p.s. i meant civil war not civil rights movement, for whenever i said it. thank you x ►for early access, bloopers, polls & UNCUT VERSION check ► patreon.com/marycherryofficial ► gaming channel: www.youtube.com/@cherry_plays ► follow me on ✰www.twitch.tv/maryycherryy (LIVE STREAMS) ► VLOG channel VARY CHERRY: www.youtube.com/@varycherry ► DISCORD: discord.com/invite/3pxX7QqGW7 ► IG: instagram.com/maryycherryy/ ► TWEET ME: twitter.com/maryycherryy FAQ sheet: docs.google.com/document/d/1_FkcwQ0vPAAk53YVyo-ChXc9AuX1pn5gbctrOkX13xA/edit
They keep calling him Hedi Lamarr. Hedi Lamarr was a Hollywood actress from the 1940s who was actually a genius. But people didn't believe that she was as brilliant as she was because she was so attractive. During WW2 she invented radio encryption. Her designs are still used in cell phones, missiles, satellites, and radio-controlled drones.
@@theylied1776 One is a mathematical technique and the other is a radio technique. They address different facets of communication. They can be used separately or together
@theylied1776 Encryption is not tied to the medium. Calling frequency hopping "encryption" is a big stretch of the term. After all, frequency hopping *is* the medium. And, saying that frequency hopping uses mathematics is another stretching of terms. Other uses of frequency hopping is to defeat tracking the source. Also, to deconflict signals. It's used in R/C planes, so that someone turning on a transmitter doesn't interfere with someone's plane that's already flying. They really are two different concepts that are related in some circumstances. And, the expertise she used was in radio technology, not cryptography
@@nedzed3663 There are a lot of people saying "You couldn't make this today because you'd offend someone" these people leave out the fact that they'd be the ones offended
@MrGBH I am so glad I can enjoy stuff I watched as a kid (including this movie) completely unburdened by thoughts of random strangers who may or may not even exhibit hypothetically getting offended about it, maybe.
@@foljs5858a lot of reactors miss that subtle little (no pun intended)😅 joke!! There are a few that ACTUALLY do catch it but the one that almost EVERYONE misses is when Bart and Jim get caught at the front of the line in the KKK outfits and Jim starts trying to rub the black off as, if it were Ash from burning crosses, and he turns over Bart's hand to the lighter Palm side and says "see it's coming off!"😅😅 To me absolutely one of the funniest lines in the entire movie!!! 😂😂😂❤❤
Randolph Scott was an actor, who appeared in over 100 Western films between 1928 and 1962. His name would have been recognized by the audience in 1973, but his star has faded since then, so no one recognizes his name today.
@@mcbeezee2120 Indeed. It is a shame Hedy Lamarr is among the ever growing list of great people/things lost in the sands of time. With the sad footnote of how the Hedy/Hedley bit in this movie causes endless confusion for new viewers.
Born in ‘68 here, and as a fan of all things slapstick growing up I was so aware of L&H that as a 14 year old first time viewer I finished the joke with the character in perfect timing. L&H were way before my time, but I thought people were still aware of them through the 70s and early 80s at least. Goes to show that not everyone is exposed to everything, even if they are from your own generation. I always expect this generation to totally miss that joke. For the record, I didn’t then and don’t now really remember anyone talking about Randolph Scott before this movie, so I’m sure there are people from my own generation that can’t believe I missed that joke.
Hearing "A laurel and hardy handshake" still makes me laugh, but my wife has never laughed at it which makes me laugh more... (cough) you know, for the two of us.
Jim and Bart have one of the greatest bromances in movie history - it's wonderful and genuinely touching. Them two riding off into the sunset in the end couldn't be more perfect.
This is the incredibly rare example of a comedy that TRULY gets better with age. The jokes, the pacing, the 4th wall breaking, everything feels like it could’ve come out today.
@@samuraiwarriorsunite They couldn't get insurance on Pryor because he was high and drunk all the time, but he was able to write all of Mongos lines. It would have been a completely different movie if he was the sheriff. He was also offered a sitcom to play the son that he turned down because he was doing movies, so he told the studio to hand it to Red Foxx and have him play the father. Imagine if he had played Lamont Sanford. That would have hands down been the funniest sitcom ever produced.
@@richieb7692 First time I saw it on cable tv (80s) there was no sound during the entire camp farting scene. Still laughed when it ended with the sudden sound of Slim Pickins saying "I Think you've had enough"
Bart: Are we awake? Jim: We're not sure. Are we... Black? Bart: Yes, we are. Jim: Then we're awake... but we're very puzzled. One of my favorite bits of dialogue in the movie.
Yeah I'm Irish-American. My ancestors faced about equal racism to black and Chinese people. In fact, anything Catholic was a target for the Klan, since Klan members are exclusively Lutheran.
Townsperson: "Mongo! Santa Maria!" Many don't know that there was a popular Cuban percussionist and bandleader named Mongo Santamaría who was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. Also, he composed the jazz standard Afro Blue made famous by John Coltrane.
the american civil war was in the 1860s. the american civil rights moviement was in the 1960s so even 100 years later racism was still an issue. also hatred against the irish was a thing in america and england at the time to the point seeing "irish need not apply" on help wanted signs was a thing.
How Cleavon Little did not become an A-list superstar actor for decades is a damn shame. Brilliant actor with comedic chops. Hollywood missed out on that guy.
"Mongo - Santa Maria!" is an homage to Latin jazz percussionist famous throughout the fifties and sixties, Mongo Santamaria. Lily Von Shtupp is a caricature of Marlene Dietrich, particularly when she straddles the chair onstage, just as she did in her breakout role as Loa Lola the cabaret singer in THE BLUE ANGEL (1930), also known for singing the WW2 hit song "Lily Marlene" (in German OR English - as it was famous on both sides), and for playing the title role in WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957), a Billy Wider film. Randolph Scott was an early film leading man in mostly Westerns.
