Today is Mel Brooks’ birthday; he turns 100, an unbelievable life for a comedy legend who actually has a “Spaceballs” sequel coming out next year. He’s not stopping.
What better honor to have on your 100th than the American Film Institute (AFI) deciding to officially change the order of their famous 100 Best Comedies of All Time list, as an “honorary” reorganization, and moving Brooks’ 1974 Western “Blazing Saddles” from 6th place to 1st. It is now, in the most well-merited way, “the funniest film of all time”.
“Blazing Saddles” replaces at the top Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot,” which was famously crowned champ back in 2000, when the list was first announced. AFI noted in its press release that Brooks “has long kvetched that his film is far funnier than ‘Some Like It Hot.’”
“He’s right!” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “We’re happy to right this wrong as Mel celebrates his centennial. It’s good to be the king, and may he live to be a 2,000-year-old man. Happy birthday, Mel!”
Brooks has three films in the top 15 on this list; “The Producers” (#11) and “Young Frankenstein” (#13) are the others. Of course, at the speed of light, Wikipedia has already edited the original list by placing ‘Saddles’ at #1, “Some Like It Hot” at #2.
“Blazing Saddles,” directed by Brooks and co-written with Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger, is widely regarded as one of the boldest and most influential comedies ever made. A ruthless parody of the Western genre, it uses absurd, fourth-wall-breaking humor and pointed satire to confront racism, Hollywood mythmaking, and American hypocrisy.
The film stars Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart, Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid, Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp (!), Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr, Slim Pickens as Taggart, with Brooks also appearing in multiple roles. It’s a mix of chaotic, boundary-pushing comedy and sharp social critique and has endured as a landmark film—one that still feels so irreverent and unpredictable that it is hard to imagine a modern studio greenlighting anything quite like it today.
Yes, “Blazing Saddles” includes extensive use of racial slurs, which would make it difficult to be made in today’s more cautious landscape, even though it is very clearly presented as satirical in the film. Just imagine someone today actually making a comedy about a group of white people consistently uttering the N-word.
What makes ‘Saddles’ so special, hilarious, and all-around great is that it actually mocks bigotry in American history, and with brilliant simplicity. It is a satire of the Western genre’s racist tropes, and even the main white character (Wilder) recognizes how absurd the other white characters are behaving.
A few years ago, controversy emerged when HBO Max decided to add a pre-film introduction—featuring TCM host Jacqueline Stewart—in front of ‘Saddles,’ offering historical context about the film’s use of “racist language and attitudes.” This was a “trigger warning,” which came off as a lecture, as if HBO was telling its viewers that they are too inexperienced to process satire in its highest forms.
In a BBC Radio 4 interview, Brooks argued that “politically correct” culture was “the death of comedy” and that a film like “Blazing Saddles” “would never be greenlit in today’s current political climate.” He suggested that while some of his other films might still get made—“maybe ‘Young Frankenstein.’ Maybe a few”—a boundary-pushing satire like “Saddles” would not, because modern sensitivities had changed. Brooks emphasized that comedy needs danger and risk, saying it must “walk a thin line, take risks.” He also acknowledged that “it’s okay not to hurt feelings of various tribes and groups,” but warned that being overly cautious ultimately weakens comedy’s ability to challenge and expose uncomfortable truths.
That’s why “Blazing Saddles” still matters. That’s why Mel Brooks will always matter. Happy birthday, Mel, and thanks for everything.