You're the first reactors I've seen that recognized the native Americans were speaking Yiddish! Also, Lily von Schtupp is funny to Yiddish speakers, because "schtupp" means "to screw"/"to smash" in Yiddish. Fun fact, Richard Pryor wrote most of Mongo's dialogue. "Mongo only pawn in game of life" was all Pryor. Mel Brooks wanted Pryor to play Bart, but the studio execs said no, because his drug use made him a liability on set. I went to a Blazing Saddles screening with a Mel Brooks Q&A a few years ago, and that was one of the anecdotes he shared.
Another fun fact about the Lily von Schtupp scene: When they first show the playbill outside the saloon, you can hear the piano playing "Springtime for Hitler" from "The Producers" inside.
The phrase “La Petamain” is french for little fart. At the turn of the 1900’s there was a performance actor who was called La Petamain who could use flatulence on demand in his act. They didn’t go around the toll booth because it had the governors name on it.
Back in the 50's and 60's most Native American parts were played by Jews or Italians. The famous anti-littering ads with the crying Indian - Italian. Leonard Nimoy got his start that way.
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. Although she died in 2000, Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for the development of her frequency-hopping technology in 2014. Such achievement has led Lamarr to be dubbed “the mother of Wi-Fi” and other wireless communications like GPS and Bluetooth. 😉
@@SM-BSW I think Mel Brooks has said he told them to give her whatever she wanted. He was kind of pleased about it. I couldn't find the exact interview earlier, though.
It's so great to hear people actually knowing something about film/film history- I've watched several reactions to Blazing Saddles and no one seems to know who Heddy Lamarr was or half the cast.
Yeah, that's just one of the difficulties that's hard to avoid in a 50-year-old movie. The fact it still holds up is a testament to all the rest of the humor. Not like these reference-only comedies that sometimes come out today that will be useless in five years.
_(As I've posted on other reactions:)_ 'You could NOT make this movie today!' -everyone "We couldn't make it then. We did it anyway." -Brooks in an interview.
The studio did give him notes on things they wanted to cut, and he basically told them he did them all, when actually he didn’t cut anything but a single line. He was flying under the radar just a little bit, so they had no idea. The movie was basically intact as WB had seen the original when it hit theaters. The only line he took out was right after Lily says “it’s true it’s true!!” Bart then said, “Baby, you’re sucking on my arm!”
The Count Basie Orchestra playing out in the desert is reflective of the times when he and his orchestra were often not allowed to stay in the cities that they were playing in. Mel gives a shout out to the comedy team Laurel and Hardy in the "Welcome Sherrif" scene. Mongo Santa Maria was a Cuban orchestra leader popular in the 50s and 60s. You are the first reviewers to point out the backwards wedding portrait in Hedley's office. In Hollywood when a group of background actors are needs for a scene they hold a "cattle call" to get actors. My personal favorite line in the film is when "Hitler" says "they lose me right after the bunker shot".
I saw this movie in the 70s when it came out. We all understood the point it was making about racism; its practioners were "You know; morons," worthy of being laughed at. It was only a decade or so removed from the civil rights act, and there were still plenty of racist morons in this country. They didn't particularly like this movie, which made it even funnier to me. And as someone else commented, I have to hand it to you for picking up on the Chief speaking Yiddish. Great reaction, guys. Y'all have a great sense of humor. 👍👍
I've watched quite a few folks on TH-cam react to it, and read hundreds of comments about it; the problem today is that the satire seems to go over a lot of people's heads. They just feel that the movie was giving them permission to use "the n word" and that it's too bad that they can't make racist jokes today (missing that it was never okay and the movie is mocking their stupidity). They never seem to land on the fact that the movie is making fun of them.. I don't like to make generalizations about generations, but it seems that people were smarter back then.
Burton Gillian, the actor who portrayed Lyle, had trouble saying the hard R word. After a few takes of struggling, Clevon talked with Burt, letting him know it was okay, because they weren't his words, but Lyle's.
It was the same case with Leo Di Caprio in Django Unchained. He had to be assured by Jaimie Foxx that it was fine, but he was rally struggling with having to say it over and over again.
I was watching a boxing match on ABC Wide World of Sports one Saturday afternoon and was shocked to see Burton in the ring. It seems he moonlighted as a boxing referee.
"i Get a Kick Out of You From the Broadway Musical "Anything Goes." Yes it still holds up. However there are many scenes which the younger people don't understand. Growing up in the 60's I watched westerns every Saturday afternoon. Watched Blazing Saddles when it came out in 1974.
Guys, this movie is classic for so many reasons! I remember being on a Military Sealift ship, we got movies and shows from the Navy. The ship i was on, was 80% black. When we showed the video, that covered 3 floors and 70% of the crew. All you heard was laughter! Next day, all off the brothers were quoting the movie!
I'm 71 and am baffled as to why so many younger reactors seem to think quick sand is not a thing. Just look at Wikipedia. Indeed it sis a real thing. They reference a trope which I have never seen. That trop is unrealistic' but that does not invalidate the actual existence of quick sand. I've never seen the trope discussed in the Wikipedia page. I've always seen quick sand presented realistically, as something you should never fight against, but swim with. If you stop panicking and swim instead, you'll survive,
I first saw that movie in Ireland in 1977. When the line “we’ll take the Ni****- and Ch***s but we don’t want the Irish” the whole cinema erupted in laughter. The absurdist, almost Monty Pythonesque, tone of the movie continually pokes fun at racism of any kind. It shows how ridiculous and stupid racism in all its forms are. Mel Brooks, and this writing crew, were brilliant. They made us laugh and educated us at the same time. Loved it then and still love it now almost fifty hears later.
A lot of the writing was done by Richard Pryor and he was responsible for the language. Mel wasn't sure but Pryor used it to enforce the stupidty of the racist times. Everyone that uses it is shown to be a moron. It's funny because there are quite a few today that mistake the script for racism, without knowing a black man wrote it!
