The American Film Institute gives Mel Brooks one more reason to celebrate his 100th birthday.
In honor of the comedy legend's 100th birthday, AFI announced Sunday that it was rearranging its “100 Years…100 Laughs” list, moving Brooks' gleefully offensive '70s western satire “Blazing Saddles” from No. 6 to No. 1 and moving “Some Like It Hot” to No. 2. AFI said the move came after Brooks “long complained” that his film was funnier than Billy Wilder's 1959 classic.
“He's right!” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “We are happy to right this wrong and proclaim 'Blazing Saddles' the funniest movie of all time. It's good to be the king.”
Released in 1974, “Blazing Saddles” was a critical and commercial success that pushed the boundaries of conventional 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 role as the Marlene Dietrich-like Lili Von Shtupp.
Just a few months later, Brooks returned with “Young Frankenstein,” giving him one of the most extraordinary years any director has ever enjoyed. He remains the only filmmaker with three films among AFI's 15 Funniest Movies: “Blazing Saddles,” “The Producers” (No. 11) and “Young Frankenstein” (No. 13).
Brooks himself never lacked confidence in that race. When asked by The Times in 2016 about the release of both films during the same year, he said: “I think I was the king of movies that year, '74. Nobody had two movies in a row that were that big and got that much attention. It was great.”
