Characters / Blazing Saddles

Bart

Bart

"Keep the faith, brothers!"

Played by: Cleavon Little

• The Ace: Is the only one to take down Mongo, beats Lily von Schtupp at her own game, and defeats Hedy Lamarr.
  • That's Hedley!
• Batman Gambit: Bart is the scapegoat of one initiated by Hedley Lamarr, who is convinced that installing a black man as Sheriff of a town he is looking to destroy will incite the townspeople enough that they will abandon the town for him. That does not work out for him.
  • Sheriff Bart implements one of his own, with his plan to distract Lamarr's invading army with a faux town, so that Bart and Co. could more easily "wipe 'em out"!
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: He actually manages to convert Kahn's Lili Von Schtup to the good guys purely by impressing her with his penis. (According to a deleted line, it was actually his arm.)
• Black Is Bigger in Bed
  • Lili is seducing the new, black, sheriff. We hear this in the dark:
    Lili von Shtupp: Tell me, schatze, is it twue what they say about the way you people are... gifted?
    [sound of zipper opening]
    Lili von Shtupp: Oh, it's twue. It's twue. It's twue! it's twue!!
  • In the original script, this was followed by Sheriff Bart saying, "I hate to disappoint you ma'am, but you're sucking on my arm."
  • In another scene:
    Charlie: They said you was hung!^• Charlie means "hanged", the proper past tense of "to hang" in the sense of an execution.
    Bart: And they was right!^• Bart doesn't.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He was originally handed the job of Sheriff in order to disgust and offend the residents of Rock Ridge. Unfortunately for Hedley, Bart is far better at the job than he was expecting.
• But Now I Must Go: In classic Western fashion, Bart invokes this at the end of the film, suggesting that he must go and bring justice to other towns. Subverted when the townspeople call him out on it, and he confesses:
  "To tell the plain truth- it's getting pretty damn dull around here!"
• The Chosen Zero: He's a no-name black (in a time where being black was being seen as sub-human) railway worker deliberately pulled to sheriff duty to disgust the townsfolk into leaving. However, in a twist of fate, he's an extremely capable sheriff, much to the town's bewilderment (and then acceptance).
• Cunning Linguist: He speaks German, which comes in handy while seducing Lili von Schtupp.
• Double Entendre: "They said you was hung!" "And they was right!"
• Establishing Character Moment: He first appears as a railroad worker being verbally abused by the white bosses. When Lyle demands they sing a "nigger work song" Bart leads his friends in singing an a capella version of "I Get a Kick Out of You" before Lyle demands they sing "Camptown Ladies". Bart feigns ignorance of the song which leads to the bosses singing the song themselves and getting in trouble with Taggart for goofing off.
• Expy: Of Bugs Bunny, if Word of God is to believed.
• Flashback: Sheriff Bart's story about how his parents came out West in a covered wagon and dealt with hostile Indians.
• Good Old Fisticuffs: Bart is more than ready to engage in this with Hedley Lamarr at the climax. Unfortunately, Lamarr has no intention to fight fair...
• Guile Hero: Outsmarts and outgambits all of the villains and townsfolk. Indeed, if there is a person who could convincingly be a near-invincible Karmic Trickster hero like Bugs Bunny with the same wry confidence, it's Bart.
• Heroic BSoD: Suffers a mild (but darkly humorous) one when he tries to greet a sweet-looking old lady ("Up yours, nigger!").
• Honor Before Reason: If Bart has a weakness, it's occasionally letting his sense of outrage of justice override his common sense. At the very beginning of the film, when he and Charlie escape the pit of quicksand, he immediately goes to brain his white boss with a shovel for abandoning him to die, despite his friend pleading with him to desist, knowing there'd be dire consequences. And at the end of the film, Bart takes the despicable Hedly Lamarr at his word when he claims he's unarmed, opting to fight hand to hand- only to discover Lamarr was lying and nearly shoots Bart with a concealed Derringer.
• Hostage Situation: When the townspeople begin cocking guns in a threatening manner during Bart's inauguration speech as Sheriff, he defuses the situation by taking himself hostage, invoking both Uncle Tomfoolery and Scary Black Man behavior. Amazingly, it works.
  Bart: Oh, baby. You are so talented! *Beat* And they are so dumb!
• I Shall Taunt You: He says "Hey, Where da White Women At?" to distract some Klansmen in order to knock them out and steal their robes.
• Magnetic Hero: He's REALLY good at getting people to join his side.
• Only Sane Man: To an extent.
• Refuge in Audacity: Pretty much his M.O. The townspeople pull all their guns on him? He takes himself hostage. Mongo, a Nigh Invulnerable juggernaut, rolls into town? Tricks him with a candygram (That he invented) and blows him up. A whole army of thugs is coming to town to wipe everyone out? He builds and entire replica town to lure them into a trap.
• Sex God: Spoofed with a line that was deleted from the film.
  I hate to disappoint you ma'am, but you're sucking on my arm.
• The Sheriff: Which the other townsfolk aren't happy about at first.
• Smart People Play Chess: And, he's very good at it.
• Stealth Pun: This film's protagonist is a Black man named Bart ("Black Bart", traditionally the name of a Western's villain).
• The Stoner: While it's never stated whether what Bart was rolling was a cigarette or a reefer joint, the way Jim reacts to it when he takes a hit seems to imply the latter.
• Stop, or I Shoot Myself!: Bart puts himself into a Hostage Situation, causing the townsfolk who were about to lynch him to panic and plead for his safety.
• The Trickster: Like you wouldn't believe. Word of God compares him to Bugs Bunny (as Mongo can attest).
• Trouser Space:
  Bart: Excuse me while I whip this out.
  (reaches into waistline as crowd gasps and screams; Bart pulls out paper, they sigh with relief or disappointment)
• Where da White Women At?: He's the Trope Namer, saying this line to distract some Klansmen and knock them out to steal their robes. And then there's his one night stand with Lili von Schtupp.
• White Male Lead: Completely averted, as Bart is the lead.

