State Theater offers laughs with showing of ‘Blazing Saddles’
Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman in "Blazing Saddles."
Warner Bros. Pictures
Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder in “Blazing Saddles.”
Each month the State Theatre in Uniontown gives the public the opportunity to view a classic movie on the big screen.
This brings back a bit of the glory of the film that it had when it was first released on the big screen, and it also allows those who saw it when it first came out the opportunity to watch it again and maybe relive some of their memories.
As for the younger crowd, this offers them the opportunity to experience a movie they might never even think to rent or watch.
On March 8, Mel Brooks’ comedic film “Blazing Saddles,” will make its way to the theater at 37 E. Main St., Uniontown. This is the second Brooks film this year, with a previous showing of “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.”
Writer and Director Mel Brooks is known for the more comedic films — and even spoofs — such as “The Producers” released in 1967 and “Spaceballs” released in 1987.
“Blazing Saddles,” was released in 1974 and actually brought to the forefront the subject of racial injustice with a premise of a local politician appointing a black sheriff in hopes of ruining a western town.
On the film review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film synopsis says, “vulgar, crude, and occasionally scandalous in its racial humor, this hilarious bad-taste spoof of Westerns, co-written by Richard Pryor, features Cleavon Little as the first black sheriff of a stunned town scheduled for demolition by an encroaching railroad.
“Little and co-star Gene Wilder have great chemistry, and the delightful supporting cast includes Harvey Korman, Slim Pickens, and Madeline Kahn as a chanteuse modelled on Marlene Dietrich,” it continued. “As in ‘Young Frankenstein’ (1974), ‘Silent Movie’ (1976), and ‘High Anxiety’ (1977), Brooks gives a burlesque spin to a classic Hollywood movie genre.”
Brooks is known for frequently casting himself, Wilder and Korman (who was a regular on the Carol Burnett Show) in his films.
IMDb trivia shared that in the DVD commentary, Brooks said that the working title for the film was “Tex X,” as a reference to black Muslim leader Malcolm X. It was then switched to “Black Bart,” then to “The Purple Sage.”
In either case, neither he nor the other writers thought those were great titles. Brooks says that one morning he was taking a shower and the words “Blazing Saddles” suddenly popped into his head. When he got out of the shower, he pitched the title to his wife, the late Anne Bancroft, who liked the idea, and that’s how the movie ended up with its title.
The film is rated R for adult language and situations. Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and admission is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students.
The remaining schedule for the classic film series includes: “Rebecca” (April 12), “Kelly’s Heroes” (May 17), “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (June 21), “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (July 19) and “Gone With the Wind” (Aug. 16).