brooks advertised for a "Franky Lane type singer" and was astonished when Lane himself showed up. Brooks didn't mention this was a spoof. Brooks also met John Wayne and asked him to appear, either as Jim or a cameo. Wayne was always playing the extra-tough guy in Westerns and WW2 movies, so he declined. "I can't be in a movie like that, but I'll be first in line to see it." Jim and Bart are both left-handed. The real Hedy Lamarr sued for using her name, and Brooks told the studio just settle it and pay her. Lamarr settled for considerably less than she sued for.
Blazing Saddles, along with the series of Airplane, Monty Python, are still my favorite movies! Love this type of comedy! There's nothing like laughing so hard people tell you to hush up and jump in laughing.😂❤😅😅
😎👍 Madeline Kahn is also in Mel Brooks' "High Anxiety" (1977) and "History Of The World Part I" (1981). Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn are BOTH in "Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother" (1975). Mel Brooks uses a lot of the same actors in many of his films.
-28:42 There was an ongoing joke with his name. There was a famous actress named Hedy Lamar who was not happy Mel Brooks was parodying her stage name and sued Warner Bros. studios for $10 million. They settled out of court and issued an apology for "almost using her name. That is why he keeps saying "Hedley".... -P.S. She was also very smart. She is dubbed the Mother of the technology that spawned Bluetooth and Wi-Fi....
Aria, the twelve chairs is another film by Mel brooks. It is different from the rest, however, because it isn’t a parody film. It stars Ron Moody, Dom Delouise and Frank Langela. Mel does have a brief role in it. Give it a shot sometime.
As a clarification (without editing my first comment), Mel’s film The Twelve Chairs is based on a Russian satirical novel by the same name that takes place in 1920 era.
This film is a national treasure, as are the legacies of Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. The first time I remember seeing Mr. Little was in VANISHING POINT (1971). I've wanted a white Dodge Challenger ever since. Gene Wilder was in several brilliant films, and always gave such amazing performances. Check him out in another really fun Western called THE FRISCO KID (1979).
Mel wanted to make a parody of racism in modern times (1974) but was discouraged so he decided to set it 100 yeara earlier in 1874 as a western to get away with the dialogue.
The basic framework of this movie was the 1939 western-comedy Destry Rides Again. Western town overrun with outlaws, the townspeople think they are getting a shoot-'em sheriff (played by Jimmy Stewart) who turns out to be the exact opposite, yet in the long run turns out to be effective. Movie ends with a big melee in the streets as the townspeople come out and fight the bad guys. Marlene Dietrich, with her strong German accent, plays the saloon hall madam, in fishnet stockings. In the beginning, the trackworkers sing a Cole Porter song from the 1930's (out of time for a movie set in 1874). The cowboys in turn want them to sing Camptown Ladies, a song composed in 1850 by famed American songwriter Stephen Foster, specifically for minstrel shows popular in 19th century vaudeville shows. A half-dozen white men, in black face, sit on straight-back chairs in a line across the stage. They sing a song, accompanied with banjoes, tambourines, "spoons," and "bones." Every so often, they stop and one guy will ask "Do you know . . ." and the other will say "No, Mr. . . " and repeat that part, and the first will give the punch line, all in a stereotypical racist fashion. In other words, Campbell Ladies is one of the most offensive songs to ask black men to sing.
When actors look directly at the camera, that's called, "breaking the 4th wall". I've watched a number of reactors do this movie, and this is the most enjoyable of all I've seen. You caught the off color jokes and double entendres and found them funny. I like that! I wish you would have added more of the movie. I realize due to the stupid YT rules you can't have all the movie in your video due to the copyright rules.
All these Mel Brooks movies are hilarious. I grew up with a lot of them including this one. I'm glad you checked it out. If you're interested in watching any western movies I highly recommend Tombstone, Unforgiven, The Good the Bad and the Ugly (really all the spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood are good.) 🤠
The only one I knew of was Dirty Harry😅 I don’t know anything accept the name of the movie and that it stars Clint Eastwood but I just always wanted to watch that movie series
I have a dvd box with several of his films, and one that very few people talk about is the Silent Movie. I recommend. It's a silent movie about a director (Mel Brooks) that is trying to make a silent movie to come back form drinking problems.
You earned a good non-stop laugh after all the heavy stuff you've been watching lately. Try "The Producers" (the 1967 one) pure, insane Mel Brooks film which introduced Gene Wilder. Absolutely gold.
Mel Brooks wanted a traditional style theme for the movie, so he went to John Morris, a very experienced composer for Western films. But he forgot to mention that it was a parody. Morris then turned in one of the best themes for any Western, and Brooks didn't have the heart to request a parody song, so they stuck with it. I think that was a good decision.
