Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. Although she died in 2000, Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for the development of her frequency-hopping technology in 2014. Such achievement has led Lamarr to be dubbed “the mother of Wi-Fi” and other wireless communications like GPS and Bluetooth. 😉

_(As I've posted on other reactions:)_ 'You could NOT make this movie today!' -everyone "We couldn't make it then. We did it anyway." -Brooks in an interview.

You're the first reactors I've seen that recognized the native Americans were speaking Yiddish! Also, Lily von Schtupp is funny to Yiddish speakers, because "schtupp" means "to screw"/"to smash" in Yiddish. Fun fact, Richard Pryor wrote most of Mongo's dialogue. "Mongo only pawn in game of life" was all Pryor. Mel Brooks wanted Pryor to play Bart, but the studio execs said no, because his drug use made him a liability on set. I went to a Blazing Saddles screening with a Mel Brooks Q&A a few years ago, and that was one of the anecdotes he shared.

"They said you was hung!" "And they was RIGHT!" Great line.

The Count Basie Orchestra playing out in the desert is reflective of the times when he and his orchestra were often not allowed to stay in the cities that they were playing in. Mel gives a shout out to the comedy team Laurel and Hardy in the "Welcome Sherrif" scene. Mongo Santa Maria was a Cuban orchestra leader popular in the 50s and 60s. You are the first reviewers to point out the backwards wedding portrait in Hedley's office. In Hollywood when a group of background actors are needs for a scene they hold a "cattle call" to get actors. My personal favorite line in the film is when "Hitler" says "they lose me right after the bunker shot".

It's so great to hear people actually knowing something about film/film history- I've watched several reactions to Blazing Saddles and no one seems to know who Heddy Lamarr was or half the cast.

Nah, I grew up watching this in the 80s with my parents. We all still love it.

I saw this movie in the 70s when it came out. We all understood the point it was making about racism; its practioners were "You know; morons," worthy of being laughed at. It was only a decade or so removed from the civil rights act, and there were still plenty of racist morons in this country. They didn't particularly like this movie, which made it even funnier to me. And as someone else commented, I have to hand it to you for picking up on the Chief speaking Yiddish. Great reaction, guys. Y'all have a great sense of humor. 👍👍

1. Mel Brooks played the Governor, the Indian Chief, the round-up thug with the aviator hat. 2. Mel Brooks doesn't just break the 4th wall he shatters, steps on and grinds it into the ground. 3. The preacher/Liam Dunn also plays in Young "Frankenstein" as Mr. Hilltop. Madeline Khan also had a great roll in it. 4. Imagine how much fun this was to make. 5. The line, "You know morons" was ad lib by Wilder. Little's reaction was real. 6. "Look, it's comin' off" 7. Gig Young was supposed to play Jim but showed up the first day drunk so he was let go. Wilder agreed to do this movie for Mel Brooks only if Mel would direct Young Frankenstein for him. 8. Richard Pryor was supposed to play Bart but he was going through his addictions at the time and they thought it wouldn't be a good idea. However, he did some of the writing. 9. Finally, Mel Brooks is the only member of "Blazing Saddles" still living.

Burton Gillian, the actor who portrayed Lyle, had trouble saying the hard R word. After a few takes of struggling, Clevon talked with Burt, letting him know it was okay, because they weren't his words, but Lyle's.

The noose around the horses neck too and “but this is my shooting hand” never fail to crack me up 😂 no matter how many times I see it

Couple of things to point out. Not everybody catches the popcorn at the end, still in the lap of Gene Wilder. The morons quote was ad-lib, and Clevon Little's reaction was real. Lastly, I haven't heard anyone catch that the first song at the railroad scene was a Cole Porter bit

"i Get a Kick Out of You From the Broadway Musical "Anything Goes." Yes it still holds up. However there are many scenes which the younger people don't understand. Growing up in the 60's I watched westerns every Saturday afternoon. Watched Blazing Saddles when it came out in 1974.

Guys, this movie is classic for so many reasons! I remember being on a Military Sealift ship, we got movies and shows from the Navy. The ship i was on, was 80% black. When we showed the video, that covered 3 floors and 70% of the crew. All you heard was laughter! Next day, all off the brothers were quoting the movie!

