Blazing Saddles vs Young Frankenstein

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Pretty sure we did the Mel Brooks poll but that really fudges the core issue.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Young Frankenstein 43
Blazing Saddles 32


til the power failure (darraghmac), Friday, 13 January 2012 11:53 (fourteen years ago)

Pretty sure you snobs on ILX will vote Young Frankenstein

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 11:55 (fourteen years ago)

It's a better film but not as funny

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 11:56 (fourteen years ago)

gabbsnob

I'm hopeful for the correct result, yes

til the power failure (darraghmac), Friday, 13 January 2012 11:56 (fourteen years ago)

DM has set the poll up, now ILXors go do that voodoo that you do so WEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 11:58 (fourteen years ago)

it's Blazing Saddles in terms of laughs per second which is all i care about

Poppy Newgod and the Phantom Banned (Noodle Vague), Friday, 13 January 2012 11:59 (fourteen years ago)

it's not all i care about but i've gotta go

it's Blazing Saddles full stop

Poppy Newgod and the Phantom Banned (Noodle Vague), Friday, 13 January 2012 11:59 (fourteen years ago)

I did get a copy of BS for the tp, the kids watched it and enjoyed it very much.

YF would be a good 'next one', it does have more in common with the orig WWonka film sez me.

Mark G, Friday, 13 January 2012 12:06 (fourteen years ago)

"Have you ever seen such cruelty?"

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:09 (fourteen years ago)

Frankenstein is both better AND funnier than Saddles.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:29 (fourteen years ago)

History of the World, Part One and Silent Movie are funnier than either, tho.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:30 (fourteen years ago)

Former is debatable, latter is horseshit

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:34 (fourteen years ago)

Former post and latter post that is. I like "Silent Movie" but "History of the World, Part One" is pretty bad.

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:35 (fourteen years ago)

oh, Eric

YF

Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:37 (fourteen years ago)

It is, but it's also funny.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:38 (fourteen years ago)

Funny is not debatable. Luckily, in the case of Frankenstein vs. Saddles, both quality and funniness favor the former.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:38 (fourteen years ago)

low-quality comedies are not funny, EV-ER

Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:40 (fourteen years ago)

Pretty sure we did the Mel Brooks poll

Don't think so

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:40 (fourteen years ago)

YF is more consistent in every way, but BS has the highest highs.

til the power failure (darraghmac), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:41 (fourteen years ago)

otm

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:42 (fourteen years ago)

Frankenstein is both better AND funnier than Saddles.

Frankenstein is just such a perfect genre parody. Saddles is funny, but it's so much more scattershot, like a precursor to Airplane, almost.

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 13 January 2012 12:44 (fourteen years ago)

BS has the highest highs

Can only think of two TBH -- the campfire symphony and Dom DeLuise hissing "Watch me faggots."

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:47 (fourteen years ago)

Uhhhhhhhhhh, no

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:50 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMK6lzmSk2o

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:50 (fourteen years ago)

Oh, and the horse getting punched.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:51 (fourteen years ago)

fart scene is the lowest point, for it to be so consistently referenced is bewildering

til the power failure (darraghmac), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:56 (fourteen years ago)

Kinda agree, but rather a lot of people find farting funny

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:57 (fourteen years ago)

That scene was why I put of seeing it. Particulary my mates were all "a haha hahaaaaaa fart!" about it.

Mark G, Friday, 13 January 2012 12:58 (fourteen years ago)

It broke, uh, barriers, I suppose.

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 12:59 (fourteen years ago)

It's an oasis when surrounded by horribly executed, awkwardly staged Looney Tunes rips.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:02 (fourteen years ago)

Well it isn't true but horribly executed, awkwardly staged Looney Tunes rips still sounds like a good time to me

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:09 (fourteen years ago)

Huh, looks like I reviewed this one back in the day.

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/blazing-saddles/1049

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:11 (fourteen years ago)

(Apparently I was on the beat.)

http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/the-mel-brooks-collection/904

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:12 (fourteen years ago)

Back in the day?

Really?