Jim the Waco Kid

Jim The Waco Kid

"Well, my name is Jim, but most people call me... Jim."

Played by: Gene Wilder

Dubbed by: Francis Lax (European French)

• Addled Addict: He starts out with a bad case of the DT's, at least on one side, although he gets over it fairly quickly.
• The Alcoholic: One of his defining traits is his penchant to drink A LOT of booze.
• Ambiguously Gay: He might be:
  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: Well, let's play chess.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: He is, by far, the most soft-spoken character in the movie, but he's undoubtedly also the most dangerous with a gun.
• Blasting It Out of Their Hands: In a quite impressive feat.
• Character Tic: He licks his fingers then blows on them to signify he's about to do some gunslinging.
• Deadpan Snarker: He makes some of the best lines in the movie.
• Death Seeker:
  Bart: A man drinks like that and he don't eat, he is going to die.
  The Waco Kid: (appallingly hopeful) When?
• Fastest Gun in the West: He's a ludicrously extreme version. He can draw, fire six shots, and re-holster his gun before anyone else even draws. He can even take an object in front of him without seeming to move. His backstory also parodies the "unwanted attention from every two-bit thug with something to prove" aspect; Jim describes how he lost faith in everything when he was challenged by a six-year-old; disheartened, Jim dropped his guns and turned away... and "little bastard shot me in the ass!"
• The Gunslinger: And, a very good one.
• He's Back!: Once he shoots the guns out of Taggart, Lyle and their goons' hands, you know the Waco Kid is back.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: He shoots the guns out of the hands about ten Mooks in two seconds.
• The Lancer: He's Bart's sidekick and deputy.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Subverted. Jim's story about how he became an alcoholic teases that he accidentally shot a child assuming that he was another challenger. In reality, he didn't shoot the child, and the kid shot him in the ass!
• Nice Guy: Admittedly he's a bit confused by the fact that a black man is the new sheriff at first, but he quickly gets over it and becomes a loyal friend and deputy to Bart.
• Only Sane Man: He's moderately level-headed once he's sober.
• The Perils of Being the Best: He's essentially this trope being Played for Laughs instead of drama.
• Quick Draw: He pulls off shots without visibly drawing his revolvers. Not only does he draw and fire before we see him even move, he gets his guns back into their holsters as well.
• Retired Badass: Semi-retired. While he's not a gunfighter anymore, he serves as Bart's deputy.
• Retired Gunfighter: He has already retired and become a drunk when he's introduced, but sobers up and returns to his gunfighting ways as Bart's deputy
• Shot in the Ass: After being in a whole series of gunfights against a bunch of wannabe gunfighters, the Waco Kid hears a voice from behind him shout "Reach for it, mister!" and turns around with his guns drawn to see his challenger: a six year old with a set of revolvers. At this point Waco goes to throw down his guns and walk away, but the "little bastard shot me in the ass."
• Smart People Play Chess: One of his hobbies. Though, he's not as good as Bart.
• The Trope Kid: The Waco Kid.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: He tells Bart how he fell from fame, and it was because a kid came up to him for a draw-battle, but he refused to shoot a kid and left the scene. So the kid shot him in the butt and he's been in the bottle ever since.