Not the story I heard. John Morris knew exactly what kind of movie he was writing for. But it was the singer Frankie Laine who didn't. He sang the theme songs for several serious westerns. When they were looking for somebody to sing this one, they wanted a Frankie Laine. And then they discovered that Laine was still around. He didn't know the movie was a comedy and gave his all to the song. I believe he was kind of annoyed when he discovered the truth. Like he couldn't tell from the lyrics? "He rode a blazing saddle"? Seriously?
“Blazing Saddles” makes reference to a number of old-time Hollywood performers whose names would still have been very familiar to American moviegoers in the early 1970s but are not necessarily well known today. Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian actress who moved to the United States in the late 1930s. Her movie career spanned the 1930s, ‘40s, and early ‘50s. She’s also notable as an inventor. Randolph Scott was an American actor of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s who was especially well known for starring in many Westerns.
Not only that, but Le petomaine was a French cabaret entertainer in the 1910s named Josef Pujol. His talent was controlled farting. Jesse Owen’s was a black athlete who won four gold medals in the 1938 Berlin olympics that Hitler wanted to use to showcase the superiority of the Aryn race
@@Briansgate Yes, good catch! The career of the famous comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy stretched from the silent era of the 1920s all the way to the mid-1950s. They were obviously being referenced in a bit of word play by the "chairman of the welcoming committee" upon Bart's initial arrival in Rock Ridge.
There are several other name references. Governor Le Petomaine comes from French cabaret entertainer Josef Pujol known as Le Petomaine. His talent was controlled farting. Lily Von Shtupp, Shtupp is a yiddish word used as a crude euphemism for sexual activity, Jesse Owens was a black athlete who won 4 gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics that Hitler wanted to use to prove the "superiority"" of the German race
This is so good comedy. Way it pokes racism and bigotry is great, but friendship between Jim and Bart was the best part for me. True friendship doesn't look color of skin or any other external attribute. Great film. Mel Brook's is genius. Also Gene Wilder and Madeleine Khan were absolutely joy in Young Frankenstein. Robin Hood men in tight's is parody of Robin Hood Prince of thieves (1991) like other's said watching that and Errol Flynn's Robin Hood film would give such context to that. And I think you would enjoy Robin Hood: Prince of thieves very much. It's good, old time, doesn't take itself too seriously popcorn blockbuster.
IMO, "Blazing Saddles" & "Young Frankenstein" are Mel Brooks best films. It helps the comedy when you are familiar with the reference material Mel is spoofing. 24:39 "But we don't want the Irish!" *A BIT OF HISTORY REFERENCE:* Some people don't know this but in 19th century America, the Irish were treated the worst of all "servant" races. *There was a hierarchy on the 3 "lowest races" of "servants" with an average dollar value attached.* African - worth $10 - average lifespan 39 years Chinese - worth $8 - average lifespan (I haven't found that yet) Irish - worth $4 - average lifespan 19 years Because of their low average value, the Irish were always given the riskiest life threatening jobs. If they died, it meant paying less to who ever "owned" them. When building the railroads, it was always the Irish who had to dig out and dynamite through the mountains, which often meant tunnel collapse and death.
Aria: They can just walk around it... Me: What are you talking about? 😜😂😉🙂 I hope you do the original 60's version of The Producers, which was both Mel Brooks's & Gene Wilder's breakthrough 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed your enjoyment of this classic comedy. Of COURSE, there were some jokes that you wouldn't get - cultural jokes transfer poorly - but you caught a LOT of them. The whole Johnson thing riffs on the previously ubiquitous Howard Johnson's restaurant/ice cream chain.There are many young people right here in the U.S. who'd miss that because the chain disappeared many years ago...and the last surviving store closed about a year or so back. They famously advertised "28 Flavors"...which makes the "1 flavor" posted on the front of Rock Ridge's Howard Johnson's especially amusing.
This movie is a parody on racism. Terms are meant to be malicious, they're poking fun at the absurdity
It’s not a parody of racism? It’s a parody of all Hayes Western Movies / TV before it- As well as all movies made using The Hayes code, the indoctrination of the morel police. Under which (In movies, TV and comics) You weren’t allowed to show gays, a black lead, sympathize with the bad guy, nor was the good guy allowed to showcase flaws--Racism was always a one bad apple and never systemic, farting was not allowed, the clergy and law was to never to be mocked or portrayed as inept or corrupt. Kissing scenes could only be shown via shadows on the wall or less than three seconds. Mel Brooks said that simply putting a black person as the lead was like fist fighting the movie studio so he put in a Movie Studio fight scene in the movie . The movie satires the genre of Hayes Code Westerns so ruthlessly that not another Hayes Code Western was ever made, he destroyed that whole genre that’s why he’s breaking the Studio walls, Subsequently the actor Clevon Little was black listed (Same reason Richard Pryor wrote the script but didn’t star in it) To the point that he wasn’t allowed to make another movie until Jim Carrey came along and they made Once Bitten
And in 2024 absurdity and parody are unknown concepts.
