He Made His Case
Before the movie’s release, Brooks had to work hard to convince the studio of the movie’s potential. “It’s simply too vulgar for the American people,” the head of the studio said. “Let’s dump it and take a loss.” The president of the company, John Calley, decided that the film should initially be released in specific cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. By the end of the summer, ‘Blazing Saddles’ was the studio’s biggest blockbuster.
Source: YouTube
In between writing ‘Blazing Saddles,’ Brooks was also in the middle of writing a TV show called ‘Your Show of Shows.’ He got the idea during his time in New York when watching comedian Richard Pryor perform one evening at the Vanguard nightclub. After Brooks met the comedian, the two really hit it off, and Brooks even offered Pryor a role as a writer in the movie. Pryor was a main factor in the movie’s success. And he wrote most of Mongo’s dialogue.
Do you know which actor from the movie was a real NFL star?