Blazing Saddles

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Will Entertain Me

I watched Blazing Saddles in a theater recently. It’s a clever, fun, and funny movie that Mel Brooks, the creator of the movie, said could never be made today.

“‘No, no, I mean maybe ‘Young Frankenstein.’ Maybe a few. But never ‘Blazing Saddles,’ because we have become stupidly politically correct, which is the death of comedy,’ he said when asked if he thinks he could get films like ‘Blazing Saddles,’ ‘The Producers,’ or ‘Young Frankenstein’ made today.”

There are so many clever, witty elements of Blazing Saddles that have made their way into popular culture. My friends and I adopted some of the movie’s key lines. But, because of “stupid political correctness,” we don’t have similar movies because, according to Brooks and others, they hit some cultural brick wall and ended up, figuratively, on the cutting room floor. And we are all poorer as a result.

Political correctness tells us that we should use language “intended to give the least amount of offense, especially when describing groups identified by external markers such as race, gender, culture, or sexual orientation.” Of course, Blazing Saddles fails miserably based on that definition. How many times is the infamous “n word” used? But what it gives us is wit and humor. One way to do that is to make fun of people, which in this movie includes almost everyone.

Who is made fun of:

• The governor, played by Mel Brooks

• Jim, aka The Kid, played by Gene Wilder

• Sheriff Bart, played by Cleavon Little

• Lili Von Shtupp, played by Madeline Kahn

• Hedley Lamarr, played by Harvey Korman

• Taggart, played by Slim Pickens

• Buddy, played by Dom DeLuise

• Mongo, played by Alex Karras

• Lyle, played by Burton Gilliam

• Macho men

• Effeminate men

• Politicians

• Cowboys

• Sexualized secretaries

• Racist white men and women

• Bigots

• White settlers

• Black settlers

• American Indians

• Simple country townsfolk

• Bible thumping reverends

• Jews

• Showgirls

• The railroads

• Hitler

• The Ku Klux Klan

• Violent criminals of the Old West

• Mexican bandits

• Chopper motorcyclists

• German soldiers

• Church goers

• Baked been eaters

• Gum chewers

• Gay men

• Hangmen

• Hollywood

Ultimately, this is a movie highlighting the underdogs as heroes and the powerful as buffoons, a concept that is as American as the apple pie given to Sheriff Bart by a contrite older female townsperson who had previously been rude to him.

Why can’t Americans make clever comedies like this anymore? Let’s take back the theaters! Bring us politically incorrect movies!

I’ve got an idea. Writers who want to write politically incorrect movies can write them. Producers who want to produce such movies can produce them. Actors who want to act in such movies can perform in them. Theaters that want to show such movies can show them. Patrons who want to want to pay to watch such movies can get popcorn and find a good seat. And everyone else can respectfully shut their trap and step aside.

I’ll bet no one else has thought of this solution [insert heavy sarcasm here].