2:00 To truly appreciate the humor here, a bit of American history is needed regarding Bart saying, “Sir, he specifically requested two n*ggers. Well, to tell the family secret, my grandmother was Dutch.” This is a reverse play on the "One drop rule" where a social and legal principle of racial classification in the 20th century United States asserted that 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.
I remember seeing an interview with Mel Brooks once where he said, "Most directors ask for quiet on set. I usually say, 'It's too quiet on set! I want chaos, I want anarchy!'" This movie is probably the best example of that method at work. Also, as a teacher, I always felt like Harvey Korman emerging from the men's room into the cafeteria food fight every time that I walked into middle-school lunch duty.
Funniest part is that the original joke for when bart hooks up with the German woman is that he was supposed to say "I'm sorry to disappoint but you're sitting on my arm" but the studio made mel brooks change it
14:59 that part where he flipped his hand over and says "see... it's coming off" to me, is the funniest joke in the whole movie. It's so subtle and nobody ever seems to catch it. Funny as hell.
It's amazing how few reactors miss that it's Mel Brooks as the Native American chief speaking Yiddish. Good for you guys! (Also, on the movie poster, when you see him as the same character, the head dress has Hebrew lettering, and translated it means "Kosher for Passover.")
Keep in mind Mel Brooks writing partner on this film was Richard Pryor. Richard hadn’t made his big movie name yet (he was killing it on TV and stand-up) and the studio believed he was a hopeless drug addict. so the studios refused to finance a movie starting Richard. Ironically the studio heavily wanted Gig Young as the Waco kid. But as filming started he collapsed from withdrawal. It turns out Gig was an alcoholic who couldn’t go through part of a day on set without a steady supply of alcohol. So this Mel quickly called Gene Wilder. Mel used to say “I know the jokes in this movie are a little blue. But I can honestly say that you can rest assured all the jokes making fun of Jews were written by Richie”
Couple of things to point out. Not everybody catches the popcorn at the end, still in the lap of Gene Wilder. The morons quote was ad-lib, and Clevon Little's reaction was real. Lastly, I haven't heard anyone catch that the first song at the railroad scene was a Cole Porter bit
I was taught as a kid growing up in the 1960's that the one word I could never say--the worst, the most obscene, most vile one was "the hard r". My dad had been in WWII and Korea, so, I grew up hearing a lot of colorful curses---but never, not ever, the "hard r word".
Mel Brooks wanted Richard Pryor, but the studio didn't like Pryor for it so Mel Brooks asked Pryor to help write it and even Brooks questioned some of Pryor's insertions of that word. Pryor really had to put Brooks at ease. There was an interview with Mel Brooks, and a bunch of it was about this film. When the brawl breaks out onto the street, everything was as it was scripted except for an old man in a blue jacket at the corner. He was a civilian and had to sign paperwork in order to be an extra.
You picked out two things that I don't believe anyone else that I have seen react has: 1) That the movie seems to be a live version of a Looney Tunes cartoon, and 2) "See? It's coming off" when Wilder flipped Little's hand over. I will share one: When the little old lady is getting beat up, the guy holding her is eating cake! Thanks for the great reaction. You guys are awesome!
Alex Karras, who played Mongo, was also in Victor/Victoria, which is an absolutely spectacular movie from 1982, starring Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Garner, Lesley Ann Warren, and John Rhys-Davies. Directed by Blake Edwards, who was married to Julie Andrews at the time.
I agree this movie wouldn't be the same without Richard. I was 1 year old when this movie came out. My parents were 18 & 19 when I was born so this movie was just part of my viewing vernacular. So I find it astounding when I run across people who have never seen it. Thank you all so very much for sharing your experience with all of us! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Are you absolutely sure Dom DeLuise was gay? For what it's worth, this very popular character actor was married to the same woman for 44 years, and they had 3 sons.
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 Khan also had a great roll 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 only member of "Blazing Saddles" still living.
The song the railroaders sang was s Cole Porter song from a 1934 musical called "Anything Goes" - "I Get a Kick Out Of You" was the song. 😂 Gene Wilder also played Doctor Frankenstein in the comedy Young Frankenstein. As well as the original Willy Wonka in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. 😂
Quicksand is indeed real. But it’s unusual to sink deeper than waist deep. Humans are fairly buoyant and quicksand is pretty dense, so you only sink until you reach neutral buoyancy. The weight of your head isn’t enough to make you go under. BUT if you panic and start flailing about you will sink deeper. And because you can’t swim in quicksand, you can’t go up to the surface. Which causes you to panic more until, you know. That’s gotta be terrifying.
Actually I think Cleavon Little made the movie. Every comedy needs a straight man and Cleavon Little does it perfectly. He radiates intelligence, sophistication and class.
Cole Porter was a white guy from a rich family in Indiana. I think that's part of the joke. I think you're confusing him with Robert Allen Cole Jr. who helped create all-black vaudeville and musical theater productions in the late 1800s and early 1900s several decades earlier.
What a wonderful time when we could all laugh at ourselves and the stupidity of racism or judgement without taking anything seriously. Truly funny for all!
Syntell, first video I saw of yours and I had to subscribe! Blazing Saddles is classic lmao. Now, another one that you should consider is "In the Heat of the Night" with Sidney Poitier. It has a similar message, but it is far more serious in delivery. Black detective from Philadelphia is going down to visit his grandmother in the south. Very racist town. They have a murder. A cop is sent out to find any possible suspect, and he sees Poitier, so he arrests him for Waiting for a Train While Black. The sheriff feels very stupid upon discovering that Poitier is a detective from Philadelphia, and asks him to help them with the murder. It's REALLY good, and the ending is a big surprise! There's a lot of classic scenes in it, like they go to interview a rich guy who owns a plantation, and the owner slaps Poitier for daring to ask him where he was when the guy was murdered, and Poitier immediately slaps him back MUCH HARDER. It was great! And apparently the first time a black man slapped a white man in a movie. There's another scene where the sheriff says "Virgil, that's a funny name for a [n-word] from Philadelphia, what do they call you up there?" and Poitier answers, voice raised, "THEY CALL ME MR. TIBBS!". There was a sequel to the movie, and they made a series of it in the late 80s/early 90s which was also good, I used to watch it in high school. 🙂
Not only does this movie hold up, I would argue that its message has actually become more important and relevant as time has gone on, especially in the last decade or so.
