More comedy gold from Mel Brooks, with writing help from none other than Richard Pryor.Railroad construction runs into quicksand and has to be re-routed through the town of Rock Ridge. State Attorney General Hedy (That's HEDLEY!) Lamarr schemes to get his hands on the now priceless real estate by using hired thugs to kill the sheriff and terrify the locals into leaving— while appointing a black man named Bart (awaiting sentence to death for striking a white man) as the new sheriff, a move calculated to result in him being killed by the racist townspeople, driving said racist townspeople to leave in disgust, and leaving the town defenseless. As they say, Hilarity Ensues (but for real this time).Completely, offensively, and unapologetically politically incorrect, this movie skewers just about every western trope listed on this site as well as others we haven't thought of yet.
Also visible repeatedly giving Nazi salutes in the background of the Great Pie Fight, as well as being obliquely referenced during the swearing in scene:
Hedley: RIGHT hands!
Just before Lili von Schtupp is introduced, you hear a few notes from "Springtime for Hitler".
Bart: "As I am your host and you are my guest, what do you like to do?"
Jim: "Oh, I dunno... Play chess... Screw..."
Bart: "Let's play chess!"
Hedley. Sure, he fawns over Lili but acts very homoerotically toward Le Petomane, doesn't mind getting accidentally groped in the bath and in one scene appears to sodomize a figurine of Justice. Plus he's camp as hell.
Seems more like just groping.
One of the cowboys, after fighting one of the male dancers into the tunnel under the stairs in the "French Mistake" set, comes out the other side of the tunnel with his arm around him.
Which is also a bit of a Mythology Gag considering the side Methodists took over the Slavery issue.
Also possibly Shown Their Work, as not many people know that Methodist ministers were among the few Old West clergy who would provide religious counseling to criminals, however disreputable.
As Long as It Sounds Foreign: Parodied with the Indian chief, played by Mel Brooks, speaking Yiddish. Averted when Lili Von Shtupp and Bart are speaking German to each other.
This is also a nod to 1.) the tendency of dirty white (e.g., Greek, Jewish, Armenian) actors playing Indians to use their native languages, as did many actual Indians (usually of the wrong tribe), and 2.) the Mormon idea that the American Indians were descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel.
Bilingual Bonus: On the movie poster (pictured above), the Indian chief played by Mel Brooks has "Kosher for Passover" written in Hebrew on his headdress.
Attack Pattern Alpha: "We're gonna whip up a Number 6 on 'em!", which basically boils down to "Ride into town, whomping and woomping every living thing, except the women folk." They rape the shit out of them at the subsequent Number 6 dance.
We later learn that things didn't go exactly according to plan:
Reverend: I don't have to tell you people what has been happening to our beloved town: Sheriff murdered, crops burned, stores looted, women stampeded, and cattleraped.
Bait and Switch: "Excuse me while I whip this out." (Bart proceeds to reach for a speech letter in his pocket, while the townsfolk gasp and cower in fear, thinking he's going to whip something else out instead.)
Bar Brawl / Bar Slide: During the battle in the Warner Bros. commissary, one cowboy slid down the buffet counter.
Batman Gambit: Hedley tries to exploit the fear and racism of the townsfolk of Rock Ridge by sending them a black sheriff, and it almost works. (The only reason why it doesn't work is that "They are so dumb!")
Beam Me Up, Scotty!: "We don't need no stinking badges!" was actually in this movie. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre had the longer "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"
Subverted in the full version of that scene, which was considered too raunchy and cut. Bart was going to reply "Pardon me, but you're sucking on my elbow."
Booby Trap: The fake town of Rock Ridge filled with explosives as a trap for Hedley Lamarr's army.
Bowdlerise: Racial slurs + profanity = a lot of changes when it's shown on TV.
This nearly happened to the theatrical release, see Executive Meddling below.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: At least 8 examples (9 if you count the end fight scene, where they break through the wall of the studio and continue the fight across several sets, culminating in Hedley Lamarr fleeing to Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and dying next to Douglas Fairbanks's footprints.).
It's pretty fair to say that in this movie, the fourth wall is near non-existent.
Cameo: Mel Brooks, in the line of outlaws waiting to join Hedley Lamarr's army. He's either a biker or a WWI airplane pilot. He also appears as the Yiddish-speaking Indian Chief, AND Governor William J. LePetomane.
Count Basie's Orchestra shows up in one scene.