I was 11 or 12 when Blazing Saddles came out and it was rated R so I talked my poor mom into taking me to see it. One of my most wonderful life-long memories is of the two of us laughing our butts off together in the theater. After this we went to see all the Mel Brooks movies of the 1970s together. Mel Brooks is Jewish and served in the US Army during WWII, so he knows very well the effect prejudice has upon the world. So, as you noted, he made not only a parody of Westerns, but also a great parody of racism. In later years, whenever he was interviewed the interviewer would always note that he couldn't make that movie today and Mel would reply, "We couldn't make it then!" When studio executives screened the film they were going to cancel the release entirely. Brooks arranged a second screening where studio employees were invited and they all laughed so much that executives agreed to a very limited release. It was so popular they widened the release a little, over and over until it was released everywhere. For additional Mel Brooks movies I recommend The Producers (the 1960s version), Young Frankenstein, and History of the World, Part 1.
Mary is the first reactor I've seen who wasn't suspicious of the pie the old lady brought Bart to apologize and thank him. I know a lot of people are shocked by the comedy in this film but it's a kind-hearted movie. Also, Richard Pryor, a black comedian was one of the three writers of the script. In fact Pryor and Wilder would star in multiple films together like "Stir Crazy" (1980) and "See No Evil Hear No, Evil" (1989).
That song in the opening is a classic by Cole Porter. And, yes, those are the actual lyrics. They start on the 2nd verse. "I Get a Kick Out of You" debuted in the 1934 Broadway musical "Anything Goes." Fitting because Cleavon Little was a renowned Broadway star with a Tony Award to his credit when he made this movie. He did some TV and movies, but his thing was really the stage. Great voice.
Most all of the Johnsons have names that come from history or pop culture: Howard Johnson - restaurateur, Van Johnson - American actor, Samuel Johnson - English writer, and so on. The western street was in the heart of the Warner Brothers lot but was demolished by the 1980s as westerns had gone out of fashion. The space is now occupied by parking lots and production buildings. ( And Hedy Lamarr was a popular leading lady in 1940s films, while Randolph Scott starred in many westerns.)
This one's a classic, Mary. So glad you enjoyed it! Mel Brooks was indeed the governor. In case you didn't notice, he was also the Native American chief in Bart's flashback. Part of the joke in that scene was that he was speaking Yiddish! And Jim (aka the Waco Kid) wasn't a prisoner. He was just so badly drunk that he was put in the cell to dry out. That's why Bart was so kind and hospitable to him -- Jim hadn't actually done anything wrong.
I'm not surprised that a lot of references got past you. For an audience that saw it when it came out, they were more likely to resonate. - Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress of the 30s, 40s, and 50s who left Germany for America to evade the Nazis. She helped invent a frequency-hopping technology that's used in cell phones. She did threaten to sue over her name's use in Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks told the studio to settle. It was good publicity for the film. - Lily von Shtupp was based on Marlene Dietrich, specifically her role in a film called Destry Rides Again - Mel Brooks played the governor (do a Google search on his character's name), the Native American chief and one of Lily's backup dancers. As the chief he speaks Yiddish. That's a joke based around a theory that Native Americans were really one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, which I learned from a throwaway like from the movie Cat Ballou. - Randolph Scott was a Western movie hero from the 20s through the 60s. Yeah, I didn't know who he was until this movie. - The actor who said "We don't want the Irish" had fun with that line, since he himself was of Irish descent. Funnier when you know that. - Burton Gilliam who played Taggert's assistant Lyle had a lot of trouble using the N word. Cleavon Little had to take him aside and tell him it was his character who was racist. He didn't have a problem with Gilliam and neither would the audience. - The film almost went unreleased. They did a test screening for studio execs, who didn't laugh. Fortunately, Mel Brooks got them to do a second test screening with studio employees. They laughed their butts off, and that was enough to get the studio to release the film.
Thanks for posting these facts! Also I'm 56 years old & didn't know who Randolph Scott was until the 2000's when I saw that he did a lot of western themed movies.
@@LegoTux When? She's not credited in imdb and I can't find info on it with multiple google searches. I've watched that movie a hundred times and, unless I didn't recognizer her, don't remember seeing her.
The language that the Native Americans were speaking and that scene was actually not a native language. It's Yiddish (Mel is Jewish and makes references to that all the time). I don't speak it, but I do speak German, and they sound close. Here's what I gather when I hear it (loosely translated. "Blacks! No no, don't be crazy. Let them go! Go ahead, it's alright. Have you ever seen in your life? They darker than us!"
I was actually surprised that the version Mary was watching didn't translate. Every time I've seen this movie there have been subtitles over that scene.
@@DaleMcClaneUSA "Yeah, except this time it was a women." donald trump is a woman, now? Also, learn how to spell "woman". But then, I guess that explains why you voted for trump.
1. Quick history: US Civil War & End of slavery 1860s, Wild West 1870s-1890s, US Civil Rights movement 1960s 2. Heady Lamar was a famous actress (and inventor) 3. Madeline is doing an impression of Marlene Dietrich’s character in an old western
Madeline Kahn's character is a comic caricature of Marlene Dietrich, who sometimes did not fully sound her r's. There is a classic Saturday Night Live sketch in which Gilda Radner, doing her famous caricature of Barbara Walters, interviews Madeline Kahn as Marlene Dietrich, and neither can understand the other because neither can pronounce an "r" sound. At the end of the sketch, the Barbara Walters character (known as Baba Wawa) announces that her next interview will be with Elmer Fudd, another character well known for the same speech difficulty.
Hedy Lamar was a famous actress in the 1930's and '40's. So the Hedley Lamar reference/joke throughout the movie was a play on the similarities of their names
@@MikeLau-d8l This is true, but the references in the movie were probably playing more to the fact that she was a movie star rather than her being a genius.