@@SGlitz nah just people lacking talent. Take Gervaise as an example, all the jokes he tells were written 10 years ago on 4-Chan.
@SGlitz I'm Tired!
It's unfortunately missed by people in this millennium that the racist characters in this movie are always totally evil. Either that or incredibly stupid. You know. Like the people that can't make that connection 🤔.
The sheriff, Cleavon Little, did it all, stage, screen and TV. This was his most famous role. He passed away in 1992 of cancer.
He is in another great movie : Vanishing Point.
@@timcynique8974 Vanishing Point doesn't get enough love.
While not as good as this one, another decent film he did later on was 1989's "Fletch Lives", which starred Chevy Chase.
Cleavon's performance is awesome and one of the strengths of the movies. His expressions and sophisticated demeanor was a perfect contrast to the racists.
Such a great takedown of racist morons and an amazing script. Mel Brooks is a legend. Cleavon Little had so much charisma.
I'm glad you liked Madeline Kahn's "BAD" SINGING. In truth she was an excellent singer. She even had a bachelor's degree in operatic singing. It take a truly good musician to sound like a not so good musician.
Her bad singing and German accent were a send-up of Marlene Dietrich in "Destry Rides Again". That's what made it so hilarious.
The only thing you might have missed out on from not seeing a lot of westerns is when Bart (Cleavon Little) asks for 24 hours to come up with a plan and the townspeople all shout "NO!", Bart says "You'd do it for Randolph Scott.", everybody takes off their hat and says, "Randolph Scott." with a certain reverence. It's because Randolph was a movie actor from the golden age of Hollywood who happened to be the hero in a lot of westerns. Also I think you missed the whole Headly/Hedy Lamarr joke. Headly was the bad guy in this movie (Harvey Korman), Hedy was a brilliant and lovely movie actress from the 30's and 40's mostly. They were playing off the similarity of their names so much that Hedy actually sued Mel Brooks for not asking if they could use her name. In fact Mel Brooks as the governor makes reference to this fact when he tells Headley, "Hell, this is 1874. You can sue HER.". They settled out of court and Hedy donated the settlement money to charity.
When Mel Brooks was told he was being sued, he replied "Pay her!"
"It's twue, it's twue!" Censors forced Mel to cut a joke there. After "it's twue!" Bart's response was going to be "I hate to disillusion you, ma’am, but you’re sucking on my arm.'"
Really? I've always seen it even back in the day.
Richard Pryor joke
Brooks decided to cut the joke himself, before the censors got to it. The only time he ever thought he might have gone too far.
@@UnclePengy if I remember correctly there is an uncensored version out there.
Great to see you having such a good time laughing at Blazing Saddles. Thanks for your reaction, Aria.
Mel Brooks explained Bart was basically Bugs Bunny.
Hence the Warner Brothers' Merrie Melodies (not Looney Tunes) cartoon theme song during the Candygram scene.
I love the toll booth gag, not just because obviously they could go around, but that such hardened criminals with no qualms about hurting and killing people, would stop to give ten cents to a toll booth
That’s what made it so hilarious 😂
I always mention that. They might have been bad guys. They were honest bad guys.
@@tenjed4224 Besides, it was their boss' highway toll booth.
Well, they had a lot of Methodists.
*OFTEN-MISSED JOKE: Old man in wheelchair ('Dr. Gillespie Killings) IS BASED ON A COP-CRIME MOVIES SERIES FROM THE 1940s STARRING LIONEL BARRYMORE ("Old man Potter" in movie **_It's a Wonderful Life_** ).* DR GILLESPIE MOVIES ARE REALLY GOOD ABOUT MEDICAL DOCTORS HELPING SOLVE CRIMES WITH POLICE.... It is kind of like CSI in the 1940s. btw, Dick Van Dyke tv series _Diagnosis Murder_ is loosely based on the Dr. Gillespie books/movies.
The old man talking gibberish is a lampooning of the famous actor Gabby Hayes. Gabby was the side kick of many Western actors of the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
Another fun fact, the actor Jack Starrett is the same actor that was the bad ass cop that falls from the helocopter in Rambo First blood.
@@Retr0racin : Yep. Credited in 'Blazing Saddles' under his FULL name - Claude Ennis Starrett, Jr.; but later, like for 'First Blood' ( Rambo 1, ) just credited as Jack Starrett.
Now watch first blood and try not to hear only gabby speaking to rambo
Ravid!
FYI there was a famous actress Named Hedy Lamar in the years around WWII. He kept saying hedly Lamar. She was a girlfriend or wife of a German weapons producer so she brought some of his shop talk with her when she moved to the US. She patented some innovations for frequency skipping for guided torpedoes that are in use today with Cellular phones. She was fascinating in her accomplishments. I am sure she is well represented on the inter-webs. She used her beauty to influence the bad guys and disguise the fact that she had a superior intellect.