Camp Gay: the dancers in "The French Mistake" rehearsal.
Cecil B. DeMille: The Waco Kid says, "I must have killed more men than Cecil B. DeMille."
Taggart saying "I'm working for Mel Brooks!" (writer/director), who also appears in the movie.
Hedley Lamarr, Sheriff Bart and the Waco Kid attending a premiere of the movie Blazing Saddles.
The famous Running Gag regarding Hedley Lamarr's name is lampshaded by the governor when he points out that it's 1874, meaning that "You'll be able to sue her!"
Made even funnier by the fact that she did in fact sue Brooks.
They paid her off, too.
In Hedley's speech to the mob he hired.
"Now you men will only be risking your lives, whilst I will be risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor."
Curse Cut Short: Played straight with the page quote. Subverted with the governor; apparently "Don't you know that man is a ni-" is actually what he intended to say.
The Waco Kid:What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"? You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.
In nature, quicksand is only found in areas with a great deal of water, not extremely dry desert-like conditions as in the movie. Of course, the Rule of Funny supersedes this.
It is, however, a surprisingly accurate depiction of the effects of quicksand.
And on the note delivered to Bart, she asks to meet him in her "dwessing woom". As Bart reads it aloud as this, it's entirely possible she spelled it this way.
Enforced Method Acting: Clevon Little was not warned about the "you know... morons" line. The reaction was real.
Even Evil Has Standards: Hedley may be an evil, corrupt, heartless man who hires scum of the earth. But he has no tolerance when a robber comes to sign up, whilst chewing gum, and did not bring enough for everybody.
The Waco Kid: "Boy, is he strict!"
Everyone Is Related: All of the inhabitants of Rock Ridge have the last name Johnson.
Lampshaded, as the ice cream parlor advertises that it has one flavor.
Evil Laugh: Hedley Lamarr, when he comes up with the idea of sending a black sheriff to Rock Ridge.
Subverted a little when he chokes on the hard candy he's been sucking on.
Executive Meddling: They tried, but since Mel's contract said that he had the final cut on the film, he sat through the meeting, taking careful notes of all the changes that they wanted to make, and then when the meeting was over he tossed his notes in the garbage.
Fighting For A Homeland: All the railroad workers want in return for fighting is a piece of land to homestead.
Follow the Leader: According to film critic Dave Kehr, this was the first major motion picture to include a fart joke. That fact, assuming it's true, makes it the most influential comic film of all time.
Genre Killer: It was a long time after the release of this film before another serious Western was made.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: Despite the foul language there's one that during the time it was made that would push the movie over the line, and they sneak it in anyway. During "The Great Pie Fight" at the film's climax Hedy (that's HEDLEY!) Lamarr exits the men's room and clearly mouths "What the fuck?" There's also the surname Shtupp, which is Yiddish for "fuck."
Insurmountable Waist-Height Fence: The villagers of Rock Ridge hold off Hedy's men... by installing a tollbooth. "Somebody's gotta go back and get a shitload of dimes!" To make it even more absurd, the booth is set up in the middle of THE DESERT. If they'd move 5 feet to the left or right they could just go around.
Large Ham: Mel Brooks, of course, with a serious contender in Harvey Korman as Hedy (Hedley!).
He's only risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, after all.
And then there's Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Schtupp... hammy enough to actually be nominated as Best Supporting Actress.
Literal Ass Kicking: After getting burned out on quick draw duels, this is what drives The Waco Kid to be an alcoholic after a run-in with an over enthusiastic little kid:
Lucky Translation: In Norwegian, "mongo" is a common slang expression which basically means the same thing as "retard". Not only does that sort of fit with Mongo's mental level, but it also fits with the politically incorrect tone of this movie.
Definitely a cross-language deal. Mongo's nickname surely comes from "Mongoloid," which is an outdated medical term for the developmentally disabled.
Magnetic Hero: Bart manages to get Mongo and Lily on his side through friendship and sex, respectively.
N-Word Privileges: No way anyone but Mel Brooks could have gotten away with half of the jokes in this movie.
It helped having Richard Pryor on board as co-writer. But Mel Brooks has confirmed that most of the n-word jokes came from himself and Richard Pryor was largely responsible for the character of Mongo.
The Other Darrin: Bart is played by Cleavon Little in the film and by Louis Gossett, Jr. in the failed TV pilot.
Pass Fail: The "one-drop rule" is inverted for laughs near the beginning of the film:
Bart (to Lyle): Sir, ah, he specifically requested two 'nig-gers'... well, to tell a family secret, my grandmother was Dutch!
