Blazing Saddles
First screened in November 2006 / Most recently screened in June 2016
Director: Mel Brooks. Cast: Cleavon Little, Harvey Korman, Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn, Alex Karras, Burton Gilliam, Charles McGregor, David Huddleston, Liam Dunn, John Hillerman, Jack Starrett, Carol Arthur, George Furth, Richard Collier, Robyn Hilton, Dom DeLuise, Count Basie. Screenplay: Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger (based on a screen story by Andrew Bergman).

Twitter Capsule: Earns plenty of chuckles and a few guffaws. Too bad its momentum tends to drag. Little could shine a bit more.

VOR:   Not every risk pays off, but the humor is pretty ballsy here even when it's silly, tweaking vaudeville style to accommodate Jewish humor and race-based critique. An uneven landmark.



Photo © 1974 Warner Bros. Pictures/Crossbow Productions

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B

(in November 2006: C+)


Academy Award Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress: Madeline Kahn
Best Film Editing: John C. Howard and Danford B. Greene
Best Original Song: "Blazing Saddles"

Other Awards:
Writers Guild of America: Best Original Screenplay (Comedy)

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