The joke was she was notorious for suing people.
@@procopiusaugustus6231 And true to form, she sued Mel Brooks for $10M. Brooks says he insisted they shouldn't fight her, because she was a legend and had brought so much joy to the world. Instead he wanted to have a meeting with her. There was probably some settlement (presumably less than $10M) but he never disclosed how much.
She was also the first Actress in the world to have a nude scene and had the Navy actually listen to her, they could have saved countless lives, but they figured she’s too pretty for intelligence
Simpin' hard, there...
Since it got left out of the edit:
"They said you was hung."
"And they was right!"
And the inside joke about the horse on the gallows--("hung like a horse")
I think that a lot of people missed that joke and didn't really understand its actual meaning.
15:16 Fun fact: Gene Wilder ad-libbed that scene. Cleavon Little's laugh was genuine - he had no idea where Gene was going with that, and broke character when Gene said "morons." Mel Brooks left it in because it was funnier than what he had written.
You know, when you read through the comments and see the same thing posted 125 times, you _really_ don't need to mention it again...
The "morons" line was improvised and made Cleavon crack up for real.
Support Your Local Sheriff & it's sequel are more good western comedies from this era (late 60s-70s).
"Support Your Local Sheriff" is a great film. 🤠👍 The sequel, "Support Your Local Gunfighter," not so much. 🙄👎
@@IDLERACER I liked them both, but yes, the 1st one is better.
THE SHERIFF IS NEAR !!!
NO DADBLAMMITMISCHISHERE! THE SHERIFF IS A 🔔🔔🔔🔔
Aria, I have watched hundreds of reactions but this was by far in my top 5. Your edit hit every one of my favorite parts of the movie. Most of the younger reactors just do not get the humor or are offended but you did not miss a single joke. You are now my favorite.
Loved your reaction. Blazing Saddles is one of my favorite Mel Brooks comedies. 😊😂
I love how many times you predicted the next line. Shows me where your head is at!!!!
Don't feel pressured to get all the gags and references in the older movies, a lot are cultural references to the time and what were gags of the day. The great thing about re-watching movies is picking up on the small details we miss the 1st time watching. Love your reactions, you do an awesome job. Thanks for creating content for us all to watch! ❤
I've seen this movie dozens of times and I'm always impressed with the horse punch stunt. So much training and trust to get the horse to do that.
I like that they have the horse fall the wrong direction to show that it didn't really get punched. Mongo punches to the left, horse falls to the right.
@Billinois78 No, the direction was fine. The important bit is that the horse's head traveled along the direction of the punch. Then its legs"collapsed," causing its body to fall in the opposite direction, maintaining the spine's curve. (If Mongo had punched the horse's _body_ instead, that would have been different.)
I absolutely enjoyed watching you laugh your way through this reaction. Glad you liked this, the best comedy ever filmed.
You seemed to get more of the jokes than other reactors. Great reaction!!
Aria, great job reacting to this Mel Brooks classic! I think you're a terrific reactor and your channel has become one of favorites! Have a great day !
I swear that the 'Fought Dix' joke is a tag on the famous U.S. Army's Fort Dix, but nobody else ever goes for it. 'Yes' and 'No' used to be painted on the backs of American school buses, to remind drivers what side of the vehicle to pass on.
This came before Young Frankenstein or Space Balls.
The Producers came before all 3. It's really good. The History of the World Part I came after them, another really funny one.
Great movie choice to react too.. May I also suggest another comedy with Gene Wilder You will like it..
The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother (1975)
29:35 It's a western, so it ends with the heroes riding off into the sunset. But it's a satire, so that ride is in a chauffer-driven Cadillac.
The scene where Jim tells Bart his story was a parody of a scene from the Twilight Zone episode "Mr. Denton on Doomsday".
You said you needed a smile and you got it.Happy for you!
3:38
Aria: "Take that shovel and hit him in the head!"
Film: "Hold my beer...."
That made me so happy😁
I didn't see this mentioned yet, Madeline Kahn was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in this.
LOL! Fun one, Aria! I really enjoyed rewatching this one with you. Yes, Men In Tights will be great to watch soon. You'll love it. Thanks for sharing this one. 🙂
I was looking for some reaction channels I haven’t seen in a little while and i decided to watch this one. You are absolutely gorgeous, your hair is beautiful, and I love your personality, you made me so happy while I watched the reaction. You now have a new fan, I will remain loyal watch as many of your reactions as I can, keep it up beautiful ❤️❤️❤️
Thankyou❤️❤️❤️
@@ariachanson01 you’re very welcome gorgeous! ❤️❤️❤️
Mel Brooks went beyond breaking the fourth wall, all the way to meta jokes before even meta was a thing.
Typical Zoomer ignorance...