Hedley Lamarr

Hedley Lamarr

"My mind is aglow with whirling transient nodes of thought, careening through a cosmic vapor of invention."

Played by: Harvey Korman

Dubbed by: Dominique Paturel (European French)

• Big Bad: His real estate scheme drives the plot.
• Blatant Lies: Lamarr tries to get a student discount even though he's clearly gray haired. Not only that, but he gets legitimately mad when called out on this.
• Born in the Theatre: He talks to himself while facing the camera in thinking up a plan. He then says to us "Why am I asking you?"
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He could be considered this as he has a fixation on always bathing with his toy frog and freaks out when he can't find it.

  Hedley: "Daddy love Froggy. Froggy love Daddy?"
  Froggy: *Squeek Squeek*

• Butt-Monkey: No-one ever gets his name right!
• Camp Straight: While he's rather flamboyant, he clearly lusts after Lili.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Tells all the bandits he recruits to pledge allegiance to him and the evil for which he stands.
• Character Catchphrase: "That's Hedley!"
• The Chessmaster: He masterminds all of the plots in the film.
• Corrupt Bureaucrat: He's State Attorney General, and he wants to drive out Rock Ridge's townsfolk so he can sell railroad land at a massive profit.
• Covert Pervert: And sometimes, not so covert.
• Dirty Coward: Prefers to run away rather that stay and fight. He flees right off the movie set. And even then, once he sees Bart closing in on him, he starts to run away again, and tries to cheat rather than face him in an honorable duel.
• Disproportionate Retribution: During the recruitment scene, he first shoots a recruit for chewing gum and not bringing enough for everybody. Then he shoots Taggart (in the foot) for using a stupid cliché.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Has several throughout the course of the film, a couple of these by virtue of someone else making a certain comment, or some random event occurring nearby. Taggart's stating that Lamarr "uses his tongue prettier than a $20 whore" inspires him to enlist Lily von Shtupp to seduce Sheriff Bart. And Lily's comment about Lamarr "needing to get an army to beat Bart" sparks Lamarr to do just that.
• Even Evil Has Standards: He 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!
• Evil Chancellor: To the governor.
• Evil Is Petty:
  • He murders a robber because he didn't bring enough gum for everyone else. Overlaps with Even Evil Has Standards though since he's at least looking out for the other goons in doing so, but it's still quite an overreaction.
  • Why exactly did he shoot Taggart in the foot? Because he advises for a cliché that Hedley hates.
  • After being called out on his see through attempt to get a student discount, Lamarr angrily mutters "pain in the ass" to himself as he pays up and walks away, as if the person merely doing their job is at fault for not falling for such Schmuck Bait.
• Evil Laugh: When he comes up with the idea of sending a black sheriff to Rock Ridge. It becomes an Un-Evil Laugh when he chokes on the hard candy he's been sucking on.
• Evil Plan: Hedley Lamarr seeks to purchase all the land of a small town by either sending goons to terrorize the locals or exploiting the locals' racism by sending them a black sheriff.
• Faux Affably Evil: Very well spoken and is able to play up himself as a fairly civil gentleman, but is ultimately a horribly greedy, corrupt, and petty individual. Worth noting that he only truly succeeds in affability around the governor, as he's quick to demean anyone lower than him as soon as something sets him off. And more often than not, something is setting him off.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: In getting Bart to become the new sheriff of Rock Ridge, he ended up creating his biggest obstacle to getting the town after Bart's heroics proved stronger than the villagers' prejudices.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: To the governor.
• I Surrender, Suckers: Resorts to this cheap tactic in the showdown outside the Chinese Theater.
• Jerkass: He's unliked and unlikeable, though not quite to the extent of a Hate Sink.
• Large Ham: BIG time.
• Pet the Dog: Actually soothes and comforts Taggart after he's startled by the bizarre hanging.
  Lamaar: It's alright, Taggart. Just a man and a horse being hung out there...
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Oddly, he doesn't show as much blatant bigotry as his henchmen, Mr. Taggart and Lyle. He doesn't show as much racism as the Innocent Bystanders that the black sheriff is protecting! When hiring outlaws the Big Bad advertises himself as an Equal Opportunity Employer and specifically mentions in his famous Long List that he wants criminals of many different races and backgrounds working for him. On the other hand, he doesn't hesitate to slap Lily around and insult her German ancestry when she does a High-Heel–Face Turn, and he disapproves of Taggert's plan to kill every first born child in Rock Ridge as it's "Too Jewish". Hedley is also in charge of appropriating land in Colorado from the local Indians, justifying this by claiming "they're such children."
  • Though even that could be chalked up to playing to his audience, the governor and his cabinet. Lamarr is pretty much in it for the money and power. And more than a few monsters in history gained both by taking advantage of other people's bigotries.
• Punny Name: A play on Hedy Lamarr.
• Purple Prose: He talks like this sometimes. For example, "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
  Taggart: Ditto!
• Sissy Villain: He's flamboyant and relies on his goons to handle all of the physical requirements of his schemes.
• Surrounded by Idiots: Although he does like Taggart's "Number Six" plan, he more often disparages Taggart's intelligence.
• Tempting Fate: Why did he have to mention risking an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor?
• Thinking Out Loud: Subverted when, alone in his office, he talks through his evil plan to hire a repellent sheriff to drive away the Rock Ridge residents. Toward the end of the speech, he turns to the camera wondering, "Where would I find such a man?" After a pause, he says, "Why am I asking you?"
• Un Evil Laugh: He makes the mistake of starting an Evil Laugh while sucking on a candy, and almost chokes on it before spitting it out.

