Did you know that Richard Pryor is one of the credited writers
who worked on "Blazing Saddles?"

Though I don't know specifically what Pryor contributed to the
script, I've always suspected it was a couple of the funnier
and racier routines Cleavon Little pulled off.

One of the Head Writers on the movie, Norman Steinberg,
came to the Newhouse College (at Syracuse University)
for a couple of days (in the late 1980's) to speak before
students. I remember him replying, in answer to a question
about what it was like working with Richard Pryor, that
as far as he was concerned, Pryor and his entourage were
in Hollywood (Los Angeles) for less than a week, and that
the famous stand-up comedian was not a "major" contributor
to said script.

The commentary touches on this a bit. Like you said, Pryor was a small contributor but what he wrote were some of the more racial jokes.

According to the commentary he was actually fired from the writing staff as he spent more time boozing and doing drugs and showed up late and sometimes not at all. He may have just stopped showing up and they cut him loose.

I watch it a couple of times a year but my all time favorite comedy is still "Slapshot"...followed closely by "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"

No movie has made me miss Madeline Kahn more than this.

This is how I felt recently when I watched History of the World, Part 1. She was pure comedic genius, in my opinion. "No, no, no, no, no, yessss." It's that slight drawl on the "yes" that makes it gold. I really miss her.

...they all pale before the comedic glory that is A Fish Called Wanda

I really like A Fish Called Wanda.

Gene Wilder makes me snore, but Cleavon Little and Madeline Kahn were great in Blazing Saddles.

I just cannot figure out why everyone thinks Gene Wilder is funny, though -- I'm obviously missing a "funny" gene, somewhere -- that most everyone else obviously has.

My Top-10 Favorite Comedy movies.


1, A Fish Called Wanda-(Don't call me stupid!)

2, Weekend at Bernie's-(poor Bernie! )

3, The Dinner Game -(It's the best French comedy film ever!)

4, All of Me -(Steve Martin is genius performer!)

5, National Lampoon's European Vacation -(The most hilarious scene was Clark did accidentally knock down Stonehenge by backing a rented car.)

6, Young Frankenstein

7, High Anxiety-(Side, side, side, side, side.)

8, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels-(Martin's monkey boy was priceless!)

9, Space Balls-(Too silly! But I like silly movie!)

10, Blazing Saddles

I really like A Fish Called Wanda.

Gene Wilder makes me snore, but Cleavon Little and Madeline Kahn were great in Blazing Saddles.

I just cannot figure out why everyone thinks Gene Wilder is funny, though -- I'm obviously missing a "funny" gene, somewhere -- that most everyone else obviously has.

Since I grew up watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory I have a very hard time seeing Gene Wilder in another movie and NOT thinking that he is Willy Wonka.

Young Frankenstein was great, but I think it was the rest of the cast that really pulled the movie off, not just Wilder.

I love all the movies named, all were amazing comedies. But my "favorite" somedy will always be "Ghostbusters". Great cast and a great script. I might be biased since it was the first movie I saw in a movie theater.

A couple of movies that actually make me laugh every time I see them:

The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry and Michael Clarke Duncan. Matthew Perry is absolutely brilliant in this movie - I've never seen him funnier.

Office Space. Oh man, there are so many funny lines in that movie and the whole ridiculous plot is hilarious!

I love Blazing Saddles and still makes comments about it at work all the time (even made one yestersay).

I still say the best comedy ever is Fast Times At Ridgemont High.