@@Blutteufel Be nice. @granadosvm just needs a crash course on Tex Avery cartoons. 🙂
Just a little trivia. The scene when they beans at the campfire, that was the first fart joke in a major movie.
Madeline Khan is to this day (I'm 51) still the most funny woman I've seen on screen!! Thank you for this amazing reaction
"You'd do it for Randolph Scott!" Randolph Scott starred in dozens upon dozens of Westerns, including several classics -- Ride the High Country (1962), Virginia City (1940), The Spoilers (1942), Western Union (1941), and Ride Lonesome (1959) to name a few. Madeline Kahn's saloon dance hall routine as Lili Von Shtupp parodies Marlene Dietrich in The Spoilers (1942). Shtupp is a Yiddish term for having sexual intercourse.
A comedy from that same era that may be even crazier is the hilarious "Kentucky Fried Movie" from the team that later created "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun." Many big laughs.
That movie was hysterical. 😂❤
Prettiest cupid's bow I've ever seen.
Before you watch 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' it would be to your advantage to see ...
first, 'The Adventure of Robin Hood' (Errol Flynn) from the 1940's (?) and
then 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' (Kevin Costner) from the 1990's (?).
Both are referenced in 'Men in Tights' and would give you a good reference for the humor.
Frankie Laine's most famous song was the theme from Rawhide. It's true he didn't know Blazing Saddles was a comedy, but he never said he was tricked. He just didn't know Mel Brooks' rep as a comedy director, and simply took the job because he was the kind of guy who didn't like to turn down a payday. He reportedly was a good sport about it after the fact, but he did like to tell the story of how he first saw the movie and discovered his mistake:
"I thought I was doing a song for another High Noon, and I gave it my best dramatic reading ... When I saw wacky things happening on the screen, like a guy punching a horse, I sunk down into my seat with embarrassment." Mel Brooks wrote the song of course, and it was best sung in a serious tone.
About all the uses of the N word, and other words that today would not be allowed in a movie. Back in those days, the point was to mock racism and bigotry by having racists and bigots in the movie, doing and saying racist and bigoted things. In general, the more racist/bigoted someone was in a movie (or TV show, like All in the Family), the dumber they were. So while people realized the N word and such were not good words even back then, the usage made them acceptable: have someone use racist terms, then show that person to be a "more-on". There could even be character growth ... like the folks of Rock Ridge who wanted to kill Bart when he rode in to be sheriff, but at the end all accepted him and would have liked for him to stay.
Also, Richard Pryor - an African American actor, write, and comedian - wrote "half" of the script.
"About all the uses of the N word, and other words that today would not be allowed in a movie." Apparently you have never seen a Quentin Tarantino movie.
@@tsmartin Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood uses the N word a lot?
Cleavon Little also has a significant role in "Fletch Lives". I recommend watching both movies, Fletch, and then Fletch Lives. Comedy with a mess load of good lines. I've watched them many, many, many many times.
He also had a major part in the horror comedy "Once Bitten" with Jim Carrey. That movie is required viewing around Halloween at my parents' house!
Fletch movies are top tier 80’s adult comedy.
Aria, Richard Dix was a famous cowboy actor from the early days of films.
Mel Brooks : History Of The World Part 1 - The Producers - Life Stinks - High Anxiety 👍 👍 👍.
I ride a Blazing Saddle every day I go to my work facility. Sing it, too.
Someone's gotta go back and get a s**tload of dimes!
😂😂
The first movie directed by Mel Brooks is The Producers with Gene Wilder. The actor who plays the hangman, has the same role in Robin Hood Men in Tights.
Glad Minnie and you enjoyed it! Need to see this one before Men in Tights. Movie was by Warner Brothers, that is the actual Warner Brothers studio lot. Lots of trivia, too much to list. But you will get so many references in Men in Tights, I think you will get most of them. The expression is something like "Dag nabbit" or "dog gone" or "darn" (old man talking gibberish-like). Can't wait for more!
2:32 A bit of history regarding Bart saying, “My grandmother was Dutch”. That's a reverse play on the "One drop rule" where a social and legal principle of racial classification that was prominent in the 20th century United States that asserted any person with even one ancestor of black ancestry ('one drop' of 'black blood') is considered black. Bart was implying that since he had "one drop" of Caucasian blood that he wasn't really black. A subtle yet brilliant joke.
5:02 "Why hang the horse?" You know the saying, "Eff you and the horse you rode in on!"
Another subtle one.
13:39 "Indian" Mel Brooks speaking Yiddish and wearing red, white and blue warpaint.
I saw this when it first came to the theaters. We realized that it wasn't racist, but a parody of racism. Mel pokes fun at everybody. We laughed our asses off.
Harvey Korman (Hedley), is also very well known for the comedy skits he did on The Carol Burnett Show, an American TV show. Some of the skits are hilarious, especially when Tim Conway would be so funny that the other actors kept breaking up. You might like the 'Elephant Story,' and the 'Dentist.'