It was no great seeing the knowledge y’all had about references in this movie that a lot of younger reactors have no clue about today. I was born in early seventies and I love it when others get the same references I do. Young people watching older movies are really cute cuz their reactions come from such a different place but seeing so much go over their heads is frustrating at times. Also, the intelligent commentary between y’all about this movie and the time period it came out in, was so refreshing. Y’all are great!
It's funny when bringing up DeCaprio having a hard time saying the N-word for Django, Burton Gilliam who played Lyle was also struggling to come to terms with having to say it for Blazing Saddles.
I've watched this movie and all the reactions to it numerous times, but someone pointed out that Lili's character was based on a role played by Marlene Dietrich (with her strong German accent) as the town madam, in the 1937 Destry Rides Again. I haven't seen anyone suggest this, but I think the framework for Blazing Saddles was inspired by the overall plot line of Destry - a new sheriff (in this case Jimmy Stewart) comes to town to clean up the rampant crime and fights. His manner is not the John-Wayne strong-but-silent macho stereotype, but quiet ways, which gets him mocked by the townspeople. The story resolves itself at the end by a giant melee.
As an old white man who remembers the 70's I have a slightly different take. When a new Quentin Tarantino movie comes out & you're standing in line for opening night. You already know what kind of movie you are going to see, you know what Quentin Tarantino does. It won't be a Romantic Comedy & you know it. Mel Brooks was the same for us. He wasn't 'shocking' to us because we knew it was a Mel Brooks film before we sat down. We were aware everything & everyone was fair game. & We always knew we're gonna miss at least 100 gags on the 1st viewing.
So much to discuss and consider with this film; you guys have a great sense of perspective and insight, and a MUCH greater knowledge of film history than the majority of "reaction" hosts on YT. I saw "Blazing Saddles' three times in a public movie theater in 1974; the 3rd time was in the Baltimore/Chesapeake Bay area, with an audience 50% black, 50% white. I was totally aware that we were all approaching the film from a very different perspective, and I was actually a little concerned at first about the reaction. But the place was wild with laughter from beginning to end..much like your own reactions. Nice job.
They ain't never gonna own a home, so they outraged... that kinda relates to many Americans. Great quote bty. I do feel like The Chappell Show was the last "main stream" TV show to get away using the n wor in a comedic setting.
I was lucky with this movie. My father was terminally ill when I was 11-12 and my brother and I stayed with our aunt and uncle a while, my uncle is Jamaican. He asked if we had seen this movie and we all watched it. The lines in this are still hilarious. “My grandmother was Dutch” 😂 The scene where Gene says “you know, morons” was improvised.
I went with my my parents to see this in the theater. During the "beans" scene, you could barely hear anything over the screaming and laughter. It was nuts to watch it on t.v. They show this scene, but there is no sound! Farts and burps not allowed. 😂
Love your reactions guys! 😁 Pryor & Brooks wrote a very clever, hilarious script highlighting the moronic nature of racism. P.S. Daniel Day-Lewis is English.
Mongo Santamaria was a popular Cuban percussionist and band leader in the early '60s. Mel Brooks chose the name Mongo so that when he rode into town, a villager could yell, "Mongo! Santa Maria!"
I've been watching this movie since I was a kid in the 70's, and it still cracks me up. Especially the greeting the old lady gives him in the morning. Edit: For years, many of us who watched this movie on TV were confused when we rented the theatrical release, as there were scenes missing. To show you how different things were back then, TV Networks wanted extra stuff in movies so that they could stretch the run time out for their prime time movies, so there often was extra footage that was shot during the movie, or stuff that hit the cutting room floor for the theatre, we'd see on broadcast TV.
I will always consider this movie in the top 5 list of greatest Parodies ever made followed by 2008's Tropic Thunder. When i was a young black kid my dad showed me this film and its maybe the first movie to not only show Racism and how stupid it is,but also how much funnier it is to make fun of it. So many classic lines i quote to this day "someones gotta go back and get a shit load of dimes!!" "Going to run all night,going to run all day,got my money on a bob tail nag all the doo dah day" "The sherrif is near!!" But one scene that will always stick with me is the old lady saying "up yours ni**er" As a black guy that taught me something important,that sometimes its not your fault why people dont like you, all you can do is keep your head up. Im saddened by Cleavon Little not becoming a bigger star from this movie,but i also wouldve loved to have seen the Richard Pryor casted version.
I agree. Cleavon Little was so cool! It's always surprising when I see an actor with the whole package, and I keep waiting to see him or her, and.... Another example is David Alan Grier. I loved him on In Living Color. Then, .....
I first saw this on the big screen in '76 at Mel Brooks marathon the fall I started my senior year in high school I had full context. It was hilarious to me then, and is hilarious still to me.
GenX white guy here. My dad and uncle took me and my cousin with them to see this movie in the theater when it first came out. I was around 8. We all laughed our asses off and the thing that stuck with me to this day is “racists are idiots”. This movie and the TV show All in the Family were pivotal after the civil rights movement in the late 60s to get Americans to have more honest discussions about race relations. If you haven’t, you guys should watch All in the Family or at least a super cut of the best of Archie Bunker.