Taggart

Taggart

"We'll make Rock Ridge think it's a chicken what got caught in a tractor's nuts!"

Played by: Slim Pickens

• Bait-and-Switch: He becomes very agitated and screams out for a rope when Bart and Charlie become trapped in quicksand. Turns out he wasn't all that interested in saving the lives of his workers...
  "Boy, that was lucky. Darn near lost a $400 handcart!"
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: This film pretty much burns down the fourth wall and scatters the resultant ashes, but Taggart's moment comes during the climactic brawl, when dance director Buddy Bizarre loudly objects to the intrusion upon his film. Taggart's response?
  "Piss on you! I'm workin' for MEL BROOKS!"
• Butt-Monkey: He's probably one of the most physically abused characters in the film.
• The Dragon: To Hedley Lamarr.
• Even Evil Has Standards: He's visibly skeeved out when his boss Lamarr erotically fondles the statue.
• Incoming Ham: "WHAT IN THE WIDE, WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS IS A-GOIN' ON HERE?"
• Jerkass: As if his blatant racism and numerous crimes weren't enough of a strike against him.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: When Bart and Charlie get trapped in quicksand, he screams for a rope. This initially makes it seem like he wants to help them despite his disdain for black people... but then it's revealed he just wanted to fish out the handcart they were operating.
• Large and in Charge: Answers directly to Hedley Lamarr himself, and is apparently second only to Mongo in overall size.
• Number Two for Brains: Quite dumb compared to his boss. The fact that his first major scene ends with him suffering a large blow to the head CANNOT help.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Of course all the bad guys (and the vast majority of ordinary citizenry) are at least a little racist, but Taggart sort of stands out from the rest. At the very beginning of the movie he calls his own men "Kansas City faggots", then later displays his callous disregard for the lives of two "niggers" sinking into quicksand, his subsequent pleading to Hedley Lamarr to "hang that uppity nigger by his neck til he wuz dead", and the scene nearing the end of the film where Taggart bemoans how men like him "took the time and trouble to wipe out every Indian in the West, only to have a sheriff elected who's blacker than any Indian!".
• Rape, Pillage, and Burn: He's the one who gives Hedley Lamaar the initial idea to drive the people of Rock Ridge out with a widespread, blitzkrieg assault on the town:
  Taggart: We'll work up a Number 6 on 'em.
  Hedley Lamarr: [frowns] "Number 6"? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one.
  Taggart: Well, that's where we go a-ridin' into town, a-whompin' and a-whumpin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the women folks, of course.
  Hedley Lamarr: You spare the women?
  Taggart: Naw, we rape the shit out of them at the Number Six Dance later on!
  Hedley Lamarr: Marvelous!
• Uncertain Doom: Mongo punches him so hard that he's sent flying headfirst into a cash register. It's unclear if he dies or merely loses consciousness, but it's the last we see of him.