Burton Gilliam aka the guy who asked for the work song was working as a firefighter when he did this movie which was his second movie his first was paper moon starring Ryan Oneil Mel had loved him in that movie and wanted him to be in this picture but Burton turned him down three times he only agreed after Richard Pryor personally called him and asked him to do this picture. Buttons next issue was the racial slurs he didn't want to say them because he was not a racist and didn't want to offend anyone. But Cleavon little talked to him letting him know that everyone working on the picture knows that he is nothing like the character he is playing and that its okay to say the slurs because he is acting.
The Laurel and Hardy handshake was a joke referencing the comedy film duo of the same name.
"He said 'The Sherriff is near!" (not pictured)
This is what you tell your friends when another friend is yelling something across a parking lot, and no one can understand them. Then wait and see who gets it.
This showing up on my screen made my Saturday morning. I can't wait to watch this!
I was 7 years old when my dad took me to see this in 1974. Most of the film went over my head, too. The longest running joke was Hedy/Hedley. I had no idea what that meant.
Very nice reaction! Gene Wilders reaction when Bart explained the toll both plot to him was priceless, I'm glad you showed it 😂 ❤️
Randolph Scott was one of the most popular Western actor of the 40´s & 50’s.. when the sherif asked for 24 hours the township said No. You’d do it for Randolph Scott . Town changed their mind just at the mention of the name .
Great seeing you enjoy these classics. You have a great laugh. 😊
Mel Brooks just went for it with no limits in his films.
Another great reaction. Always enjoy your reactions to movies from my youth. I believe the great comedian and actor Richard Pryor worked with Mel Brooks on this script.
They fought Dix is a pun on Fort Dix NJ.
There was an actress named Hedy Lamarr. She did actually sue and settled out of court.
For context of why it’s referenced, Fort Dix is where Mel Brooks was inducted into the Army during WWII.
And Richard Dix was a real-lfe actor who starred in Cimarron (1931), the first Western to win a Best Picture Academy Award.
Another great reaction, Aria. Keep up the great work!
If you like Mel Brooks, and are looking for more, check out the TV series Get Smart. Mel Brooks was one of the writers on that show, and it’s hilarious.
Probably better to call Mel a creator of Get Smart. He and Buck Henry originated the show, but Mel was not much involved as the series went forward. Still, a great show, a fine recommendation. Many younger people would overlook that part of Mel's resume.
19:28 "How long is this thing?" - that's what Lili Von Shtupp said. Usually in disappointment, no doubt! 😅
Ah yes, Blazing Saddles. The Mel Brooks film that broke not only the fourth wall, but all the others and the ceiling too! 🤣 I love it, right down to the riding off into the sunset, where the heroes leave their horses and, in true actor style, drive off in a limo!
I knew it, i'm surrounded by Johnsons.
Look on the bright side, at least Dix didn’t succeed in taking over.
Mel Brooks originally wanted Richard Pryor to play Bart. Pryor helped write the screenplay.
Lyle, the idiot in the red shirt, is now 85, and lives just outside Dallas, Texas. He still does public appearances, portraying a character similar to Lyle, only more pleasant. He was doing commercials for a local car dealership, just a few years ago.
1. Mel Brooks played the Governor, the Indian Chief, the round-up thug with the aviator hat.
2. Mel Brooks doesn't just break the 4th wall he shatters, steps on and grinds it into the ground.
3. The preacher/Liam Dunn also plays in Young "Frankenstein" as Mr. Hilltop. Madeline Kahn also had a great role in it.
4. Imagine how much fun this was to make.
5. The line, "You know morons" was ad lib by Wilder. Little's reaction was real.
6. "Look, it's comin' off"🤣
7. Gig Young was supposed to play Jim but showed up the first day drunk so he was let go.
Wilder agreed to do this movie for Mel Brooks only if Mel would direct Young Frankenstein for him.
8. Richard Pryor was supposed to play Bart but he was going through his addictions at the time and they thought it wouldn't be a good idea. However, he did some of the writing.
9. Finally, Mel Brooks is the oldest member of "Blazing Saddles" still living.
Okay, the Gov, the Chief, but there's no indication that Mel Brooks played a "thug with an aviator hat"
looking at the camera and addressing the audience is called *"Breaking the 4th Wall"* Mel brooks is famous for it
Franky Lane was famous for dinging the themes to classic Westerns. Brooks advertised for a "Franky Lane type singer" and was astonished when Lane himself showed up. Brooks didn't mention this was a spoof.
Brooks also met John Wayne and asked him to appear, either as Jim or a cameo. Wayne was always playing the extra-tough guy in Westerns and WW2 movies, so he declined. "I can't be in a movie like that, but I'll be first in line to see it."
Jim and Bart are both left-handed.