She is someone who really needs a good biopic made of her time during the war, her struggle to get people to take her seriously and how her ideas shaped the war and the future we take for granted today.
In a later interview with Mel Brooks, the interviewer mentioned that "You Couldn't make this film today..." Mel replied..." We couldn't make it back then either... But we did anyway.." The " You can Sue Her" line was there because Hedy Lamarr actually sued the production company because they used her name... When Mel heard, he immediately said, "Pay her what she wants..!!" She donated the money to children's charities
Maybe you didn't recognize him but the guy who said, "By gum!" and "We don't want the Irish!" was David Huddleston, who played the other Jeffrey Lebowski (the wealthy one) in The Big Lebowski.
Mary, I appreciated that you left in the bit where Harvey Korman says he's risking an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. It's funny, as you reacted as such, plus is accurate. He was hilarious in this film but he never got the appreciation for his brilliance from the Academy. I believe he did get 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work on the Carol Burnett Show though.
Mel Brooks named the character "Mongo" just so he could have another character shout "Mongo! Santa Maria!", which was a reference to the legendary jazz percussionist Mongo Santamaria.
Mongo was played by Alex Karras, a famous American football player. The sheriff was played by Cleavon Little, among the most talented comics of the '60s. Mel Brooks had to fight to cast him; the studio execs thought he was too controversial.
Mel Brooks didn't only play The Governor, he was also the Native American Chief in Bart's flashback, he cameod as a biker in the line for the many outlaws and criminals for Lamarr's army and he voiced for the lead german soilder in the climax of Lili Von Schtup's number and the cowboy who tried to charm her only to get her knee in his groin.
The "no Irish" bit, actually was historically a thing in the US at one time. There use to be a saying, "NINA", "No Irish Need Apply". I mean, they were probably just barely better off than Black or Asian people, but not by much, and it kind of depended on where and when. Basically, we have a heritage of dehumanizing and degrading whomever is the most convenient influx of immigrants to demonize and blame everything on, as well as to exploit for cheap labor, at any given time. I don't think we're necessarily unique in that way. It is a pretty universal thing that happens everywhere, but seeing as we tend to have more diversity and opportunity to do so, it is a long held American tradition. Irish, Polish, whomever.
It's a more generic "no immigrants" thing. When the Irish were the predominant group immigrating to the US, there was significant bias against the Irish. Because of this the Irish pretty much had to make do however they could...which included lots of crime. But then the Italians started showing up and the Irish immigrants and their second-generation kids were much more "American" by contrast, So the Irish started being mainstreamed into American culture as, among other things, police, while the Italians took over the position previously held by the Irish as...criminals.
In case nobody else pointed it out, that scene where Gene Wilder says "morons" and the sheriff laughs, that's because it wasn't scripted. Gene Wilder just tossed in "morons" unexpectedly and it caught Clevon off guard.
This movie was made during a decade, the 70s, when people were not as easily offended as many are today. This "thick skin" extended into the 80s and early 90s. Many of the most iconic TV shows and movies were made during these decades.
23:32 That reference is lost to newer audiences, it's a humorous mention to actor Randolph Scott, he was famous at the time for making a lot of Western movies.
Lyle (the guy singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot) was the Colt Peacemaker salesman in Back to the Future 3 and the town drunk was one of the main police officers in the first Rambo movie First Blood... Hedy Lamarr was an actress during the early days of Hollywood, she also helped to invent technology that would become the internet ("Mother Of Wi-Fi")
If you'd like some older classic comedies, I recommend: "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" 1948, "Harvey" 1950", "No Time For Sergeants" 1958, "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" 1962, Father Goose" 1964, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" 1963, "The Great Race" 1965
I see the map hasn't been hung yet. LOL. The orchestra in the desert is none other than Count Bassey. " Mongo is only pawn in great game of life" always cracks me up.
I remember hearing about Gene Wilder's passing away and immediately putting on this film. I am not too proud to admit I cried at the end when he says his final lines: "Where you headed, cowboy?" "Nowhere special." "'Nowhere Special.' I always wanted to go there..." RIP Gene, thanks for all the smiles.
This movie broke down barriers and to this day is so god-damn-funny! I miss those days where you could laugh about anything and nobody would bat an eye ^^
Referencing the date of when this movie is set is missing the point. Gucci saddle bags - The Count Basie Orchestra playing in the middle of the desert - Mel Brooks as an Indian chief that speaks Yiddish. There isn't a time frame for this movie. Yes it's in the old west but they pull away in a limo at the end. It's almost like you're apologizing for showing a movie with racial slurs when an apology is not necessary. Sometimes to comment on racism a movie maker has to use the bad side to shine a light.
Lyle, (red shirt henchman), is played by Burton Gilliam. He resides in the Dallas area, and STILL does appearances as Lyle! He even did commercials for a local car dealership, for several years.
there was a tourist that got into the way when they were running out of the studio rather than re-shoot they paid him and had him sigh a waver, Randolph Scott was famous western movie star from 1928 to 1962.
Mary, ironic side note: Gene Wilder was in a movie around the time this one was done called ‘the Frisco Kid’ - I remember it was pretty decent for a western. The only reason I remember that one was because Harrison Ford was in it - of Star Wars’ Han Solo fame.
Thanks! I saw this movie when it aired on network tv back in the 1970's. I was way too young to watch it & got into trouble for repeating some of those lines. Also it seems like a lot people don't know that you're not from the United States?
Also when bart gets reunited with his railroad friends, that was filmed at Vasquez rocks. That's about 40 miles or 60km north of Los Angles CA. I know all film locations of this movie.
A few years ago at work, the Facilities department build a doorframe with a door in the middle of an open office. Then waited a couple of weeks before building the wall that the door was to be a part of. As a result, this door stood their on its own and you could simply walk around the frame. They even went so far as to shut the door. I referred to it as the toll booth in Blazing Saddles. Showed who had seen this film and who hadn't.