Lili von Schtupp

Lili Von Schtupp

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome, come on in!"

Played by: Madeline Kahn

• Anti-Love Song: Lili's song, which is about how bored she is of sex and romance.
• The Chanteuse: Old West version. Though she's not actually that good a singer.
• Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: "It's twue, it's twue, it's twue!" Even carries over to her written words, somehow.
• Europeans Are Kinky: After sharing a whole night of passion with Bart, the morning finds she still hasn't had enough. And while Bart's no prude, when Lili whispers something in his ear, even he's taken aback.
• Femme Fatale: Initially, at least, but her seduction of Bart quickly ends up with her being the more seduced of them.
• Funetik Aksent: At one point, Sheriff Bart reads aloud a note from her asking him to "meet [her] in [her] Dwessing Woom," suggesting the note is written like that.
• Funny Foreigner: She has an exaggerated German accent on top of comical rhotacism.
• Groin Attack: Nails a big cowboy in the jewels when he climbs on the stage and tries to get fresh.
• Heel–Face Turn: After she has sex with Bart.
• Informed Ability: She isn't all that good a singer. Then again, men aren't necessarily paying to listen to her.
• Large Ham: And she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
• Meaningful Name: If you've heard anything about this movie, you'll know what "Schtupp" means in Yiddish.
• Ms. Fanservice: She seems to be physically appealing enough to draw crowds despite her poor singing ability, and she calls out an audience member holding his hat over his crotch during her number.
  Is that a ten-gallon hat, or are you just enjoying the show?
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: She's heavily based on Marlene Dietrich, particularly in her Western-movie role in Destry Rides Again. Later in the movie, she wears a Dietrich-esque masculine dress suit and hat as well.
• Offscreen Teleportation: She gets tied up in her room and interrogated by Lamarr. The next time we see her, she's with the rest of the Rock Ridge townspeople without any explanation.
• Really Gets Around: Her song and even her backstage interactions with Hedley and Bart suggest she's had more than her share of action.
• Sex–Face Turn: She pulls this after being surprised and overjoyed at how big Bart turns out to be. "It's twue, it's twue!"
• The Von Trope Family

Governor William J. Le Petomane

Governor William J. Le Petomane

"Gentlemen, this bill will be a huge step forward in the treatment of the insane gambler!"

Played by: Mel Brooks

• Antagonistic Governor: He isn't exactly antagonistic, but he is incompetent and an easy mark for State Attorney General Hedley Lamarr, who acts as his Evil Chancellor. Le Petomane's assigning of a black man as sheriff (under Hedley's suggestion, as part of his plan to clear the residents of Rock Ridge) is what sets the plot in motion.
• Blaming the Tools: When Lepetomane tries out paddle ball for the first time, he totally fails, calling the toy defective. Hedley Lamar picks up an identical paddle and does it perfectly.
• Cloudcuckoolander: A complete and total moron who is only interested in having sex with his secretary and playing with toys.
• Dirty Old Man: "Hello boys- have a good night's rest? I missed you!"
• The Ditz: And Hedley exploits this to the hilt.
• Large Ham: Well, it's Mel Brooks after all.
• Lovable Sex Maniac: Half of the time he's onscreen, he's trying to nail his secretary.
• Meaningful Name: Le Pétomane was a professional flatulist (i.e., farter) in turn-of-the-century France.
• Politically Incorrect Villain:
  • Again, villain is a stretch, but he still has no qualms about trading a box of paddleballs to Native Americans in exchange for their land.
  They'll never go for it— and then again they might. Little red devils, they love toys!
  • He also has his hangups over hiring Bart as the town's sheriff and only goes through with it because of how it benefits him. He even requests Lamarr make plans for Bart's inevitable funeral.
• Puppet King: Hedley's obviously the one who's really in charge.

Mongo

Mongo

"Mongo like candy!"

Played by: Alex Karras

• The Big Guy: With bigger muscles.
• Defeat Means Friendship: He takes a shine to Bart for being the only man to ever best him.

• The Dreaded: "Never mind that shit, here comes Mongo!"