The real Hedy Lamarr sued for using her name, and Brooks told the studio just settle it and pay her. Lamarr settled for considerably less than she sued for.
Blazing Saddles, along with the series of Airplane, Monty Python, are still my favorite movies! Love this type of comedy! There's nothing like laughing so hard people tell you to hush up and jump in laughing.😂❤😅😅
I’m editing Monty Python at the moment and it’s so hard because I keep stopping to laugh😂
😎👍 Madeline Kahn is also in Mel Brooks' "High Anxiety" (1977) and "History Of The World Part I" (1981). Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn are BOTH in "Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother" (1975). Mel Brooks uses a lot of the same actors in many of his films.
-28:42 There was an ongoing joke with his name. There was a famous actress named Hedy Lamar who was not happy Mel Brooks was parodying her stage name and sued Warner Bros. studios for $10 million. They settled out of court and issued an apology for "almost using her name. That is why he keeps saying "Hedley"....
-P.S. She was also very smart. She is dubbed the Mother of the technology that spawned Bluetooth and Wi-Fi....
thank you for reacting to this film as it was meant to be seen
Campfire scene. It's pretty bad when you're afraid to light a match and you're sitting in the audience.
Aria, the twelve chairs is another film by Mel brooks. It is different from the rest, however, because it isn’t a parody film. It stars Ron Moody, Dom Delouise and Frank Langela. Mel does have a brief role in it. Give it a shot sometime.
As a clarification (without editing my first comment), Mel’s film The Twelve Chairs is based on a Russian satirical novel by the same name that takes place in 1920 era.
Thanks for the reaction video, Aria, it was a lot of fun. Much appreciated.
This film is a national treasure, as are the legacies of Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. The first time I remember seeing Mr. Little was in VANISHING POINT (1971). I've wanted a white Dodge Challenger ever since. Gene Wilder was in several brilliant films, and always gave such amazing performances. Check him out in another really fun Western called THE FRISCO KID (1979).
Mel wanted to make a parody of racism in modern times (1974) but was discouraged so he decided to set it 100 yeara earlier in 1874 as a western to get away with the dialogue.
If someone says you can't make a movie like this today, Mel Brooks would say you couldn't make it back then either.
The preacher was also the old man test subject in Young Frankenstein.
Nice… hopping.
The basic framework of this movie was the 1939 western-comedy Destry Rides Again. Western town overrun with outlaws, the townspeople think they are getting a shoot-'em sheriff (played by Jimmy Stewart) who turns out to be the exact opposite, yet in the long run turns out to be effective. Movie ends with a big melee in the streets as the townspeople come out and fight the bad guys. Marlene Dietrich, with her strong German accent, plays the saloon hall madam, in fishnet stockings.
In the beginning, the trackworkers sing a Cole Porter song from the 1930's (out of time for a movie set in 1874). The cowboys in turn want them to sing Camptown Ladies, a song composed in 1850 by famed American songwriter Stephen Foster, specifically for minstrel shows popular in 19th century vaudeville shows. A half-dozen white men, in black face, sit on straight-back chairs in a line across the stage. They sing a song, accompanied with banjoes, tambourines, "spoons," and "bones." Every so often, they stop and one guy will ask "Do you know . . ." and the other will say "No, Mr. . . " and repeat that part, and the first will give the punch line, all in a stereotypical racist fashion. In other words, Campbell Ladies is one of the most offensive songs to ask black men to sing.
The tollbooth is my favorite gag. 🤣
It was genius 😂
When actors look directly at the camera, that's called, "breaking the 4th wall". I've watched a number of reactors do this movie, and this is the most enjoyable of all I've seen. You caught the off color jokes and double entendres and found them funny. I like that! I wish you would have added more of the movie. I realize due to the stupid YT rules you can't have all the movie in your video due to the copyright rules.
All these Mel Brooks movies are hilarious. I grew up with a lot of them including this one. I'm glad you checked it out. If you're interested in watching any western movies I highly recommend Tombstone, Unforgiven, The Good the Bad and the Ugly (really all the spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood are good.) 🤠
The only one I knew of was Dirty Harry😅 I don’t know anything accept the name of the movie and that it stars Clint Eastwood but I just always wanted to watch that movie series
Madeline Kahn is doing a comedic take on German actress Marlene deitrich.
I think it was your pronunciation of “Dart Wader” that made me subscribe in the first place.
😂😂😂
I have a dvd box with several of his films, and one that very few people talk about is the Silent Movie. I recommend. It's a silent movie about a director (Mel Brooks) that is trying to make a silent movie to come back form drinking problems.
That sounds very interesting
The best part is the single word spoken, and who spoke it. "No!"
You earned a good non-stop laugh after all the heavy stuff you've been watching lately. Try "The Producers" (the 1967 one) pure, insane Mel Brooks film which introduced Gene Wilder. Absolutely gold.
