Mel Brooks interview re Blazing Saddles and YF tour

[BrianS]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:31am

In a recent interview, Mel Brooks said the following:
__________

Quint: It doesn’t surprise me that you got that applause. I would have been right along with everybody if I were there.

Mel Brooks: It was great. I’m hoping to make… I don’t know… They said “You better not make BLAZING SADDLES, because then you’ll just be turning your movies into musicals” and I said “well, I’ll make anything I want. If BLAZING SADDLES can be made and it can be totally hysterically funny, I’ll do it.” My contract is not with critics, it’s with the audience and you know, you can’t worry about pleasing the critics, because you never know what they are going to like, but you always have a sense if you love it, you’re an “audi-i,” you are a singular audience and if you like it, they will probably like it too.

and regarding the Young Frankenstein tour...

Quint: I would love to see it. I don’t get to New York too often, but…

Mel Brooks: Well we should be going out, I don’t know if it’s August or next July, August, or September, but we will be out and there will be a wonderful tour of the Broadway show and it will go everywhere and I’m sure that… We are thinking of Houston actually.
__________

It's the first time I've read Mel quoted directly about Blazing Saddles possibly happening. I get his point on having a point of view, but at the end of the day, you still have a bunch of white actors onstage saying the N-word. I just can't see it working.

As for YF, I think the tour is great news. My parents think Jay Leno is funny and they are going to eat this show up. I can't imagine it not doing great business on the road (and I'm saying that as someone who didn't really care for it here).

The full interview can be found here:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37135

[musicaltheatrefan3]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:37am

Haha, I watched "Blazing Saddles" a couple days ago. It was on TVLand. Anyway, they would really have to take out the N-word, it's there like 70 times. Also, "Blazing Saddles" would not make a very good musical.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:42am

I think he should focus more original musicals. Just beacause it was a good movie doesn't mean it will be a good musical as Young Frankenstein has shown.

[jeniferrenepatricia]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:48am

Good or bad, bring it on!!! I love Mel Brooks. I think that "History of the World" or "High ANxiety" would make a better musical than "Blazing Saddles."

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:51am

Yeah if it had to be a another movie, I'd like to see History of The World. I could see it very Spamalot-esque.

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:59am

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

That is all.

Updated On: 6/19/08 at 01:59 AM

[brettystar]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:34am

I think Young Frankenstein is great! I think Blazing Saddles cannot be done onstage as a musical in this pc world.

[SirNotAppearing]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 5:52am

I think Mel would be better served making an original musical. That seemed to be what he'd been driving toward, but Blazing Saddles would be awesome too. I thought of Chester Gregory II as Sherriff Bart, Christian Borle in the Gene Wilder role, Jeff McCarthy as Hedley Lamarr, and Leslie Kritzer in the Madeline Kahn role.

It all depends, of course, on how Young Frankenstein plays out.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 9:45am

If Mel, really wants to, why not. Just because of the Young Frankenstein debacle (which I actually liked) doesn't mean this can't be good. If the show flops, maybe he'll learn to keep his movies away from the stage.

[bk]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 12:10pm

He doesn't say, imply, or infer he's going to do Blazing Saddles. Forget the inanity of the interview, just read the simple words in front of you. What he's saying is that he's not going to let anyone tell him what he can and can't write and that SHOULD he feel like writing Blazing Saddles as a stage show, he'll do it. He doesn't say he IS writing it - and I'm here to tell you, he's not.

[cserannie]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 12:52pm

blazing saddle is great but why aren't the doing To be or not to be? That would be a perfect musical.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:08pm

"Good or bad, bring it on!!! I love Mel Brooks. I think that "History of the World" or "High ANxiety" would make a better musical than "Blazing Saddles." "


Maybe he should try to musicalize "Silent Movie"! It would save on the cost of body mics.

[chris d]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 1:54pm

The New Mel Brooks Musical Spaceballs!

The New Mel Brooks Musical Spaceballs!

The New Mel Brooks Musical Spaceballs!

The New Mel Brooks Musical Spaceballs!

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:32pm

History of the World, Part 2

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:32pm

History of the World, Part 2

[SgtDonut]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:38pm

Spaceballs...?