Slim Pickens is a legend

Prior was great, especially with Wilder, but Im glad that Clevon Little did it. He was great in this.

The "Where's the white women at?" is still the funniest line in this movie. It still makes me laugh every single time.😂 Chef's 💋.

"Where Da White women at???" line aged Well, for me growing up i thought it was from White Chicks so i appreciate this more.

I was in college during this movie and it was a huge hit. Black and white folks laughed together in every theatre.

I've been caught in quick sand. Freaked me out, while my fellow hikers stood by and laughed. Bstrds.

Are you absolutely sure Dom DeLuise was gay? For what it's worth, this very popular character actor was married to the same woman for 44 years, and they had 3 sons.

Another joke: The n__ work song in the first of the movie was a song by Cole Porter the first black composer to have his works played on Broadway.

"They said you was hung? And they was right" is my favorite line. I love how it's kind of under the radar.

Alex Karras, who played Mongo, was also in Victor/Victoria, which is an absolutely spectacular movie from 1982, starring Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Garner, Lesley Ann Warren, and John Rhys-Davies. Directed by Blake Edwards, who was married to Julie Andrews at the time.

I expected more laughter from you guys because there’s like a different type of comedy every minute, but I love your reactions.

Another great choice! And absolutely! THANKS for this!!!!

Originally Mel had asked John Wayne to play the Waco Kid part but after reading the script he said no but I will be the first in line to see it.

I first saw that movie in Ireland in 1977. When the line “we’ll take the Ni****- and Ch***s but we don’t want the Irish” the whole cinema erupted in laughter. The absurdist, almost Monty Pythonesque, tone of the movie continually pokes fun at racism of any kind. It shows how ridiculous and stupid racism in all its forms are. Mel Brooks, and this writing crew, were brilliant. They made us laugh and educated us at the same time. Loved it then and still love it now almost fifty hears later.

The orange roof on Howard Johnson's outhouse is a nod to Howard Johnson Hotel Chain ( orange roofs) and the best ice cream sundaes there used to be. 😊

I agree this movie wouldn't be the same without Richard. I was 1 year old when this movie came out. My parents were 18 & 19 when I was born so this movie was just part of my viewing vernacular. So I find it astounding when I run across people who have never seen it. Thank you all so very much for sharing your experience with all of us! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

The song the railroaders sang was s Cole Porter song from a 1934 musical called "Anything Goes" - "I Get a Kick Out Of You" was the song. 😂 Gene Wilder also played Doctor Frankenstein in the comedy Young Frankenstein. As well as the original Willy Wonka in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. 😂

Pryor and Brooks hit EVERYONE in this movie. It's a classic.

I've watched this movie and all the reactions to it numerous times, but someone pointed out that Lili's character was based on a role played by Marlene Dietrich (with her strong German accent) as the town madam, in the 1937 Destry Rides Again. I haven't seen anyone suggest this, but I think the framework for Blazing Saddles was inspired by the overall plot line of Destry - a new sheriff (in this case Jimmy Stewart) comes to town to clean up the rampant crime and fights. His manner is not the John-Wayne strong-but-silent macho stereotype, but quiet ways, which gets him mocked by the townspeople. The story resolves itself at the end by a giant melee.

Quicksand is indeed real. But it’s unusual to sink deeper than waist deep. Humans are fairly buoyant and quicksand is pretty dense, so you only sink until you reach neutral buoyancy. The weight of your head isn’t enough to make you go under. BUT if you panic and start flailing about you will sink deeper. And because you can’t swim in quicksand, you can’t go up to the surface. Which causes you to panic more until, you know. That’s gotta be terrifying.

I went with my my parents to see this in the theater. During the "beans" scene, you could barely hear anything over the screaming and laughter. It was nuts to watch it on t.v. They show this scene, but there is no sound! Farts and burps not allowed. 😂

These young men are having the type of conversation that EVERYONE should be having.

