Blazing Saddles is a
satirical Western comedy film directed by
Mel Brooks. Starring
Cleavon Little and
Gene Wilder, it was written by Brooks,
Andrew Bergman,
Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft.
[Director and Leading Actors] The movie was nominated for three
Academy Awards, and is considered one of the great American comedies, coming in at number six on
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs list.
Brooks appears in multiple supporting roles, including Governor
Le Petomane and a
Yiddish-speaking Indian Chief.
Slim Pickens,
Alex Karras,
David Huddleston, and Brooks regulars
Dom DeLuise,
Madeline Kahn, and
Harvey Korman are also featured. Musician
Count Basie has a cameo as himself.
The film exposes the
racism obscured by myth-making
Hollywood accounts of the
American West, but in a highly satirical way; the
racist slur "
nigger" is heard 17 times in
Blazing Saddles, while the film's hero is
black.