We watched this in the Army barracks in early 1980's, black and white soldiers laughing because it was funny. No hurt feelings, no weird or awkwardness, just guys enjoying a funny movie that made fun of everyone. Today people are too small minded, everything is studied and decided whether it can make them seem a victim. I feel sorry for the young generation today, I wish them the best, but man, don't sweat the small shit, life is bigger than being walking around with false chips on your shoulders.
Keep in mind Blazing Saddles directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger, based on a story treatment by Bergman. This film was released during transitional tv period.
The funniest part is that one of the main writers was Richard Pryor. Mel was like Don Rickles, they made fun of everybody and every race, especially their own. Mel asked Richard about several scenes as to whether they went too far or not and Richard was like "No no, leave it in, they're going to love it". There was an interview on TH-cam, I can't remember who the interviewer was, but Mel and Richard were discussing the film.
Quicksand is a real thing, and is most commonly found in swamps, marches, near lake shores, beaches, and riverbanks. It is present all over the world including the United States.
The problem is all the social media crap. Everybody on there who gets butt hurt, don't even know why they're supposed to be butthurt or if they even should be butthurt. Somebody they don't even know told them that they have to be mad about everything so they are. Pretty sad how certain groups of people can be led around by the nose so easily. 🤔
a golden classic! satire has always been a great strength and if in the States today making such films is a problem, then something is wrong there. (good thing tarantino still makes films! he doesn't care about restrictions!😊)
Fifty years old and yes it does still hold up, not only in the comedy but, since racism doesn't seem to have faded away, the underlying message is still absolutely valid. Mel is Jewish and also was a soldier during World War II so prejudice of any sort was his primary target and still is. Nobody was safe from his wit. The line ending in "... but we don't want the Irish" was perfectly accurate as the Irish were a huge target for prejudice with Help wanted signs in shop windows included the caveat Irish need not apply or Irish not welcome. They wanted Richard Pryor to play Bart but his drug issues caused the insurance companies to balk so Richard stayed on as writer and consultant and Cleavon Little was brought in as Bart. The whole intention of the movie was to skewer the ignorance of the racist characters in it.
Lost in the scene with Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman is former NFL lineman Alex Karras of the Detriot Lions. He was actually pretty good. He played a miner in the scene.
You're the first reactors I've seen that recognized the native Americans were speaking Yiddish! Also, Lily von Schtupp is funny to Yiddish speakers, because "schtupp" means "to screw"/"to smash" in Yiddish.
Fun fact, Richard Pryor wrote most of Mongo's dialogue. "Mongo only pawn in game of life" was all Pryor. Mel Brooks wanted Pryor to play Bart, but the studio execs said no, because his drug use made him a liability on set.
I went to a Blazing Saddles screening with a Mel Brooks Q&A a few years ago, and that was one of the anecdotes he shared.
Schvartzas!!!
Another fun fact about the Lily von Schtupp scene: When they first show the playbill outside the saloon, you can hear the piano playing "Springtime for Hitler" from "The Producers" inside.
@@UnclePengy I never noticed that!
The phrase “La Petamain” is french for little fart. At the turn of the 1900’s there was a performance actor who was called La Petamain who could use flatulence on demand in his act. They didn’t go around the toll booth because it had the governors name on it.
Back in the 50's and 60's most Native American parts were played by Jews or Italians. The famous anti-littering ads with the crying Indian - Italian. Leonard Nimoy got his start that way.
"They said you was hung!" "And they was RIGHT!" Great line.
It's twu! It's twu!
I wouldnt know, but you may be onto something
And they didn’t even laugh 🤦🏻♂️ best line in the movie…
I have seen this a few times and just now noticed that 😂
@@Texantomhorn I've seen this movie probably a hundred times or more and still stumble across stuff that I've missed before
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. Although she died in 2000, Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for the development of her frequency-hopping technology in 2014. Such achievement has led Lamarr to be dubbed “the mother of Wi-Fi” and other wireless communications like GPS and Bluetooth. 😉
Fun fact, Hedey Lamar *did* end up suing Mel Brooks for using her name in this movie!
I'm pretty sure the case was thrown out, but still...
@@SM-BSW I think Mel Brooks has said he told them to give her whatever she wanted. He was kind of pleased about it. I couldn't find the exact interview earlier, though.
@@SM-BSW He wanted her to sue him. She would not take charity. She got money.
"Hedley"
@@HuntingVioletsI think it was $10 million
It's so great to hear people actually knowing something about film/film history- I've watched several reactions to Blazing Saddles and no one seems to know who Heddy Lamarr was or half the cast.
Most of this movie is historic references, if you don't get that most of the gags will fly over your head.
Yeah, that's just one of the difficulties that's hard to avoid in a 50-year-old movie.
The fact it still holds up is a testament to all the rest of the humor. Not like these reference-only comedies that sometimes come out today that will be useless in five years.
Nah, I grew up watching this in the 80s with my parents. We all still love it.
_(As I've posted on other reactions:)_
'You could NOT make this movie today!' -everyone
"We couldn't make it then. We did it anyway." -Brooks in an interview.
The studio did give him notes on things they wanted to cut, and he basically told them he did them all, when actually he didn’t cut anything but a single line. He was flying under the radar just a little bit, so they had no idea. The movie was basically intact as WB had seen the original when it hit theaters. The only line he took out was right after Lily says “it’s true it’s true!!” Bart then said, “Baby, you’re sucking on my arm!”
It is a shame how offended people get about everything now.
@@phogue1 I had sworn for years that line was in the final film. I realized I was inserting outtakes into my head cannon.
The Count Basie Orchestra playing out in the desert is reflective of the times when he and his orchestra were often not allowed to stay in the cities that they were playing in. Mel gives a shout out to the comedy team Laurel and Hardy in the "Welcome Sherrif" scene. Mongo Santa Maria was a Cuban orchestra leader popular in the 50s and 60s. You are the first reviewers to point out the backwards wedding portrait in Hedley's office. In Hollywood when a group of background actors are needs for a scene they hold a "cattle call" to get actors. My personal favorite line in the film is when "Hitler" says "they lose me right after the bunker shot".