Phenomenal tonal balance with fourth wall breaks. The fact that the late Madeline Kahn got an Oscar nomination for this is insane (lost to Ingrid Bergman for MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (this was Ingrid’s 3rd win))!
The real irony of the the shoots guns in the air is that, contrary to what Hollywood portrays, most western frontier towns actually had laws that you weren’t allowed to bring guns into town limits.
One of my favorite stories about the production of this movie is that Mel Brooks didn't tell the singer of the theme song what the movie was about, so he would sing it with conviction.
One of my favorites of the Mel Brooks films. It's hilarious, has a great message, and very memorable characters. Apparantly, Mel wanted Richard Pryor to play the role of Sheriff Bart originally, but his drug problem at the time made him hard to insure, so instead he cast Broadway star Cleavon Little, who worked out great as youve seen. BTW if you've never seen "High Anxiety," that's Mel's spoof of Alfred Hitchcock films. Another classic!
p.s. i meant civil war not civil rights movement, for whenever i said it. thank you x
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Randolph Scott was the biggest western movie star before John Wayne. He was beloved. Younger generations are not familiar with him.
Mary ibe been to 17 countries speak a bit of language nit a brag just dud. Identic memory. Easter eggs hedly Lamar ,belly lamber was a singer &actress
I saw the thumbnail for the Vacation one in your mid break, but I don't see the video on your channel.
Not released yet?
if you want a movie everyone misses try
ZULU 1964 introducing Michael Caine in a lead role.
Mary, come to Philly
"Were they afraid he was going to pull out a gun?" bless you sweet summer child
That was the exact comment I was going to make.
Yes? lol
Well, they were afraid he was going to pull out his weapon, yes.
Yes, his gun that he was born with.
Do you think it was a six shooter, or pump action.??🤔
Mel Brooks as a Yiddish-speaking Indian chief, is TOP tier comedy!
They keep calling him Hedi Lamarr. Hedi Lamarr was a Hollywood actress from the 1940s who was actually a genius. But people didn't believe that she was as brilliant as she was because she was so attractive. During WW2 she invented radio encryption. Her designs are still used in cell phones, missiles, satellites, and radio-controlled drones.
It was radio frequency hopping not encryption.
@@Cornyne And the difference between the two would be?
@@theylied1776 One is a mathematical technique and the other is a radio technique. They address different facets of communication. They can be used separately or together
@@MightyDrakeC You do understand that radio technique is done with math, right? What is the purpose of radio frequency hopping? Why was it necessary?
@theylied1776 Encryption is not tied to the medium. Calling frequency hopping "encryption" is a big stretch of the term. After all, frequency hopping *is* the medium. And, saying that frequency hopping uses mathematics is another stretching of terms.
Other uses of frequency hopping is to defeat tracking the source. Also, to deconflict signals. It's used in R/C planes, so that someone turning on a transmitter doesn't interfere with someone's plane that's already flying.
They really are two different concepts that are related in some circumstances.
And, the expertise she used was in radio technology, not cryptography
This is one of the greatest comedies ever and the perfect argument against racism. If this movie offends you, then you’re missing the point.👍
Who's saying the movie offends them?
@@nedzed3663
No one intelligent, that's who.
@@nedzed3663 There are a lot of people saying "You couldn't make this today because you'd offend someone"
these people leave out the fact that they'd be the ones offended
What by mocking white people ? The whole movie is just a subversive inside joke, made by those people who own Hollyweird
@MrGBH I am so glad I can enjoy stuff I watched as a kid (including this movie) completely unburdened by thoughts of random strangers who may or may not even exhibit hypothetically getting offended about it, maybe.
"She's a mood." -- This is probably the best description of Madeline Kahn I have ever heard, lol.
"Excuse me while I whip this out" was not a gun reference. 😅
It's Twoo! It's Twoo!
Well, actually it was kind of a gun reference, just not the type of gun she was thinking of right there.
@@SFOlson "They said you was hang" "And they were right"
@@foljs5858 Totaly hung
@@foljs5858a lot of reactors miss that subtle little (no pun intended)😅 joke!!
There are a few that ACTUALLY do catch it but the one that almost EVERYONE misses is when Bart and Jim get caught at the front of the line in the KKK outfits and Jim starts trying to rub the black off as, if it were Ash from burning crosses, and he turns over Bart's hand to the lighter Palm side and says "see it's coming off!"😅😅
To me absolutely one of the funniest lines in the entire movie!!!
😂😂😂❤❤
Randolph Scott was an actor, who appeared in over 100 Western films between 1928 and 1962. His name would have been recognized by the audience in 1973, but his star has faded since then, so no one recognizes his name today.
Even still, we should do it for Randolph Scott. All rise, please.
♫ Raaandolllph Scoooooott! ♫
Thank you.
@@0okamino and take you hat off son! that's Randolph Scott!
Same reason why most of today's reactors do not get the joke of, "...this is 1874. You'll be able to sue HER."
@@mcbeezee2120 Especially since she sued Warner Bros for this.
@@mcbeezee2120 Indeed.
It is a shame Hedy Lamarr is among the ever growing list of great people/things lost in the sands of time.
With the sad footnote of how the Hedy/Hedley bit in this movie causes endless confusion for new viewers.
Several years ago, Mel Brooks was asked if he could make Blazing Saddles in this day and age. Mel responded, "Hell, I couldn't make it then."
My apologies, I just made virtually the same comment lol
I love that the scene the studio was most concerned about and fought hardest against was the campfire farting scene.
Perfect response, really.
the "Laurel and Hardy handshake" is the most under rated joke in history.
Watching this movie almost 50 years and I never caught that.
Born in ‘68 here, and as a fan of all things slapstick growing up I was so aware of L&H that as a 14 year old first time viewer I finished the joke with the character in perfect timing. L&H were way before my time, but I thought people were still aware of them through the 70s and early 80s at least. Goes to show that not everyone is exposed to everything, even if they are from your own generation. I always expect this generation to totally miss that joke.