Your reaction was perfect. You laughed and had your mind blown by Mel Brooks. A classic response to a classic movie.
28:01 I used to have lunch in a studio commissary every day. Nothing like this ever happened! 😅
8:17
The biggest star of the whole cast.
The one and only Count Basie and his band.
At least AG Lamar stands for a great picture, with his wife. (The picture is at the beginning of the film)
Mel Brooks wanted a traditional style theme for the movie, so he went to John Morris, a very experienced composer for Western films. But he forgot to mention that it was a parody.
Morris then turned in one of the best themes for any Western, and Brooks didn't have the heart to request a parody song, so they stuck with it. I think that was a good decision.
Not the story I heard. John Morris knew exactly what kind of movie he was writing for. But it was the singer Frankie Laine who didn't. He sang the theme songs for several serious westerns. When they were looking for somebody to sing this one, they wanted a Frankie Laine. And then they discovered that Laine was still around. He didn't know the movie was a comedy and gave his all to the song. I believe he was kind of annoyed when he discovered the truth. Like he couldn't tell from the lyrics? "He rode a blazing saddle"? Seriously?
Cleavon Little who play Bart, is in another great movie, Vanishing Point, that I advice you to see. Great movie.
“Blazing Saddles” makes reference to a number of old-time Hollywood performers whose names would still have been very familiar to American moviegoers in the early 1970s but are not necessarily well known today. Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian actress who moved to the United States in the late 1930s. Her movie career spanned the 1930s, ‘40s, and early ‘50s. She’s also notable as an inventor. Randolph Scott was an American actor of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s who was especially well known for starring in many Westerns.
Piggybacking to note: Hedy Lamarr expanded on the idea of frequency-hopping during WWII, which helped lead to the creation of Bluetooth.
Not only that, but Le petomaine was a French cabaret entertainer in the 1910s named Josef Pujol. His talent was controlled farting. Jesse Owen’s was a black athlete who won four gold medals in the 1938 Berlin olympics that Hitler wanted to use to showcase the superiority of the Aryn race
Also, a Laurel, and Hardy handshake.
@@Briansgate Yes, good catch! The career of the famous comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy stretched from the silent era of the 1920s all the way to the mid-1950s. They were obviously being referenced in a bit of word play by the "chairman of the welcoming committee" upon Bart's initial arrival in Rock Ridge.
There are several other name references. Governor Le Petomaine comes from French cabaret entertainer Josef Pujol known as Le Petomaine. His talent was controlled farting. Lily Von Shtupp, Shtupp is a yiddish word used as a crude euphemism for sexual activity, Jesse Owens was a black athlete who won 4 gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics that Hitler wanted to use to prove the "superiority"" of the German race
This is so good comedy. Way it pokes racism and bigotry is great, but friendship between Jim and Bart was the best part for me. True friendship doesn't look color of skin or any other external attribute. Great film. Mel Brook's is genius. Also Gene Wilder and Madeleine Khan were absolutely joy in Young Frankenstein. Robin Hood men in tight's is parody of Robin Hood Prince of thieves (1991) like other's said watching that and Errol Flynn's Robin Hood film would give such context to that. And I think you would enjoy Robin Hood: Prince of thieves very much. It's good, old time, doesn't take itself too seriously popcorn blockbuster.
Yup, really glad I didn’t watch robin hood that day though, I have some homework to do first😂
IMO, "Blazing Saddles" & "Young Frankenstein" are Mel Brooks best films. It helps the comedy when you are familiar with the reference material Mel is spoofing.
24:39 "But we don't want the Irish!"
*A BIT OF HISTORY REFERENCE:* Some people don't know this but in 19th century America, the Irish were treated the worst of all "servant" races.
*There was a hierarchy on the 3 "lowest races" of "servants" with an average dollar value attached.*
African - worth $10 - average lifespan 39 years
Chinese - worth $8 - average lifespan (I haven't found that yet)
Irish - worth $4 - average lifespan 19 years
Because of their low average value, the Irish were always given the riskiest life threatening jobs. If they died, it meant paying less to who ever "owned" them. When building the railroads, it was always the Irish who had to dig out and dynamite through the mountains, which often meant tunnel collapse and death.
Aria: They can just walk around it...
Me: What are you talking about?
😜😂😉🙂
I hope you do the original 60's version of The Producers, which was both Mel Brooks's & Gene Wilder's breakthrough 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed your enjoyment of this classic comedy. Of COURSE, there were some jokes that you wouldn't get - cultural jokes transfer poorly - but you caught a LOT of them. The whole Johnson thing riffs on the previously ubiquitous Howard Johnson's restaurant/ice cream chain.There are many young people right here in the U.S. who'd miss that because the chain disappeared many years ago...and the last surviving store closed about a year or so back. They famously advertised "28 Flavors"...which makes the "1 flavor" posted on the front of Rock Ridge's Howard Johnson's especially amusing.