Blazing Saddles (1974)
90%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
3 wins & 5 nominations total
Daring, provocative, and laugh-out-loud funny, Blazing Saddles is a gleefully vulgar spoof of Westerns that marks a high point in Mel Brooks’ storied career.
Blazing Saddles is a hoot and a holler of a movie! Mel Brooks really outdid himself with this one. It’s a Western spoof that’s also a satire of race relations, and it’s just as relevant today as it was back in 1974. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder are a dynamic duo, but Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn steal the show. And let’s not forget the authentic western gibberish! It’s a classic comedy that’s not as politically incorrect as some people think. So saddle up and get ready for a wild ride!
Production Company(ies)
Cranium Entertainment, Idiot Savant Pictures, Particular Crowd
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park – 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1974
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):English, Yiddish, German
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 7, 1974 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 15, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy/Western
Keyword(s)
Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks, Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, David Huddleston, Liam Dunn, Michael Hertzberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, Alan Uger, Comedy, Western, R rating, Warner Bros Pictures, box office, budget, reviewed by Ron Pennington, Jason Bailey, Richard Schickel, Don Druker, Variety Staff, Nell Minow, Danielle Solzman, Kevin Carr, Mike Massie, John Simon, Laura Bradley, Ángel Fernández-Santos, satire, racial bias, railroad worker, sheriff, thugs, spoof, high point, daring, provocative, laugh-out-loud funny, revolutionary satire, racial stereotypes, social critique, raunchy humor, manic, silly, controversial, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows
Worldwide gross: $119,616,663
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $792,627,010
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 148
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 86,436,969
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,600,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $17,228,622
Production budget ranking: 1,447
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,277,613
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $766,120,776
ROI to date (est.): 2,890%
ROI ranking: 35
Gene Wilder – Jim: The Waco Kid
Madeline Kahn – Lili Von Shtupp
Slim Pickens – Taggart
David Huddleston – Olson Johnson
Liam Dunn – Reverend Johnson
Director(s)
Mel Brooks
Writer(s)
Andrew Bergman, Andrew Bergman, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, Alan Uger
Producer(s)
Michael Hertzberg
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
3 wins & 5 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (7)
Mel Brooks has come up with his most outrageous comedy to date in the brilliantly funny Blazing Saddles.
February 8, 2019
Ron Pennington
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Its genius, then and now, was the manner in which director Mel Brooks and his writers turned a broad Western spoof into what was, for its time, a revolutionary satire of race relations.
June 18, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
Goldarned if the whole fool enterprise is not worth the attention of any moviegoer with a penchant for what one actor, commenting on another’s Gabby Hayes imitation, calls ‘authentic western gibberish.’
August 22, 2008
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
One of the funniest awful movies ever made.
April 2, 2008
Don Druker
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Although Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder head a uniformly competent cast, pic is handily stolen by Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn. Kahn is simply terrific doing a Marlene Dietrich lampoon.
April 2, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
November 12, 2004 | Rating: 5/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
Blazing Saddles, the 1974 film starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, is one of the best comedies ever made in the history of cinema.
March 9, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
It’s really not as politically incorrect as people think. It’s sending up traditional racism.
November 25, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Kevin Carr
Fat Guys at the Movies
Despite the narrative shortcomings, many of the gags are outstanding.
August 27, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
A model of how not to make a comedy. It is like playing tennis not only without a net but also without a court, and with twenty balls simultaneously.
July 25, 2020
John Simon
Esquire Magazine
One of the best Western parodies ever made. The powerhouse duo of Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder does not disappoint.
April 4, 2020
Laura Bradley
The Daily Beast
A bad parody of Westerns. [Full Review in Spanish]
March 31, 2020
Ángel Fernández-Santos
El Pais (Spain)…
Plot
The Ultimate Western Spoof. A town where everyone seems to be named Johnson is in the way of the railroad. In order to grab their land, Hedley Lemar (Harvey Korman), a politically connected nasty person, sends in his henchmen to make the town unlivable. After the sheriff is killed, the town demands a new sheriff from the Governor (Mel Brooks). Hedley convinces him to send the town the first Black sheriff (Cleavon Little) in the west. Bart is a sophisticated urbanite who will have some difficulty winning over the townspeople.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Madeline Kahn’s performance as Lili Von Shtupp doing a Marlene Dietrich lampoon is simply terrific and steals the show.
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