• Dumb Muscle: Subverted, he might be brighter than he lets on.
• Gentle Giant: Once you become his friend, he's actually a pretty nice guy.
• Heel–Face Turn: After Bart takes him down.
• Hidden Depths: "Mongo only pawn in game of life."
• Horse of a Different Color: Befitting his hulking size, Mongo rides a white bull around instead of a horse.
• Hulk Speak: Always uses his name to refer to himself and often skips articles as part of his Dumb Muscle image.
• Humanoid Abomination: Jim implies this when asked by Bart who Mongo is.
  Bart: Who's Mongo?
  Jim: Well Mongo ain't exactly a who he's more of a what.
• I Fight for the Strongest Side!: After Sheriff Bart has defeated Mongo:
  Mongo stay with Sheriff Bart. Sheriff first man ever whip Mongo. Mongo impressed, have deep feelings for Sheriff Bart.
• Immune to Bullets: "If you shoot him, you'll just make him mad."
• Informed Ability: How tough he is. He's definitely strong, but Bart takes him out just a little too easily. Two cut scenes show Bart having to work a bit harder at subduing Mongo, including blasting him with a small cannon, and tricking him into climbing into a pool of water in an old diving suit, then stopping the air pump.
• Kick the Dog: He punches a horse in the face.
• Made of Iron: He took an explosion right in the face and only lost consciousness for a day or so. Plus Jim states he's able to take getting shot too.
• Megaton Punch: Decks a horse(!) with one early in the film. And later dispatches his old boss Taggart with one towards the film's climax.
• The Philosopher: Mongo of all characters is surprisingly philosophical. When asked what "where the choo-choo go?" has to do with Rock Ridge, he responds, "Don't know. Mongo only pawn in game of life."
• Schmuck Bait: Bart defeats him with a "Candygram!"
• Super-Strength: Knocks a horse cold with one punch. Squashes a dozen grown men behind a piano. And effortlessly breaks free of several chains upon waking from a nap.
• Sweet Tooth: "Mongo like candy." KABOOM!!
• Wrestler of Beasts: Mongo's Establishing Character Moment includes a scene in which a man on a horse approaches him and tells him he cannot park his bull in a certain place. Mongo responds by punching the man's horse, causing it to collapse with the man still on top of it.
• You No Take Candle: Mongo perfect example of trope.

Lyle

Lyle

"Come on, boys! The way you're lollygaggin' around here with them picks and them shovels, you'd think it was a hundert an' twenty degrees. Can't be more than a hundert an' fourteen!"

Played by: Burton Gilliam

• Clint Squint: Lyle. This is character actor Burton Gilliam's trademark look due to his narrow eyes.
• Exact Words:
  Taggart: Send a wire to the main office and tell them I said [Bart brains Taggart with a shovel] Ow!
  Lyle: [writing] "Send wire.. main office.. tell them I said 'ow'." Gotcha!
• Kick the Dog: When a Chinese rail worker passes out from heat exhaustion, he tells a subordinate to dock "that chink" for "napping on the job".
• Politically Incorrect Villain: He and Taggart, his immediate superior, share this charming trait. He calls the Chinese workers under his supervision "chinks", dispenses "the n-word" like it's candy, and has no problem gunning Sheriff Bart down in cold blood just to make his racist boss feel better.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Strangely, the number three bad guy just disappears right before the big showdown. Perhaps he was blown up in the initial explosion of the fake Rock Ridge?

Charlie

Charlie

"They're gonna leave us here to die!"

Played by: Charles McGregor

• Best Friend: To Bart, at least until Jim comes into the story.

Olson Johnson

Olson Johnson

"Oh, blow it out your ass, Howard!"

Played by: David Huddleston

• Deadpan Snarker: Perpetually armed with a sardonic comment or two. Howard Johnson seems to be his most frequent target.
  "Oh, blow it out your ass, Howard!"
• Everyone Has Standards: When most of the town rejects Sheriff Bart's plan to enlist the ethnically diverse railroad workers to help build the fake Rock Ridge (in exchange for a plot of land for homesteading), he agrees to Bart's terms, but (initially) he'll only go so far...

  ''"All right- we'll give some land to the niggers and the chinks- but we DON'T WANT THE IRISH!!!"

