The American Film Institute is giving Mel Brooks one more reason to celebrate his 100th birthday.
In honor of the comedy legend’s centennial, AFI announced Sunday that it was reorganizing its “100 Years … 100 Laughs” list, moving Brooks’ gleefully offensive 1970s western satire “Blazing Saddles” from No. 6 to No. 1 and bumping “Some Like It Hot” into the runner-up slot. AFI said the move came after Brooks had “long kvetched” that his film was funnier than Billy Wilder’s 1959 classic.
“He’s right!” AFI President and Chief Executive Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “We are happy to right this wrong and proclaim ‘Blazing Saddles’ the funniest film of all time. It’s good to be the king.”
Released in 1974, “Blazing Saddles” was both a critical and commercial hit that pushed the boundaries of mainstream studio comedy while satirizing racism, western mythology and Hollywood itself. Co-written by Brooks with Richard Pryor and others, the film earned three Oscar nominations, including one for Madeline Kahn’s supporting actress turn as the Marlene Dietrich-styled Lili Von Shtupp..
Just months later, Brooks returned with “Young Frankenstein,” giving him one of the most remarkable years that any director has ever enjoyed. He remains the only filmmaker with three movies in AFI’s top 15 funniest films: “Blazing Saddles,” “The Producers” (No. 11) and “Young Frankenstein” (No. 13).
Brooks himself never lacked confidence about that run. Asked by The Times in 2016 about releasing both films during the same year, he said, “I guess I was the king of movies for that year, for ’74. Nobody had two pictures back-to-back that were so big and gathered so much attention. It was great.”
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