Blazing Saddles

Blazing Saddles is a 1974 comedy western movie directed by Mel Brooks starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder and Harvey Korman. It tells the story of a black Sheriff, played by Little, who is appointed Sheriff of a small Western town and how he must try to make friends with the racist towns people and stop a ruthless businessman from knocking down the town to make way for a railway line.

Blazing Saddles
Directed byMel Brooks
Produced byMichael Hertzberg
Screenplay byAndrew Bergman
Mel Brooks
Richard Pryor
Norman Steinberg
Al Uger
Story byAndrew Bergman
StarringCleavon Little
Gene Wilder
Harvey Korman
Slim Pickens
Madeline Kahn
Mel Brooks
Dom DeLuise
Music byMel Brooks (songs)
John Morris (score)
CinematographyJoseph F. Biroc
Edited byDanford B. Greene
John C. Howard
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • February 7, 1974 (1974-02-07)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.6 million
Box office$119,500,000[1]

While the movie is widely said to be a classic comedy today, critical reaction was mixed when the movie was first released.

Cast

Awards and honors

In the scene where Lamarr talks to his band of bad guys, he says, "You men are only risking your lives, while I am risking an almost-certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor!" Harvey Korman did not, in fact, get an Oscar nomination. The movie did receive three other Academy Awards nominations in 1974: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Madeline Kahn, Best Film Editing, and Best Music, Original Song. The movie also earned two BAFTA awards nominations, for Best Newcomer (Cleavon Little) and Best Screenplay.

The movie won the Writers Guild of America Award for "Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen" for writers Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger.[2]

In 2006, Blazing Saddles was chosen by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry.[2]

References

  1. "Box Office Information for Blazing Saddles". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Blazing Saddles" – via www.imdb.com.

Other websites