• Funny Background Event: Watch him at the very beginning of the town meeting. Gabby Johnson hands him a bottle of whisky, which he glady accepts.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Is seen taking a swig during the town meeting.
• Large and in Charge: One of the more prominent and outspoken of the town's elders, and the most physically imposing.

Reverend Johnson

Reverend Johnson (Liam Dunn)

"Now the time has come to act- and act fast! I'm leaving!

Played by: Liam Dunn

• Apologetic Attacker: During the climactic brawl, he apologizes after kneeing a guy in the nuts.
• Large Ham: Of the townsfolk, he is the most apt to chew the scenery. As an element of bathos, however, he alternates this with being a Deadpan Snarker:
  Oh Lord! Do we have the strength to pull off this mighty task in one night...or are we just jerking off?
• Only Sane Man: Of the townspeople, besides Jim, he is the only one who even moderately accepts Bart at first (though begrudgingly).
• Preacher Man: Among other things, he attempts to save Sheriff Bart from execution but desists when someone shoots a hole through his Bible.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Clearly tries to be one, advocating that the people of Rock Ridge swallow their pride and leave, and he's the only one who tries to talk them out of shooting Bart where he stands when he first arrives. Of course, as soon as his proposal of peace is violently rejected, he leaves Bart on his own.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Twice.
  • When Taggart leads the "Number Six" against Rock Ridge near the beginning of the film, the Reverend the only one to suggest leaving, though he relents when the rest of the congregation decide to stand their ground.
  • At the welcoming committee for the new sheriff, when he at least tries to be supportive of Bart, but someone shoots a hole in his Bible and he quickly steps down.
  Son, you're on your own.

Harriet Johnson

Harriet Johnson

"Forgive me-I'm not used to public speaking..."

Played by: Carol Arthur

• Megaton Punch: Decks a thug in the climax, sending him flying through a window.
• Precision F-Strike: Ends her otherwise refined and dignified letter to the governor by calling him an asshole.
  • Knocks one of Lamarr's Mooks flying with a punch, calling him a son of a bitch.
• School Marm: Rock Ridge's resident educator.
• Suddenly Shouting: Begins in classic fashion- "Forgive me. I'm not used to public speaking. Ahem... WE, the God-fearing citizens of Rock Ridge...!"
• Unaccustomed as I Am to Public Speaking...: Harriet Johnson, who writes the telegram to Governor LePetomane starts off very quiet, then gets very loud.

Gabby Johnson

Gabby Johnson

"Hey❕ The sheriff is a n—🔔"

Played by: Jack Starrett

• Badass Bystander: Gabby, the resident drunkard of Rock Ridge, can take out bandits simply by grabbing them by the collar and breathing his "beer-breath" on them.
• Breath Weapon: During the big fight scene, Gabby the grizzled drunk takes a swig from his jug, grabs a bad guy by the collar and exhales in his face, knocking him out.
• Mountain Man: He's never explicitly labeled as this, but he fits all the standard parameters. He might also be an example of a Prospector.
• Rousing Speech: As noted below, he gives one of these. Evidently.
• The Unintelligible: His "authentic frontier gibberish".
  Gabby Johnson: You get back hayurr, you payass, candy-ass sidewinder! Ain't no way that nobody's gonna leave this town! Hail, I was born harr, I was raised harr, and dad gum it, I'm gonna die harr! And no sidewindin', bushwhackin', hornswogglin cracker-crucker is gonna rull may bishencutter!
  Olson N. Johnson: Now who can argue with that?
  Gabby Johnson: Rerrit!

Miss Stein

Miss Stein

"Bill? Are you coming back?"

Played by: Robyn Hilton

• I Have Boobs, You Must Obey!: Uses her bountiful bosom to keep Governor LePetomane in the palm of her hand.
• Ms. Fanservice: Her main role in the plot is to be attractive in skimpy clothing... and to suggest why Governor LePetomane doesn't do much governing.
  Governor LePetomane: [eye—to—cleavage with her breasts] Hello boys, have a good night's rest? I missed you...!
• Sexy Secretary: And she's only nominally a secretary.
• Small Role, Big Impact: In her handful of minutes of screentime, her innocuous act of handing a telegram to her boss sets into motion the events of this film.
• Spanner in the Works: If she hadn't happened to come upon the "urgent telegram from Rock Ridge that arrived last Friday" and thought to give it to the governor, Hedly Lamarr's plan to take over the town would have gone much more smoothly.

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