Escaping Mobs

Sheriff Bart held his gun to his head so that he could be let go by the crazed townsfolks. The scene was inspired by an event in Mel Brooks’ life when he was a little kid. Brooks had gone to a store when he was a child, where he stole gum and a water gun when he was caught by the clerk, he held the gun to his head and the clerk let him walk away.

Poor Reactions By The Producers

The movie’s first screening was an absolute disaster. The screening for the producers of Warner Brothers witnessed absolute silence in the theater as no one laughed once during the movie. Brooks, however, didn’t give up. He suggested a screening for blue-collar employees and the reaction won the studio over.

The Dumping Of The Movie

The studio producers were hell bent on scrapping the movie and taking the loss because they felt the movie was too crude for the American audience. However, the studio president had faith in Brooks’ vision and released the movie which became one of the biggest hits ever.

Bringing In Richard Pryor

Mel Brooks was living in New York at the time of writing the movie. He was also working on a show and that took him to several comedy clubs. One such club introduced him to Richard Pryor who is a comedy genius. Brooks invited him to join the movie soon after.

Mongo In The NFL

Mongo may have been a goofball in the movie but the actor playing Mongo, Alex Karras, had a successful career in the NFL. He was a member of the Detroit Lions for 12 seasons straight and was a huge success before he decided to quit and start acting.

“Blazing Saddles”, A Sequel?

The film’s success led the producers of the movie to think of making a sequel or spin-off of the movie. Keeping in line with the trend Hollywood follows, they saw the movie’s popularity as a chance to make money using its name. They shot a pilot episode for a TV series called “Black Bart” but it never saw the light of day.