Mel Brooks in Attendence - Blazing Saddles and History of the World Pt 1 January 25, 2008

Discussion in between films with director Mel Brooks.

BLAZING SADDLES, 1974, Warner Bros., 93 min. Director Mel Brooks' third film as director was his biggest hit to date and took his politically-incorrect humor (with a screenplay co-written by Richard Pryor) to new levels of profane, cosmic hilarity. A corrupt fatcat politician decides to appoint a black sheriff to cause havoc in a western town, but is surprised when new lawman, Bart (Cleavon Little) becomes a force to be reckoned with. Able support is supplied by Gene Wilder as The Waco Kid, Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtup, Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr, plus Brooks himself, Slim Pickens, John Hillerman, Alex Karras, David Huddleston and George Furth.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART I, 1981, 20th Century Fox, 92 min. Mel Brooks is at his most inventive in this collection of sketches that provides a comedic survey of man's past, including the inquisition (which provides the basis for one of the funniest production numbers of the director's career) and the stone age. Orson Welles narrates this parody of sweeping Hollywood epics, and the cast is comprised of comedy legends: Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Sid Caesar, and Henny Youngman, among others. BLAZING SADDLES, 1974, Warner Bros., 93 min. Director Mel Brooks' third film as director was his biggest hit to date and took his politically-incorrect humor (with a screenplay co-written by Richard Pryor) to new levels of profane, cosmic hilarity. A corrupt fatcat politician decides to appoint a black sheriff to cause havoc in a western town, but is surprised when new lawman, Bart (Cleavon Little) becomes a force to be reckoned with. Able support is supplied by Gene Wilder as The Waco Kid, Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtup, Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr, plus Brooks himself, Slim Pickens, John Hillerman, Alex Karras, David Huddleston and George Furth.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART I, 1981, 20th Century Fox, 92 min. Mel Brooks is at his most inventive in this collection of sketches that provides a comedic survey of man's past, including the inquisition (which provides the basis for one of the funniest production numbers of the director's career) and the stone age. Orson Welles narrates this parody of sweeping Hollywood epics, and the cast is comprised of comedy legends: Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Sid Caesar, and Henny Youngman, among others. Discussion in between films with director Mel Brooks.

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