I saw this movie in the 70s when it came out. We all understood the point it was making about racism; its practioners were "You know; morons," worthy of being laughed at. It was only a decade or so removed from the civil rights act, and there were still plenty of racist morons in this country. They didn't particularly like this movie, which made it even funnier to me. And as someone else commented, I have to hand it to you for picking up on the Chief speaking Yiddish. Great reaction, guys. Y'all have a great sense of humor. 👍👍
Most people also recognized the racism and able to see the total satire.
Exactly. The bigoted behavior can be done or humor if you make sure those words are coming out of the mouths of the stupid people in the movie.
I've watched quite a few folks on TH-cam react to it, and read hundreds of comments about it; the problem today is that the satire seems to go over a lot of people's heads. They just feel that the movie was giving them permission to use "the n word" and that it's too bad that they can't make racist jokes today (missing that it was never okay and the movie is mocking their stupidity). They never seem to land on the fact that the movie is making fun of them.. I don't like to make generalizations about generations, but it seems that people were smarter back then.
The noose around the horses neck too and “but this is my shooting hand” never fail to crack me up 😂 no matter how many times I see it
I think the shooting hand bit was the least funny line. Oh well
Cleavon Little absolutely KILLED it! I really can't figure out how he never blew up. He should have been one of the biggest stars of the 80s.
This movie is a perfect example of the difference between a "racist joke" and a "joke about racism"
Burton Gillian, the actor who portrayed Lyle, had trouble saying the hard R word. After a few takes of struggling, Clevon talked with Burt, letting him know it was okay, because they weren't his words, but Lyle's.
It was the same case with Leo Di Caprio in Django Unchained.
He had to be assured by Jaimie Foxx that it was fine, but he was rally struggling with having to say it over and over again.
I was watching a boxing match on ABC Wide World of Sports one Saturday afternoon and was shocked to see Burton in the ring. It seems he moonlighted as a boxing referee.
@@agresticumbra just like RDJ in Tropic Thunder. He's not in blackface but the character, Kurt, is...
"i Get a Kick Out of You From the Broadway Musical "Anything Goes." Yes it still holds up. However there are many scenes which the younger people don't understand. Growing up in the 60's I watched westerns every Saturday afternoon. Watched Blazing Saddles when it came out in 1974.
Guys, this movie is classic for so many reasons!
I remember being on a Military Sealift ship, we got movies and shows from the Navy.
The ship i was on, was 80% black.
When we showed the video, that covered 3 floors and 70% of the crew.
All you heard was laughter!
Next day, all off the brothers were quoting the movie!
Different times and maybe slightly better people back then.
I've been caught in quick sand. Freaked me out, while my fellow hikers stood by and laughed. Bstrds.
“Y’all better hope I don’t find a shovel when I get out of this!”
I hope you paid them back in kind??
I'm 71 and am baffled as to why so many younger reactors seem to think quick sand is not a thing. Just look at Wikipedia. Indeed it sis a real thing.
They reference a trope which I have never seen. That trop is unrealistic' but that does not invalidate the actual existence of quick sand.
I've never seen the trope discussed in the Wikipedia page. I've always seen quick sand presented realistically, as something you should never fight against, but swim with. If you stop panicking and swim instead, you'll survive,
The "Where's the white women at?" is still the funniest line in this movie. It still makes me laugh every single time.😂 Chef's 💋.
I say it all the time - when I'm alone. I said it to myself yesterday.
I first saw that movie in Ireland in 1977. When the line “we’ll take the Ni****- and Ch***s but we don’t want the Irish” the whole cinema erupted in laughter. The absurdist, almost Monty Pythonesque, tone of the movie continually pokes fun at racism of any kind. It shows how ridiculous and stupid racism in all its forms are. Mel Brooks, and this writing crew, were brilliant. They made us laugh and educated us at the same time. Loved it then and still love it now almost fifty hears later.
A lot of the writing was done by Richard Pryor and he was responsible for the language. Mel wasn't sure but Pryor used it to enforce the stupidty of the racist times. Everyone that uses it is shown to be a moron. It's funny because there are quite a few today that mistake the script for racism, without knowing a black man wrote it!
At one time the Irish were the most hated over anyone else in America.
2:00 To truly appreciate the humor here, a bit of American history is needed regarding Bart saying, “Sir, he specifically requested two n*ggers. Well, to tell the family secret, my grandmother was Dutch.” This is a reverse play on the "One drop rule" where a social and legal principle of racial classification in the 20th century United States asserted that 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.
I remember seeing an interview with Mel Brooks once where he said, "Most directors ask for quiet on set. I usually say, 'It's too quiet on set! I want chaos, I want anarchy!'" This movie is probably the best example of that method at work.
Also, as a teacher, I always felt like Harvey Korman emerging from the men's room into the cafeteria food fight every time that I walked into middle-school lunch duty.
Funniest part is that the original joke for when bart hooks up with the German woman is that he was supposed to say "I'm sorry to disappoint but you're sitting on my arm" but the studio made mel brooks change it
Thank you so much for the kind donation
"... sucking on my arm..." not sitting.
14:59 that part where he flipped his hand over and says "see... it's coming off" to me, is the funniest joke in the whole movie. It's so subtle and nobody ever seems to catch it. Funny as hell.
I've probably seen the movie a hundred times, but I didn't notice it until this reaction somehow lol
@@iscariom harrumph!
Prior was great, especially with Wilder, but Im glad that Clevon Little did it. He was great in this.
I was in college during this movie and it was a huge hit. Black and white folks laughed together in every theatre.
It's amazing how few reactors miss that it's Mel Brooks as the Native American chief speaking Yiddish. Good for you guys!
(Also, on the movie poster, when you see him as the same character, the head dress has Hebrew lettering, and translated it means "Kosher for Passover.")