For the record, I didn’t then and don’t now really remember anyone talking about Randolph Scott before this movie, so I’m sure there are people from my own generation that can’t believe I missed that joke.
@BH6242KCh same here, I only picked it up a few years ago
None of the reactors have picked up on that.
Hearing "A laurel and hardy handshake" still makes me laugh, but my wife has never laughed at it which makes me laugh more... (cough) you know, for the two of us.
Jim and Bart have one of the greatest bromances in movie history - it's wonderful and genuinely touching. Them two riding off into the sunset in the end couldn't be more perfect.
This is the incredibly rare example of a comedy that TRULY gets better with age. The jokes, the pacing, the 4th wall breaking, everything feels like it could’ve come out today.
Richard Prior co-wrote the script the whole movie ridicules racism and racists
Incidentally, the first time flatulence had been put on film.
They actually raised the volume in that scene, so the farts could still be heard over the audience's laughter
Pryor.
Pryor was going to play the sheriff, but some studio executives said no.
@@samuraiwarriorsunite They couldn't get insurance on Pryor because he was high and drunk all the time, but he was able to write all of Mongos lines. It would have been a completely different movie if he was the sheriff. He was also offered a sitcom to play the son that he turned down because he was doing movies, so he told the studio to hand it to Red Foxx and have him play the father. Imagine if he had played Lamont Sanford. That would have hands down been the funniest sitcom ever produced.
@@richieb7692 First time I saw it on cable tv (80s) there was no sound during the entire camp farting scene. Still laughed when it ended with the sudden sound of Slim Pickins saying "I Think you've had enough"
Bart: Are we awake?
Jim: We're not sure. Are we... Black?
Bart: Yes, we are.
Jim: Then we're awake... but we're very puzzled.
One of my favorite bits of dialogue in the movie.
25:04 “No Irish? That’s a surprise.”
Not in 1874.
Obviously she knows very little about US history.
Yeah I'm Irish-American. My ancestors faced about equal racism to black and Chinese people. In fact, anything Catholic was a target for the Klan, since Klan members are exclusively Lutheran.
@@gazoontight To be fair, so do most Americans.
@@fs127 And to be even more fair, how much Australian history do you know?
@@paulcooper3611 We know it was started as a penal colony.
I LOVE that Madeline Khan got an Oscar nomination for this role!
"Mongo only pawn, in game of life." So very true.
And former NFL star Alex Karass
He was also the father in the TV show Webster.
Townsperson: "Mongo! Santa Maria!" Many don't know that there was a popular Cuban percussionist and bandleader named Mongo Santamaría who was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. Also, he composed the jazz standard Afro Blue made famous by John Coltrane.
Mongo wasn't the only pawn...
the american civil war was in the 1860s. the american civil rights moviement was in the 1960s so even 100 years later racism was still an issue. also hatred against the irish was a thing in america and england at the time to the point seeing "irish need not apply" on help wanted signs was a thing.
Cleavon Little is the actor who played sheriff Bart. he sadly passed away from Cancer in 1992.
Cleavon Little is the actor’s name. The Sheriff’s name is Bart.
@@Parallax-3D oopsie.
How Cleavon Little did not become an A-list superstar actor for decades is a damn shame. Brilliant actor with comedic chops. Hollywood missed out on that guy.
@@zh2184
Agreed.
"Mongo - Santa Maria!" is an homage to Latin jazz percussionist famous throughout the fifties and sixties, Mongo Santamaria. Lily Von Shtupp is a caricature of Marlene Dietrich, particularly when she straddles the chair onstage, just as she did in her breakout role as Loa Lola the cabaret singer in THE BLUE ANGEL (1930), also known for singing the WW2 hit song "Lily Marlene" (in German OR English - as it was famous on both sides), and for playing the title role in WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957), a Billy Wider film. Randolph Scott was an early film leading man in mostly Westerns.
I was 11 or 12 when Blazing Saddles came out and it was rated R so I talked my poor mom into taking me to see it. One of my most wonderful life-long memories is of the two of us laughing our butts off together in the theater. After this we went to see all the Mel Brooks movies of the 1970s together. Mel Brooks is Jewish and served in the US Army during WWII, so he knows very well the effect prejudice has upon the world. So, as you noted, he made not only a parody of Westerns, but also a great parody of racism. In later years, whenever he was interviewed the interviewer would always note that he couldn't make that movie today and Mel would reply, "We couldn't make it then!" When studio executives screened the film they were going to cancel the release entirely. Brooks arranged a second screening where studio employees were invited and they all laughed so much that executives agreed to a very limited release. It was so popular they widened the release a little, over and over until it was released everywhere. For additional Mel Brooks movies I recommend The Producers (the 1960s version), Young Frankenstein, and History of the World, Part 1.
What? Someone actually used the word "effect" and not "impact" in this day and age? And used it properly? What's the world coming to?
This classic comedy still packs a punch after 50 years and deserves to be appreciated for the gem it is. One of Mel Brooks all time best films.
Jim: Oh no, don't do that - If you shoot him, you'll just make him mad.
Mary is the first reactor I've seen who wasn't suspicious of the pie the old lady brought Bart to apologize and thank him. I know a lot of people are shocked by the comedy in this film but it's a kind-hearted movie. Also, Richard Pryor, a black comedian was one of the three writers of the script. In fact Pryor and Wilder would star in multiple films together like "Stir Crazy" (1980) and "See No Evil Hear No, Evil" (1989).
No, the townspeople did not think he was going to whip out a gun.
I think Mary took the movie to seriously, the entire movie was a joke to show racism. The racists are portrayed as fools.
That song in the opening is a classic by Cole Porter. And, yes, those are the actual lyrics. They start on the 2nd verse. "I Get a Kick Out of You" debuted in the 1934 Broadway musical "Anything Goes." Fitting because Cleavon Little was a renowned Broadway star with a Tony Award to his credit when he made this movie. He did some TV and movies, but his thing was really the stage. Great voice.