Yes, it still stands up. This is the greatest comedy in the history of cinema. 🤟🏻

Mongo Santamaria was a popular Cuban percussionist and band leader in the early '60s. Mel Brooks chose the name Mongo so that when he rode into town, a villager could yell, "Mongo! Santa Maria!"

Okay, I love the "'Ello, guv'ner" left over from the Who reactions. Glad it's actually a thing.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1926">32:06</a> he’s a comedy genius and he poked fun at everyone and everything equally

You figured out the secret. This is basically a Warner Brothers cartoon.

You picked out two things that I don't believe anyone else that I have seen react has: 1) That the movie seems to be a live version of a Looney Tunes cartoon, and 2) "See? It's coming off" when Wilder flipped Little's hand over. I will share one: When the little old lady is getting beat up, the guy holding her is eating cake! Thanks for the great reaction. You guys are awesome!

I have come across quicksand in the Northwest Territories on the south shore of Great Slave Lake. I was on a mineral exploration crew. There was a lot of quicksand and it was pink, I think from the algae on top, on one prospect. It was mostly easily visible and easily avoided. On one line we were surveying there was a small quicksand bog covered in moss. I was the second guy down the line. The first guy was 50 lbs lighter than me and carrying less than 10 lbs of gear. I had a 30 lb piece of electronic equipment on my back and broke through the moss and began to sink. I took the backpack off and laid it to one side and laid on my back. I had sunk to mid thigh by then. My wellingtons had filled with mud and I was determined not to lose them so it took 20 mins to extricate myself with the boots. No you can't sink to your death in quicksand because it is much denser than water. You can get pretty damn stuck and if you are not young and healthy have trouble getting out.

So much to discuss and consider with this film; you guys have a great sense of perspective and insight, and a MUCH greater knowledge of film history than the majority of "reaction" hosts on YT. I saw "Blazing Saddles' three times in a public movie theater in 1974; the 3rd time was in the Baltimore/Chesapeake Bay area, with an audience 50% black, 50% white. I was totally aware that we were all approaching the film from a very different perspective, and I was actually a little concerned at first about the reaction. But the place was wild with laughter from beginning to end..much like your own reactions. Nice job.

The funniest part is that one of the main writers was Richard Pryor. Mel was like Don Rickles, they made fun of everybody and every race, especially their own. Mel asked Richard about several scenes as to whether they went too far or not and Richard was like "No no, leave it in, they're going to love it". There was an interview on KZfaq, I can't remember who the interviewer was, but Mel and Richard were discussing the film.

I sometimes keep a jar of peppermints on my desk. But they're the individually wrapped ones, not just hard candies like that.

Keep in mind Blazing Saddles directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger, based on a story treatment by Bergman. This film was released during transitional tv period.

"They said you was 'hung'!" "And they was right!" Hilarious!

Fun fact, Mel Brooks is still alive at 97 years old!

Thorough and thoughtful commentary, gentlemen. Thank you, I enjoyed that a great deal.

“He just got invited to the barbecue.” Cracked me up!! LOL

Love Mel Brooks xd

Hedy Lamar was an inventor who also invented what was known at the time as frequency hopping technology. In other words, all the things that we depend on to have cell phones nowadays she created. From switching from one cell network to the next she thought all that up.

Not only does this movie hold up, I would argue that its message has actually become more important and relevant as time has gone on, especially in the last decade or so.

Actually I think Cleavon Little made the movie. Every comedy needs a straight man and Cleavon Little does it perfectly. He radiates intelligence, sophistication and class.

The horse was an accomplice to the crime the rider was being hung for. (He was the getaway driver 🤣)

I first saw this on the big screen in '76 at Mel Brooks marathon the fall I started my senior year in high school I had full context. It was hilarious to me then, and is hilarious still to me.

I was lucky with this movie. My father was terminally ill when I was 11-12 and my brother and I stayed with our aunt and uncle a while, my uncle is Jamaican. He asked if we had seen this movie and we all watched it. The lines in this are still hilarious. “My grandmother was Dutch” 😂 The scene where Gene says “you know, morons” was improvised.

You had one the first reviews where any noticed or at least commented on the fact that the Cisco Kid still had his popcorn from the theater. Nice catch.