Slim Pickens is a legend
Keep in mind Mel Brooks writing partner on this film was Richard Pryor. Richard hadn’t made his big movie name yet (he was killing it on TV and stand-up) and the studio believed he was a hopeless drug addict. so the studios refused to finance a movie starting Richard.
Ironically the studio heavily wanted Gig Young as the Waco kid. But as filming started he collapsed from withdrawal. It turns out Gig was an alcoholic who couldn’t go through part of a day on set without a steady supply of alcohol. So this Mel quickly called Gene Wilder.
Mel used to say “I know the jokes in this movie are a little blue. But I can honestly say that you can rest assured all the jokes making fun of Jews were written by Richie”
Couple of things to point out. Not everybody catches the popcorn at the end, still in the lap of Gene Wilder. The morons quote was ad-lib, and Clevon Little's reaction was real.
Lastly, I haven't heard anyone catch that the first song at the railroad scene was a Cole Porter bit
"Where Da White women at???" line aged Well, for me growing up i thought it was from White Chicks so i appreciate this more.
The delivery on this line was so perfect!
I was taught as a kid growing up in the 1960's that the one word I could never say--the worst, the most obscene, most vile one was "the hard r". My dad had been in WWII and Korea, so, I grew up hearing a lot of colorful curses---but never, not ever, the "hard r word".
Another great choice! And absolutely! THANKS for this!!!!
Had to get the whole team in on this classic
I expected more laughter from you guys because there’s like a different type of comedy every minute, but I love your reactions.
Somebody was a communications major. 😊
Nice work.
Originally Mel had asked John Wayne to play the Waco Kid part but after reading the script he said no but I will be the first in line to see it.
The orange roof on Howard Johnson's outhouse is a nod to Howard Johnson Hotel Chain ( orange roofs) and the best ice cream sundaes there used to be. 😊
Mel Brooks wanted Richard Pryor, but the studio didn't like Pryor for it so Mel Brooks asked Pryor to help write it and even Brooks questioned some of Pryor's insertions of that word. Pryor really had to put Brooks at ease. There was an interview with Mel Brooks, and a bunch of it was about this film.
When the brawl breaks out onto the street, everything was as it was scripted except for an old man in a blue jacket at the corner. He was a civilian and had to sign paperwork in order to be an extra.
Pryor and Brooks hit EVERYONE in this movie. It's a classic.
You picked out two things that I don't believe anyone else that I have seen react has: 1) That the movie seems to be a live version of a Looney Tunes cartoon, and 2) "See? It's coming off" when Wilder flipped Little's hand over. I will share one: When the little old lady is getting beat up, the guy holding her is eating cake! Thanks for the great reaction. You guys are awesome!
Do you remember the movie “The Villain” with Kirk Douglas,o Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Ann Margaret? Cam out about the same time.
@ I cannot believe I have never heard of this movie. Now I have to see it! Thanks for the tip.
Alex Karras, who played Mongo, was also in Victor/Victoria, which is an absolutely spectacular movie from 1982, starring Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Garner, Lesley Ann Warren, and John Rhys-Davies. Directed by Blake Edwards, who was married to Julie Andrews at the time.
Yes, it still stands up. This is the greatest comedy in the history of cinema. 🤟🏻
except maybe for the blues brothers
I agree this movie wouldn't be the same without Richard. I was 1 year old when this movie came out. My parents were 18 & 19 when I was born so this movie was just part of my viewing vernacular. So I find it astounding when I run across people who have never seen it. Thank you all so very much for sharing your experience with all of us! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
The story goes that Pryor wrote the redneck and Jewish jokes while Brooks and the Jewish writers wrote the Black jokes.
Are you absolutely sure Dom DeLuise was gay? For what it's worth, this very popular character actor was married to the same woman for 44 years, and they had 3 sons.
She played the schoolmistress in this.
He's just a great comedy actor. They should see his Captain Chaos in Cannonball Run
He is also very funny in The End with Burt Reynolds.
Well he was acting for the movie...
One of his sons is Michael De Luise, who was on the original 21 Jump Street and has had numerous roles on tv and in movies.
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 Khan also had a great roll 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 only member of "Blazing Saddles" still living.
Burton Gilliam, who played Lyle, is still alive too.
@@Powerranger-le4up The little boy on the stage coach in the sherriff's flashback scene is Rodney Allen Rippy. He is also still living.
The song the railroaders sang was s Cole Porter song from a 1934 musical called "Anything Goes" - "I Get a Kick Out Of You" was the song. 😂
Gene Wilder also played Doctor Frankenstein in the comedy Young Frankenstein. As well as the original Willy Wonka in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. 😂
That's Frahnkensteen.
@@russb24 indeed
Oh, sweet mystery of life,
at last I found you!
Quicksand *is* a real thing guys.
You figured out the secret. This is basically a Warner Brothers cartoon.
Never thought of that before but I agree. One of my favorite movies (own the dvd) and I’m a big fan of Warner Brothers cartoons.
"They said you was hung? And they was right" is my favorite line. I love how it's kind of under the radar.
Lili von Shtupp vouches for that.
Every Mel Brooks movie script is funny as the next. He makes a joke of everything and everyone…..everyone.😂❤ Great reaction.❤😊
The horse was an accomplice to the crime the rider was being hung for. (He was the getaway driver 🤣)
Quicksand is indeed real. But it’s unusual to sink deeper than waist deep. Humans are fairly buoyant and quicksand is pretty dense, so you only sink until you reach neutral buoyancy. The weight of your head isn’t enough to make you go under. BUT if you panic and start flailing about you will sink deeper. And because you can’t swim in quicksand, you can’t go up to the surface. Which causes you to panic more until, you know. That’s gotta be terrifying.
Lightningsand, however… well, you just have to hope you have a farm boy turned swashbuckler to help you out. 😉
@@0okamino Have fun storming the castle!