'Someone's gotta go back and get a shi*tload of dimes!!' Kills me every time. LOL!
“It’s a western so it’s gotta be after the civil rights movement”… 🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣
The film was made after the Civil Rights Movement, so she's wondering about all the
"N" word usage, I get her shock
That was extremely embarrassing.
OMG these kids today...
She meant the Civil War, I think.
@@happydaysarehereagain-g1lWe can only hope
Some quick trivia: The scene when they where eating beans at the campfire, that was the first fart joke in a major movie.
I’m still laughing that Mary noticed the popcorn that Gene Wilder was eating. Mary is a well known Popcorn junkie.
But didn't figure out that he brought it on set from the movie theater they were just at.
Dear God it's a comedy, not a documentary.
Most all of the Johnsons have names that come from history or pop culture: Howard Johnson - restaurateur, Van Johnson - American actor, Samuel Johnson - English writer, and so on. The western street was in the heart of the Warner Brothers lot but was demolished by the 1980s as westerns had gone out of fashion. The space is now occupied by parking lots and production buildings. ( And Hedy Lamarr was a popular leading lady in 1940s films, while Randolph Scott starred in many westerns.)
True. For someone my age it is understood that Randolph Scott was what John Wayne wanted to be when he grew up.
This one's a classic, Mary. So glad you enjoyed it!
Mel Brooks was indeed the governor. In case you didn't notice, he was also the Native American chief in Bart's flashback. Part of the joke in that scene was that he was speaking Yiddish!
And Jim (aka the Waco Kid) wasn't a prisoner. He was just so badly drunk that he was put in the cell to dry out. That's why Bart was so kind and hospitable to him -- Jim hadn't actually done anything wrong.
"He said the Sheriff is near!" Yes... yes, that's exactly what he said LOL
I'm not surprised that a lot of references got past you. For an audience that saw it when it came out, they were more likely to resonate.
- Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress of the 30s, 40s, and 50s who left Germany for America to evade the Nazis. She helped invent a frequency-hopping technology that's used in cell phones. She did threaten to sue over her name's use in Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks told the studio to settle. It was good publicity for the film.
- Lily von Shtupp was based on Marlene Dietrich, specifically her role in a film called Destry Rides Again
- Mel Brooks played the governor (do a Google search on his character's name), the Native American chief and one of Lily's backup dancers. As the chief he speaks Yiddish. That's a joke based around a theory that Native Americans were really one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, which I learned from a throwaway like from the movie Cat Ballou.
- Randolph Scott was a Western movie hero from the 20s through the 60s. Yeah, I didn't know who he was until this movie.
- The actor who said "We don't want the Irish" had fun with that line, since he himself was of Irish descent. Funnier when you know that.
- Burton Gilliam who played Taggert's assistant Lyle had a lot of trouble using the N word. Cleavon Little had to take him aside and tell him it was his character who was racist. He didn't have a problem with Gilliam and neither would the audience.
- The film almost went unreleased. They did a test screening for studio execs, who didn't laugh. Fortunately, Mel Brooks got them to do a second test screening with studio employees. They laughed their butts off, and that was enough to get the studio to release the film.
Thanks for posting these facts! Also I'm 56 years old & didn't know who Randolph Scott was until the 2000's when I saw that he did a lot of western themed movies.
A lot of young people don't know that cell phones were military technology going back to the 1940s.
The smile after the moron line wasn’t supposed to happen. It was Cleavon Little breaking character.
The moron line wasn't supposed to happen either. It was adlibbed and it took Cleavon Little by surprise.
The "Candygram for Mongo" scene always has me ROFL! Glad you finally got to this classic! 😂😂😂
You should look up Hedy Lamarr, she was a truly amazing woman.
Her last acting role was in the comedy "Airplane!"
@@LegoTux When? She's not credited in imdb and I can't find info on it with multiple google searches. I've watched that movie a hundred times and, unless I didn't recognizer her, don't remember seeing her.
Her life would make a grand movie by itself but, her true story is too amazing to be plausible in a movie.
@platinumspider7859 My mistake, confused her with Ethel Merman.
@@LegoTux Oh, now THAT I remember. "You'll be swell! You'll be GREAT! You'll have the whole world on a plate!"
One of the greatest comedies of all time and Clevon Little was absolutely perfect as Sheriff Bart.
In that time in America, bigotry against the Irish, particularly the Scots Irish, was very strong.
The language that the Native Americans were speaking and that scene was actually not a native language. It's Yiddish (Mel is Jewish and makes references to that all the time). I don't speak it, but I do speak German, and they sound close. Here's what I gather when I hear it (loosely translated.
"Blacks! No no, don't be crazy. Let them go! Go ahead, it's alright. Have you ever seen in your life? They darker than us!"
You left out the WOOF!
Yes and with that Mel made another hit at the Wholesome Western genre as Native Americans usually were played by Jewish or Indian actors.
@@lemmyspeaksIs that “harrumph” in Yiddish?
Lily von Schtupp. Not sure if it's similar in German, but to get schtupped means to get laid in Yiddish.
I was actually surprised that the version Mary was watching didn't translate. Every time I've seen this movie there have been subtitles over that scene.
"Why would anyone want this man to be President?"
Damn, that still resonates.
Yeah, except this time it was a women.
@DaleMcClaneUSA no, it wasn't.
Indeed.
@@DaleMcClaneUSA
"Yeah, except this time it was a women."
donald trump is a woman, now? Also, learn how to spell "woman". But then, I guess that explains why you voted for trump.
