Mel Brooks' third feature film spoofs Hollywood conventions, primarily those in classic Westerns. It's the 1870's, and the railroad is about to break up a Western outpost. The townsfolk want a lawman to help keep their community intact, but when their new sheriff turns out to be a black man, their racism becomes quite clear.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
The review of this Movie prepared by Elana Starr
Scheming Hedley *not Hedy* Lamarr seeks to build a railroad through the little town of Rock Ridge, where all the residents seem to have the last name Johnson. In order to rid the town of the residents, he appoints a new black sheriff, Bart, who is guaranteed to create resentment in the town. His plan works initially, but when Bart saves the town from Mongo, he begins to be accepted, and befriends the Waco Kid,(Gene Wilder) a down and out gunfighter in a rut. Lamarr continues in his attempts to get Bart out of the way, one of the more notable being through the nasal, yet sultry, Lili Von Schtupp (Madeleine Kahn, who seems to be more Dietrich than Dietrich). Eventually, the good guys triumph over the bad guys, and send Lamarr on the run, through Hollywood sets, and, eventually, into a cinema showing 'Blazing Saddles'. Some notable and hilarious scenes include the toll booth in the middle of nowhere and the farting scene, with great, if brief, appearances from Mel Brooks as the hapless and licentious mayor.
The review of this Movie prepared by Soph
Scheming businessman Hedley Lamarr (Korman) decides to ruin a small western town along the route of the proposed railroad so he can buy up all the land before it appreciates in value. When the sheriff is killed, Hedley's brilliant idea is to send the town a black man as a replacement -- the first black sheriff in the entire West -- as well as hiring a gang to harass the place. Bart, the new sheriff (Little, in the role originally planned for co-screenwriter Richard Pryor), is a sophisticated urbanite in the small prairie town of Rock Ridge, where everybody seems to be named Johnson. Once in town, he makes the acquaintance of the dissolute but sharpshooting Waco Kid (Wilder) and a singer named Lili Von Shtupp (Kahn, doing her best blase Dietrich imitation). The film is uproariously funny, from sophisticated musical humor (Cole Porter turns up on the soundtrack and Count Basie makes a cameo appearance) to the infamous farting sequence. Throw in Frankie Laine singing the inspiring but cockeyed theme, and you've got a perennial classic. "Never give a saga an even break."
The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
Stuck up Attourney General Heady...excuse me... Headly Lamarr (Korman), "Hey, this is 1874, you'll be able to sue her!", wants some land for his own doing. Unfourtunately, it already belongs to the people of the peaceful little town of Rock Ridge because, well, it IS the peaceful little town of Rock Ridge. Headly decides to have a bunch of theves and scoudrals try to scare the inhabitants off. The town quickly wires govorner William J. LaPetomane (Brooks) that the sheriff has been killed and they need a new one. Trying to "Keep our phony baloney jobs here!", LaPetomane leave Headly in charge of finding a new sheriff. However, law and order is the last thing Headly wants in Rock Ridge, so he decides to find a sheriff that will so offend the citizens that his very appearence will drive them out of town. Low and behold, he finds Bart (Clevon Little), an african american. Sure enough, Bart wasn't treated with the most warm welcome but, with the help of the former Waco Kid (Wilder), he starts to handle the town better than anyone else. Headly is furious, so he tries to send sexy dancer Lilly Von Shtupp (Kahn) to seduce Bart, but she falls for him instead. So, Headly decides to send his cronies to destroy Rock Ridge. Sheriff Bart and The guy formerly known as the Waco Kid "My real name is tim...but most people call me...Jim" must save the town. Another hilarious Mel Brooks movie!
The review of this Movie prepared by Adam D. Bram
