Brooks was at the height of his power as a writer and satirist, Cleavon Little feasted on the movie role of a lifetime, and Gene Wilder is as brilliant as ever in his catatonically depressed depiction of an alcoholic gunslinger. If you can accept that the movie uses the language it does for a very specific and very pointed purpose, Blazing Saddles is one of the funniest movies you’ll ever see. Its legacy is absolutely mixed, and we can’t fault anybody who doesn’t like the movie or believes the way it addresses racism is counterproductive. And you can certainly hold Blazing Saddles partially to blame for “ironic racism” and countless attempts to do something similar in the decades since that don’t have an ounce of the original’s wit or intelligence. Yes, Fox News types who complain that “you couldn’t make Blazing Saddles today,” as if its repeated use of the N word is the movie’s most important aspect, might have some pointy sheets hanging in their closet.

Yes, many have no doubt laughed at the movie for the wrong reasons. Some will find a movie that tries to mine the most shocking and painful slurs for humor to be fundamentally racist, especially one written by four white men its fifth writer was Richard Pryor, though, and its his tradition of using comedy to openly criticize White America for its perpetual racism that informs Blazing Saddles. The main result of that is Brooks portraying the typical heroes of the western-the mythic American cowboy, and the simple God-fearing town folk that they protect-as virulent, hateful racists, as they most likely would have been in real life in the staggeringly racist and hateful late 1800s. The western parody’s central conceit is to demythologize the genre as thoroughly as possible. Mitnick said the family had not yet decided whether to donate Karras' brain for study, as other families have done.Mel Brooks turns 95 today, so what better time to look back at his funniest movie?īlazing Saddles is shocking today, but it’s always been shocking. Karras in April joined the more than 3,500 football veterans suing the league for not protecting them better from head injuries, immediately becoming one of the best-known names in the legal fight. 'His death also will be tied to the NFL's conflict with former players over concussions. '''Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex,' Lions president Tom Lewand said. He died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney. The Lions also said he had suffered from heart disease and, for the last two years, stomach cancer.

'Karras had recently suffered kidney failure and been diagnosed with dementia. 'The rugged player, who anchored the Detroit Lions ' defense and then made a successful transition to an acting career, with a stint along the way as a commentator on ''Monday Night Football,'' died Wednesday. 'And yet, to many people he will always be the lovable dad from the 1980s sitcom ''Webster'' or the big cowboy who famously punched out a horse in ''Blazing Saddles.'' 'Alex Karras was one of the NFL's most feared defensive tackles throughout the 1960s, a player who hounded quarterbacks and bulled past opposing linemen. Aside from being a fearful defensive player (big, ENORMOUS) he was also an actor, in Blazing Saddles (Mongo, who 'like cigar. I don't really care much about football, but Alex Karras was memorable.

Mongo just pawn in big game of life