I'd love to know how many countries would elect someone guilty of defrauding charities, it wouldn't be many as a guess
1. Quick history: US Civil War & End of slavery 1860s, Wild West 1870s-1890s, US Civil Rights movement 1960s
2. Heady Lamar was a famous actress (and inventor)
3. Madeline is doing an impression of Marlene Dietrich’s character in an old western
*Hedy Lamar
Madeline Kahn's character is a comic caricature of Marlene Dietrich, who sometimes did not fully sound her r's. There is a classic Saturday Night Live sketch in which Gilda Radner, doing her famous caricature of Barbara Walters, interviews Madeline Kahn as Marlene Dietrich, and neither can understand the other because neither can pronounce an "r" sound. At the end of the sketch, the Barbara Walters character (known as Baba Wawa) announces that her next interview will be with Elmer Fudd, another character well known for the same speech difficulty.
Harvey Corman was a comic genius
Tim Conway could always get him to break character, those two were great.
"Excuse me while i whip this out" gets me every time 😂😂😂
Yeah, who the hell says that in public?? 🤣
For me its the casual 'Hey where the white women at?!' to lure in the klansmen. Absolutely creases me up every time.
Hedy Lamar was a famous actress in the 1930's and '40's. So the Hedley Lamar reference/joke throughout the movie was a play on the similarities of their names
She also helped to invent the spread spectrum frequency hopping technology that we still use today.
She wasn’t just an actress, she was brilliant mind who developed the frequency hopping technology that is fundamental in modern Wi-fi.
@@MikeLau-d8l This is true, but the references in the movie were probably playing more to the fact that she was a movie star rather than her being a genius.
She is someone who really needs a good biopic made of her time during the war, her struggle to get people to take her seriously and how her ideas shaped the war and the future we take for granted today.
@@larrybremer4930 Agreed
I always loved Madeline Kahn in anything she did!
In a later interview with Mel Brooks, the interviewer mentioned that "You Couldn't make this film today..."
Mel replied..." We couldn't make it back then either... But we did anyway.."
The " You can Sue Her" line was there because Hedy Lamarr actually sued the production company because they used her name...
When Mel heard, he immediately said, "Pay her what she wants..!!"
She donated the money to children's charities
My favorite response to the whole "You couldn't make Blazing Saddles today!" is someone who said "Well, no, it'd probably take much longer."
Maybe you didn't recognize him but the guy who said, "By gum!" and "We don't want the Irish!" was David Huddleston, who played the other Jeffrey Lebowski (the wealthy one) in The Big Lebowski.
Mary, I appreciated that you left in the bit where Harvey Korman says he's risking an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. It's funny, as you reacted as such, plus is accurate. He was hilarious in this film but he never got the appreciation for his brilliance from the Academy. I believe he did get 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work on the Carol Burnett Show though.
Mary, congratulations. You are the first person to react to the "pulling my lariat" joke. I'm impressed!...😂😅😊
Mel Brooks named the character "Mongo" just so he could have another character shout "Mongo! Santa Maria!", which was a reference to the legendary jazz percussionist Mongo Santamaria.
Fun Fact: Randalf Scott was a super star (1928-1962) he was the lead actor in 108 films! including many westerns.
15:32 when you started saying "beans beans the magical fruit" I busted out laughing knowing what was coming.
"They don't have to act that way."
Me: Yes they do, it's in the script.😂
No one ever gets the Mongo Santmaria joke... Mongo Santamaria was a Cuban percussionist / bandleader
You're right, I never noticed that! Thanks!!
Mongo was played by Alex Karras, a famous American football player.
The sheriff was played by Cleavon Little, among the most talented comics of the '60s. Mel Brooks had to fight to cast him; the studio execs thought he was too controversial.
Young Frankenstein would be a good choice since you enjoyed Lilly in this. That way you will get her and Gene at the same time again.
The Producers is even funnier. It even has Gene as well.
This blog even fazed out the Secretary Cleavage
This was a comedy not a documentary on history.
There are a lot of jokes in this movie that young people will not understand. If you do get them the movie is even funnier.
And references to then current or earlier actors and musicians.
@@Thane36425 And famous Western movie scenes and tropes that are being set-up.
"Wide Wide World of Sports" was a sports program in the 1960' or 70' .
This movie - and the movie Airplane! - each deserves their own course that deconstructs each joke and what made it funny.
Mel Brooks didn't only play The Governor, he was also the Native American Chief in Bart's flashback, he cameod as a biker in the line for the many outlaws and criminals for Lamarr's army and he voiced for the lead german soilder in the climax of Lili Von Schtup's number and the cowboy who tried to charm her only to get her knee in his groin.
The "no Irish" bit, actually was historically a thing in the US at one time. There use to be a saying, "NINA", "No Irish Need Apply". I mean, they were probably just barely better off than Black or Asian people, but not by much, and it kind of depended on where and when. Basically, we have a heritage of dehumanizing and degrading whomever is the most convenient influx of immigrants to demonize and blame everything on, as well as to exploit for cheap labor, at any given time. I don't think we're necessarily unique in that way. It is a pretty universal thing that happens everywhere, but seeing as we tend to have more diversity and opportunity to do so, it is a long held American tradition. Irish, Polish, whomever.
It's a more generic "no immigrants" thing. When the Irish were the predominant group immigrating to the US, there was significant bias against the Irish. Because of this the Irish pretty much had to make do however they could...which included lots of crime.
But then the Italians started showing up and the Irish immigrants and their second-generation kids were much more "American" by contrast, So the Irish started being mainstreamed into American culture as, among other things, police, while the Italians took over the position previously held by the Irish as...criminals.
In case nobody else pointed it out, that scene where Gene Wilder says "morons" and the sheriff laughs, that's because it wasn't scripted. Gene Wilder just tossed in "morons" unexpectedly and it caught Clevon off guard.
Randolph Scott was a very famous actor in Western movies during the Golden Age of film.
“Where the white women at?”
An absolute masterclass in satire
Also used in the movie "Animal House" I believe.
One of the best lines, imo.