@@jeanine6328 You think it'll work?
It's also incredibly slow to sink into.
Actually I think Cleavon Little made the movie. Every comedy needs a straight man and Cleavon Little does it perfectly. He radiates intelligence, sophistication and class.
These young men are having the type of conversation that EVERYONE should be having.
Another joke: The n__ work song in the first of the movie was a song by Cole Porter the first black composer to have his works played on Broadway.
Cole Porter was a white guy from a rich family in Indiana. I think that's part of the joke.
I think you're confusing him with Robert Allen Cole Jr. who helped create all-black vaudeville and musical theater productions in the late 1800s and early 1900s several decades earlier.
Uhmm.... bro... you might wanna look up a picture of cole porter...
i almost cried when i heard Harvey (Hedley) died. I mt him at 4 years old and said emphatically "It"s Hedley!!!"
What a wonderful time when we could all laugh at ourselves and the stupidity of racism or judgement without taking anything seriously. Truly funny for all!
Syntell, first video I saw of yours and I had to subscribe! Blazing Saddles is classic lmao.
Now, another one that you should consider is "In the Heat of the Night" with Sidney Poitier.
It has a similar message, but it is far more serious in delivery.
Black detective from Philadelphia is going down to visit his grandmother in the south. Very racist town. They have a murder. A cop is sent out to find any possible suspect, and he sees Poitier, so he arrests him for Waiting for a Train While Black. The sheriff feels very stupid upon discovering that Poitier is a detective from Philadelphia, and asks him to help them with the murder. It's REALLY good, and the ending is a big surprise!
There's a lot of classic scenes in it, like they go to interview a rich guy who owns a plantation, and the owner slaps Poitier for daring to ask him where he was when the guy was murdered, and Poitier immediately slaps him back MUCH HARDER. It was great! And apparently the first time a black man slapped a white man in a movie. There's another scene where the sheriff says "Virgil, that's a funny name for a [n-word] from Philadelphia, what do they call you up there?" and Poitier answers, voice raised, "THEY CALL ME MR. TIBBS!".
There was a sequel to the movie, and they made a series of it in the late 80s/early 90s which was also good, I used to watch it in high school. 🙂
Okay, I love the "'Ello, guv'ner" left over from the Who reactions. Glad it's actually a thing.
I was wondering about that. Because I've mostly seen him doing _Who_ reactions.
My favorite comedy movie!
Not only does this movie hold up, I would argue that its message has actually become more important and relevant as time has gone on, especially in the last decade or so.
It was no great seeing the knowledge y’all had about references in this movie that a lot of younger reactors have no clue about today.
I was born in early seventies and I love it when others get the same references I do.
Young people watching older movies are really cute cuz their reactions come from such a different place but seeing so much go over their heads is frustrating at times.
Also, the intelligent commentary between y’all about this movie and the time period it came out in, was so refreshing.
Y’all are great!
"They said you was 'hung'!" "And they was right!" Hilarious!
There’s a joke that those of us raised in the 70s and 80s thought we would experience quicksand to be more a problem than it actually is.
The fourth wall was broken when the little old lady (who was being beaten up) looked at the camera and said, "Did you ever see such cruelty?"
It's funny when bringing up DeCaprio having a hard time saying the N-word for Django, Burton Gilliam who played Lyle was also struggling to come to terms with having to say it for Blazing Saddles.
I've watched this movie and all the reactions to it numerous times, but someone pointed out that Lili's character was based on a role played by Marlene Dietrich (with her strong German accent) as the town madam, in the 1937 Destry Rides Again. I haven't seen anyone suggest this, but I think the framework for Blazing Saddles was inspired by the overall plot line of Destry - a new sheriff (in this case Jimmy Stewart) comes to town to clean up the rampant crime and fights. His manner is not the John-Wayne strong-but-silent macho stereotype, but quiet ways, which gets him mocked by the townspeople. The story resolves itself at the end by a giant melee.
32:06 he’s a comedy genius and he poked fun at everyone and everything equally
As an old white man who remembers the 70's I have a slightly different take. When a new Quentin Tarantino movie comes out & you're standing in line for opening night. You already know what kind of movie you are going to see, you know what Quentin Tarantino does. It won't be a Romantic Comedy & you know it. Mel Brooks was the same for us. He wasn't 'shocking' to us because we knew it was a Mel Brooks film before we sat down. We were aware everything & everyone was fair game. & We always knew we're gonna miss at least 100 gags on the 1st viewing.
So much to discuss and consider with this film; you guys have a great sense of perspective and insight, and a MUCH greater knowledge of film history than the majority of "reaction" hosts on YT. I saw "Blazing Saddles' three times in a public movie theater in 1974; the 3rd time was in the Baltimore/Chesapeake Bay area, with an audience 50% black, 50% white. I was totally aware that we were all approaching the film from a very different perspective, and I was actually a little concerned at first about the reaction. But the place was wild with laughter from beginning to end..much like your own reactions. Nice job.
This is quite simply one of the greatest comedies ever. Anyone who gets upset and offended by this film is totally missing the point.
Love Mel Brooks xd
Thorough and thoughtful commentary, gentlemen. Thank you, I enjoyed that a great deal.
“He just got invited to the barbecue.” Cracked me up!! LOL
I think someone has already mentioned that Richard Prior was one of the main writers, working closely with Mel Brooks
They ain't never gonna own a home, so they outraged... that kinda relates to many Americans. Great quote bty. I do feel like The Chappell Show was the last "main stream" TV show to get away using the n wor in a comedic setting.
I was lucky with this movie. My father was terminally ill when I was 11-12 and my brother and I stayed with our aunt and uncle a while, my uncle is Jamaican.
He asked if we had seen this movie and we all watched it.
The lines in this are still hilarious.
“My grandmother was Dutch” 😂
The scene where Gene says “you know, morons” was improvised.