Pie in the Face: the "Great Pie Fight" near the end. No-one is spared. Even when Lamarr sees the chaos while leaving the men's room, he heads back inside, but manages to get pied anyway while there.
Didn't he do it on purpose, as a camouflage?
Planet of Steves: All of the inhabitants of Rock Ridge have the last name Johnson.
Plunger Detonator: Sheriff Bart tries to use one to detonate the explosives in the fake Rock Ridge and blow up the villains, but it doesn't work. The Waco Kid has to set them off with a shot from his revolver.
Potty Dance: When Taggart gets an idea he gets excited and jumps around. Hedley Lamarr thinks he's doing one of these.
Proscenium Reveal: Zig-Zagged in the climax, where the action is somehow "real" even though it's shown to be happening on a Hollywood soundstage — and eventually most of the backlot — during the climactic Battle Royale With Cheese.
Road Sign Reversal: The re-edited-for-TV version includes a originally-cut scene like this, when Bart and the Waco Kid are being chased by the villains; the duo come to an arrow-sign mounted on a post, smack it so that it starts spinning in circles, and run on. The villains ride up, wait for the sign to finish spinning, and charge off in the indicated direction.
Smart People Play Chess: Played with when Bart and the Waco Kid play chess against each other. While neither man is particularly smart, they're geniuses compared to the other characters in the film.
Sniper Pistol: The Waco Kid manages to set off dynamite from a few hundred yards away, using a single shot from his revolver.
Bart: What's your name? Jim: Well, my name is Jim, but most people call me... Jim.
Left the Background Music On: The church congregation was revealed to have been singing "The Ballad of Rock Ridge," and then there's Count Basie and his orchestra.
Done more often in televised versions. For example, censoring out the word 'shit' from the final line of the Ballad of Rock Ridge by having the organist mangle a chord. Since it's pretty obvious what they were going to say, this actually makes the movie funnier.
Spit Take: The Waco Kid, after Sheriff Bart reads the note from Lili Von Shtupp.
Stealth Pun: One of the many Johnsons of Rock Ridge has the unfortunate first name of Anal.
Olson Johnson: What are we made of? Our fathers came across the prairies, fought Indians, fought drought, fought locusts, fought Dix. Remember when Richard Dix came in here and tried to take over this town?
The awful spin-off TV pilot Black Bart ran with that one, naturally.
Stop Helping Me!: At the film's climax, when the Waco Kid is trying to pull off an impossible shot, the priest starts (loudly) praying for God to guide him. Thankfully, the other residents of Rock Ridge shut him up by beating him with their hats.
Tap on the Head: Bart to Taggert with a shovel after being left to die in quicksand.
Taggart: I want you to send a wire to the main office, and tell them I said-" *CLANG!*O Wwww!
"Send wire, head office, tell them I said 'OW!' Gotcha!"
Title Theme Tune: Frankie Laine, who sings the song at the beginning of the movie, was told that it was a "Western dealing with racism". As detailed above, they neglected to mention that the film is a comedy. After he gave an amazing performance, Mel Brooks couldn't bring himself to tell him.
Also Brooks set out to get the theme sung by "a Frankie Laine type," thinking he couldn't afford the real thing. Thank goodness he was mistaken!
Trash the Set: At the very end of the movie, the cast trashes the fake Rock Ridge, the set of a musical, and the Warner Bros. commissary. And a tour group.
What A Drag: An unfortunate man during the first attack on the town.
Man: Well, that's the end of this suit...
What Could Have Been: Brooks wanted John Waynefor the role of Jim. Wayne rejected his offer because the script clashed with his family friendly screen persona, but he also found it to be hilarious and told Brooks he'd be "first in line" to see the movie.
Had Richard Pryor (who contributed to the script) not been coked out of his mind, he would have played Bart, as well as being a more reliable actor (Mel Brooks was told that Richard Pryor is unreliable and he found this out when he called one day that writing was supposed to get done saying that he was with a couple of girls in New Jersey) launching his frequent film partnership with Gene Wilder a couple years before Silver Streak.
While Wilder himself was a last-minute replacement for Gig Young, who turned up on the set too inebriated to act.
He was also a replacement for Dan Dailey who was originally considered for the role of the Waco Kid but poor health and declining eyesight forced him to decline, as well as a Hawaiian actor who got cold feet.
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