The high-pitch voice was bc he was holding his breath after taking a hit
Yeah, it was not tobacco
You absolutely NEED to watch THE PRODUCERS (1967) now. This was Mel Brooks’s directing debut and Gene Wilder’s breakout role.
“‘Scuse me while I whip this out”. “AHHhhhh!!!” No they didn’t think he was talking about whipping out a gun but something else down there lol
Actually, the joke with Hedley Lamarr at the cafeteria was that he hit his own face with a pie so nobody else would hit HIM.
Idk if she's ready lol
"I raise this laurel, and a hearty handshake, to our new town ..."
This movie was made during a decade, the 70s, when people were not as easily offended as many are today. This "thick skin" extended into the 80s and early 90s. Many of the most iconic TV shows and movies were made during these decades.
23:32 That reference is lost to newer audiences, it's a humorous mention to actor Randolph Scott, he was famous at the time for making a lot of Western movies.
Lyle (the guy singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot) was the Colt Peacemaker salesman in Back to the Future 3 and the town drunk was one of the main police officers in the first Rambo movie First Blood... Hedy Lamarr was an actress during the early days of Hollywood, she also helped to invent technology that would become the internet ("Mother Of Wi-Fi")
If you'd like some older classic comedies, I recommend:
"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" 1948, "Harvey" 1950", "No Time For Sergeants" 1958, "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" 1962, Father Goose" 1964, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" 1963, "The Great Race" 1965
7:08 The "town homeless person" is the exact stereotype of an gold miner. Much like the WB cartoon character, Yosemite Sam.
I see the map hasn't been hung yet. LOL. The orchestra in the desert is none other than Count Bassey. " Mongo is only pawn in great game of life" always cracks me up.
Count Basie, and is pronounced 'BAY-see.'
I remember hearing about Gene Wilder's passing away and immediately putting on this film. I am not too proud to admit I cried at the end when he says his final lines:
"Where you headed, cowboy?"
"Nowhere special."
"'Nowhere Special.' I always wanted to go there..."
RIP Gene, thanks for all the smiles.
This movie broke down barriers and to this day is so god-damn-funny! I miss those days where you could laugh about anything and nobody would bat an eye ^^
Mongo was played by Alex Karras, a famous professional football player of that era.
with a grand-nephew currently playing for the Cincinnati Bengals
Alex Karras played for the Detroit Lions. Sadly he died in 2012 from CTE, the brain injury that has plagued a number of NFL players.
Referencing the date of when this movie is set is missing the point. Gucci saddle bags - The Count Basie Orchestra playing in the middle of the desert - Mel Brooks as an Indian chief that speaks Yiddish. There isn't a time frame for this movie. Yes it's in the old west but they pull away in a limo at the end. It's almost like you're apologizing for showing a movie with racial slurs when an apology is not necessary. Sometimes to comment on racism a movie maker has to use the bad side to shine a light.
Lyle, (red shirt henchman), is played by Burton Gilliam. He resides in the Dallas area, and STILL does appearances as Lyle! He even did commercials for a local car dealership, for several years.
there was a tourist that got into the way when they were running out of the studio rather than re-shoot they paid him and had him sigh a waver, Randolph Scott was famous western movie star from 1928 to 1962.
“Since they can’t screw!” Bless you sweet summer child
Mary, ironic side note: Gene Wilder was in a movie around the time this one was done called ‘the Frisco Kid’ - I remember it was pretty decent for a western. The only reason I remember that one was because Harrison Ford was in it - of Star Wars’ Han Solo fame.
10:34. Everyone loves the suit. But they never connect it to the man and horse being hung earlier.
I missed it too
I've seen the film about ten times and I never noticed that!
This movie was co written by Richard Pryor and he was originally set to star but he went to rehab so they cast Cleavon Little.
Sheriff Bart and Snake Plissken, the two coolest characters ever written for the big screen, thanks Mary!
35:00 - Don't forget Mongo! He was nice to the Sheriff as well.
Once he forgot that he was supposed to kill him, he was fairly nice...
Seriously?
Thanks! I saw this movie when it aired on network tv back in the 1970's. I was way too young to watch it & got into trouble for repeating some of those lines.
Also it seems like a lot people don't know that you're not from the United States?
"they said you was hung"
"and they was right"
😂
That's what they thought he was going to whip out, and why the women started screaming and fainting.
Cleavon Little wasn't supposed to play Sheriff, but he nailed the part.
Also when bart gets reunited with his railroad friends, that was filmed at Vasquez rocks. That's about 40 miles or 60km north of Los Angles CA. I know all film locations of this movie.
A few years ago at work, the Facilities department build a doorframe with a door in the middle of an open office. Then waited a couple of weeks before building the wall that the door was to be a part of. As a result, this door stood their on its own and you could simply walk around the frame. They even went so far as to shut the door. I referred to it as the toll booth in Blazing Saddles. Showed who had seen this film and who hadn't.
Phenomenal tonal balance with fourth wall breaks. The fact that the late Madeline Kahn got an Oscar nomination for this is insane (lost to Ingrid Bergman for MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (this was Ingrid’s 3rd win))!
The real irony of the the shoots guns in the air is that, contrary to what Hollywood portrays, most western frontier towns actually had laws that you weren’t allowed to bring guns into town limits.
One of my favorite stories about the production of this movie is that Mel Brooks didn't tell the singer of the theme song what the movie was about, so he would sing it with conviction.
Frankie Laine sang the theme song of the Western Rawhide.
One of my favorites of the Mel Brooks films. It's hilarious, has a great message, and very memorable characters. Apparantly, Mel wanted Richard Pryor to play the role of Sheriff Bart originally, but his drug problem at the time made him hard to insure, so instead he cast Broadway star Cleavon Little, who worked out great as youve seen.
BTW if you've never seen "High Anxiety," that's Mel's spoof of Alfred Hitchcock films. Another classic!
You should do "History of the World Part I" now