Whole thing available on patreon? Looks like I gotta go find a shit load of dimes!
I love this 'laugh at racists' film❤❤❤❤👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
I went with my my parents to see this in the theater. During the "beans" scene, you could barely hear anything over the screaming and laughter.
It was nuts to watch it on t.v. They show this scene, but there is no sound! Farts and burps not allowed. 😂
Love your reactions guys! 😁 Pryor & Brooks wrote a very clever, hilarious script highlighting the moronic nature of racism. P.S. Daniel Day-Lewis is English.
I as a human enjoyed watching that with yall. We could make a movie like this in a couple of years. Watch PCU it predicted the mess we are in.
Mongo Santamaria was a popular Cuban percussionist and band leader in the early '60s. Mel Brooks chose the name Mongo so that when he rode into town, a villager could yell, "Mongo! Santa Maria!"
That’s new to me. It’s sort of like the Laurel and Hardy handshake.
I've been watching this movie since I was a kid in the 70's, and it still cracks me up. Especially the greeting the old lady gives him in the morning.
Edit: For years, many of us who watched this movie on TV were confused when we rented the theatrical release, as there were scenes missing. To show you how different things were back then, TV Networks wanted extra stuff in movies so that they could stretch the run time out for their prime time movies, so there often was extra footage that was shot during the movie, or stuff that hit the cutting room floor for the theatre, we'd see on broadcast TV.
Fab 😊 Really great discussion
Jonathan Majors! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
cleavon litttle was a big tv star in that day, funny as hell
So you didn't show your reaction to excuse me while I whip this out? Best Line Ever
I will always consider this movie in the top 5 list of greatest Parodies ever made followed by 2008's Tropic Thunder.
When i was a young black kid my dad showed me this film and its maybe the first movie to not only show Racism and how stupid it is,but also how much funnier it is to make fun of it.
So many classic lines i quote to this day "someones gotta go back and get a shit load of dimes!!"
"Going to run all night,going to run all day,got my money on a bob tail nag all the doo dah day"
"The sherrif is near!!"
But one scene that will always stick with me is the old lady saying "up yours ni**er"
As a black guy that taught me something important,that sometimes its not your fault why people dont like you, all you can do is keep your head up.
Im saddened by Cleavon Little not becoming a bigger star from this movie,but i also wouldve loved to have seen the Richard Pryor casted version.
I agree. Cleavon Little was so cool! It's always surprising when I see an actor with the whole package, and I keep waiting to see him or her, and....
Another example is David Alan Grier. I loved him on In Living Color. Then, .....
I first saw this on the big screen in '76 at Mel Brooks marathon the fall I started my senior year in high school I had full context. It was hilarious to me then, and is hilarious still to me.
GenX white guy here. My dad and uncle took me and my cousin with them to see this movie in the theater when it first came out. I was around 8. We all laughed our asses off and the thing that stuck with me to this day is “racists are idiots”.
This movie and the TV show All in the Family were pivotal after the civil rights movement in the late 60s to get Americans to have more honest discussions about race relations.
If you haven’t, you guys should watch All in the Family or at least a super cut of the best of Archie Bunker.
GenX white woman here and same to all of it.
All in the Family and MASH are the best series ever (imo)
For the sake of accuracy, "All in the Family" is an early 70s sitcom.
We watched this in the Army barracks in early 1980's, black and white soldiers laughing because it was funny. No hurt feelings, no weird or awkwardness, just guys enjoying a funny movie that made fun of everyone. Today people are too small minded, everything is studied and decided whether it can make them seem a victim. I feel sorry for the young generation today, I wish them the best, but man, don't sweat the small shit, life is bigger than being walking around with false chips on your shoulders.
Keep in mind Blazing Saddles directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger, based on a story treatment by Bergman. This film was released during transitional tv period.
"Tropic Thunder" is genius, RDJ definitely deserved his Oscar nomination.
The funniest part is that one of the main writers was Richard Pryor. Mel was like Don Rickles, they made fun of everybody and every race, especially their own. Mel asked Richard about several scenes as to whether they went too far or not and Richard was like "No no, leave it in, they're going to love it". There was an interview on TH-cam, I can't remember who the interviewer was, but Mel and Richard were discussing the film.
Classic films always "hold up." It's modern audiences that sometimes don't.
Quicksand is a real thing, and is most commonly found in swamps, marches, near lake shores, beaches, and riverbanks. It is present all over the world including the United States.
The problem is all the social media crap. Everybody on there who gets butt hurt, don't even know why they're supposed to be butthurt or if they even should be butthurt. Somebody they don't even know told them that they have to be mad about everything so they are. Pretty sad how certain groups of people can be led around by the nose so easily. 🤔
I saw this film when it came out and - I can't speak for all black people - but I and my brothers and sisters loved it.
a golden classic! satire has always been a great strength and if in the States today making such films is a problem, then something is wrong there. (good thing tarantino still makes films! he doesn't care about restrictions!😊)
Fifty years old and yes it does still hold up, not only in the comedy but, since racism doesn't seem to have faded away, the underlying message is still absolutely valid. Mel is Jewish and also was a soldier during World War II so prejudice of any sort was his primary target and still is. Nobody was safe from his wit. The line ending in "... but we don't want the Irish" was perfectly accurate as the Irish were a huge target for prejudice with Help wanted signs in shop windows included the caveat Irish need not apply or Irish not welcome.
They wanted Richard Pryor to play Bart but his drug issues caused the insurance companies to balk so Richard stayed on as writer and consultant and Cleavon Little was brought in as Bart. The whole intention of the movie was to skewer the ignorance of the racist characters in it.
I lived in the 70's. I don't ever remember but one "R". But we had a thing called "Context".
Lost in the scene with Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman is former NFL lineman Alex Karras of the Detriot Lions. He was actually pretty good. He played a miner in the scene.