Syntell, first video I saw of yours and I had to subscribe! Blazing Saddles is classic lmao. Now, another one that you should consider is "In the Heat of the Night" with Sidney Poitier. It has a similar message, but it is far more serious in delivery. Black detective from Philadelphia is going down to visit his grandmother in the south. Very racist town. They have a murder. A cop is sent out to find any possible suspect, and he sees Poitier, so he arrests him for Waiting for a Train While Black. The sheriff feels very stupid upon discovering that Poitier is a detective from Philadelphia, and asks him to help them with the murder. It's REALLY good, and the ending is a big surprise! There's a lot of classic scenes in it, like they go to interview a rich guy who owns a plantation, and the owner slaps Poitier for daring to ask him where he was when the guy was murdered, and Poitier immediately slaps him back MUCH HARDER. It was great! And apparently the first time a black man slapped a white man in a movie. There's another scene where the sheriff says "Virgil, that's a funny name for a [n-word] from Philadelphia, what do they call you up there?" and Poitier answers, voice raised, "THEY CALL ME MR. TIBBS!". There was a sequel to the movie, and they made a series of it in the late 80s/early 90s which was also good, I used to watch it in high school. 🙂

It's amazing how few reactors miss that it's Mel Brooks as the Native American chief speaking Yiddish. Good for you guys! (Also, on the movie poster, when you see him as the same character, the head dress has Hebrew lettering, and translated it means "Kosher for Passover.")

I believe Mel Brooks said one of the core basic messages of this movie was "it's just a movie".

Fab 😊 Really great discussion

This is quite simply one of the greatest comedies ever. Anyone who gets upset and offended by this film is totally missing the point.

The scene where Taggert gets hit with the shovel was added in. The actor who played him, Slim Pickens, was very uncomfortable with his character saying some of what he said without consequences so they added in the shovel scene to show a consequence for being a bad guy. For all of what this movie had what I remember from when it came on TV was the reaction to them having farts on screen. That is pretty much the only thing I remember being edited out for TV was the sound of the farts. You just saw a group of people sitting around a campfire bouncing up and down for no apparent reason.

I think someone has already mentioned that Richard Prior was one of the main writers, working closely with Mel Brooks

Dom DeLuise wasn't gay. He was married to the woman who said, "Isn't anyone going to help that poor man?" as Bart took himself hostage. She was the mother of his three sons.

Actually, the "Last Mohican" actor was actually native. People assume the LM was the main character, but he wasn't.

Loved the reaction. Richard Prior was a writer on this movie. If you like Prior, you can find his humor.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2880">48:00</a> Mel brooks was asked not long ago if he thought the movie could be made today and his response was “we couldn’t make it *then*, but we made it anyways” For something “recent” besides South Park, there’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - 16 seasons and still going.

I will always consider this movie in the top 5 list of greatest Parodies ever made followed by 2008's Tropic Thunder. When i was a young black kid my dad showed me this film and its maybe the first movie to not only show Racism and how stupid it is,but also how much funnier it is to make fun of it. So many classic lines i quote to this day "someones gotta go back and get a shit load of dimes!!" "Going to run all night,going to run all day,got my money on a bob tail nag all the doo dah day" "The sherrif is near!!" But one scene that will always stick with me is the old lady saying "up yours ni**er" As a black guy that taught me something important,that sometimes its not your fault why people dont like you, all you can do is keep your head up. Im saddened by Cleavon Little not becoming a bigger star from this movie,but i also wouldve loved to have seen the Richard Pryor casted version.

There’s an interesting documentary about Hedy Lamarr. I think it’s called “Bombshell” and without spoiling (just in case), it addresses the scientist thing.

"Tropic Thunder" is genius, RDJ definitely deserved his Oscar nomination.

I as a human enjoyed watching that with yall. We could make a movie like this in a couple of years. Watch PCU it predicted the mess we are in.

Many people that have seen and loved Blazing Saddles do not know that Mel, after hearing so many times, "You couldn't remake it today" he legit said Challenge accepted and he remade Blazing Saddles as a Cartoon, and got Samuel L Jackson to star in it. It's called Paws of Fury. Would love to see you guys react to it and to see the interesting comparisons. Given the wonderful opinions you guys had just watching this classic.

The "morons" line was ad-libbed...classic.

a golden classic! satire has always been a great strength and if in the States today making such films is a problem, then something is wrong there. (good thing tarantino still makes films! he doesn't care about restrictions!😊)

I'd be surprised if I'm the first person to point this out, but supposedly Brooks was compelled by the execs to cut out a line between Bart and Lily after the lights went out in her room that ran, "I'm sorry to disappoint you ma'am, but you're sucking on my arm." 🤣

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="195">3:15</a> Quicksand IS a real thing. <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="327">5:27</a> Richard Pryor wrote this movie. He was supposed to play Bart, but the studio wouldn't have it. What could have been. <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1194">19:54</a> The first Looney Tunes cartoon came out in 1930. The good ones started coming out in the 40s. What fun this was, watching with you!

Hey guys there is such a thing as quicksand and one of the writers too was Richard Pryor Mel Brooks wanted him to play the sheriff but the studio wouldn't let him

By the way, Mongo is Detroit Lions All-Pro defensive tackle Alex Karras.

As an old white man who remembers the 70's I have a slightly different take. When a new Quentin Tarantino movie comes out & you're standing in line for opening night. You already know what kind of movie you are going to see, you know what Quentin Tarantino does. It won't be a Romantic Comedy & you know it. Mel Brooks was the same for us. He wasn't 'shocking' to us because we knew it was a Mel Brooks film before we sat down. We were aware everything & everyone was fair game. & We always knew we're gonna miss at least 100 gags on the 1st viewing.

Love your reactions guys! 😁 Pryor & Brooks wrote a very clever, hilarious script highlighting the moronic nature of racism. P.S. Daniel Day-Lewis is English.

Jonathan Majors! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

This movie in a lot of ways, is like the TV show, all in the family. At first glance people would say that's racist, but what it's doing is laughing at the foolishness of racism, and what some people don't know is that Richard Pryor helped with the writing

The the very best way to view racism is through comedy, because nothing is dumber.

New to your channel. Appreciate the intelligent way you chop it up. Earned my sub.

Awesome discussion.

Classic films always "hold up." It's modern audiences that sometimes don't.

They went out of their movie to the real world back into their own movie

Gene Wilder only agreed to be in Blazing Saddles if Mel brooks would help with writing and directing Young Frankenstein(1974). The Producers (1967)is the first movie Mel Brooks directed. It also stars Gene Wilder and pokes fun of Nazis

I think Richard Pryor was supposed to play the lead in this, but had a prior commitment. And I don't think the movie rating system was in place yet!

Quicksand is a real thing, and is most commonly found in swamps, marches, near lake shores, beaches, and riverbanks. It is present all over the world including the United States.

Richard Pryor played a serious role in the movie "Blue Collar." He was excellent.

Daniel-Day Lewis' character in The Last Of The Mohicans is a white adopted son of Chingachgook, not a Native-American.

Many jokes are beyond the knowledge of younger people. Randolph Scott, Laurel and Hardy handshake and "we don't need no stinkin' badges" are just a few examples.

I walked into quicksand at the Salton Sea in California in 2009. Scary as hel and pulling myself out sucked. The sand underneath smelled of sewage and rotting animals

I saw this at the theater and the entire place was roaring. Even the black people. I think a couple of people got up and left but only a few. Actually, Mel Brooks has made a modern version of this movie. It's a kids animated movie but it follows Blazing Saddles perfectly. It's called "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank." It's set in an Asian backdrop, about a village of cats that needs a new Samurai to protect the village after their current Samurai is run off and they send a dog named Hank to replace him. Mel Brooks voices the Shogun. Samuel L. Jackson voices the drunk, broken down former Samurai that helps Hank. It also has Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Houdsou, George Takei and Michelle Yeoh.

Someone once asked Mel Brooks decades later " Do you think you could make Blazing Saddles today" he said "We couldn't make it in the 70s, but we did it anyways"

I saw this film when it came out and - I can't speak for all black people - but I and my brothers and sisters loved it.