Mark G, Friday, 13 January 2012 13:13 (fourteen years ago)

hmm, 30 years after the day, but hey.

Mark G, Friday, 13 January 2012 13:15 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, back in the day when I used to write reviews.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:19 (fourteen years ago)

(fair enough)

Mark G, Friday, 13 January 2012 13:21 (fourteen years ago)

_Frankenstein is both better AND funnier than Saddles._

Frankenstein is just such a perfect genre parody. Saddles is funny, but it's so much more scattershot, like a precursor to Airplane, almost.


^^this

TEH PNINFOX aka the veen driver (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:36 (fourteen years ago)

I think Airplane way more consistent, tho.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:45 (fourteen years ago)

these movies are both such a huge part of my comedy DNA that it pains me to vote against either of them, but when i look into my heart i gotta go with Blazing Saddles

lame adele rey (some dude), Friday, 13 January 2012 13:46 (fourteen years ago)

ditto!

da croupier, Friday, 13 January 2012 14:07 (fourteen years ago)

you never forget your first movie where a bunch of clowns curse their way through a cliched plot.

da croupier, Friday, 13 January 2012 14:12 (fourteen years ago)

Blazing Saddles is kind of the best. For a scathing takedown of racism, I sure knew a lot of racists in Florida who liked it :/

David Blohard (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 13 January 2012 14:12 (fourteen years ago)

well it has lots of swearing, farting, and mincing idiots who get beat up

da croupier, Friday, 13 January 2012 14:14 (fourteen years ago)

i do wonder how much fondness I'd have for it if I didn't first see it as a kid. While I had a little nostalgic buzz for the genre during the first fifteen minutes of Your Highness, I haven't actually watched the rest of that yet.

da croupier, Friday, 13 January 2012 14:17 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, part of the problem may be that I first saw BS too late and saw YF at just the right age.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 14:18 (fourteen years ago)

also these movies are full of babes: http://ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=77&threadid=76670

lame adele rey (some dude), Friday, 13 January 2012 14:21 (fourteen years ago)

Blazing Saddles, but obv both are great.

Fig On A Plate Cart (Alex in SF), Friday, 13 January 2012 14:30 (fourteen years ago)

maybe after this we should just poll the rest as 'third best Mel Brooks movie'

lame adele rey (some dude), Friday, 13 January 2012 14:31 (fourteen years ago)

Not really, 'cos "The Producers" is his best film

Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 14:34 (fourteen years ago)

^ not funny

til the power failure (darraghmac), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:15 (fourteen years ago)

"Oh, sweet mystery of life at last I've found you!"

Do you know what the secret of comity is? (Michael White), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:16 (fourteen years ago)

Whoever pointed out upthread that BS is a precursor to the relentless style of juvenile humor that ended up giving us 'Airplane' is right. As a kid Mongo punching the horse (something I find a little disturbing now) never failed to leave me in stitches.

Do you know what the secret of comity is? (Michael White), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:19 (fourteen years ago)

the first 2 Universal Frankenstein films are great, wtf you talkinbout whoever said otherwise

Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:20 (fourteen years ago)

"The first 2 Universal Frankenstein films" hardly comprises "most Universal horror films." Not by a long shot.

i couldn't adjust the food knobs (Phil D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:21 (fourteen years ago)

And YF principally parodies, uh, the first 2 Universal Frankenstein films (Mars as Lionel Atwill the major element from the third).

Saddles offers one of the more naturalistic portrayals of a politician in Mel's Gov. Lepetomane.
(the other fart joke, an academic one)

Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:22 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7tOWoDVQLU

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 13 January 2012 19:33 (fourteen years ago)

iatee, give a little love to Hackman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd91A3Qcfkw

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 13 January 2012 19:35 (fourteen years ago)

And I mean, come on, according to youtube this is the funniest movie line ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZybFl_pfMk&feature=related

(I don't know which one, exactly, either)

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 13 January 2012 19:37 (fourteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0MuLxolXwQ

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:38 (fourteen years ago)

only loser in this thread is anyone trying to convince people that one of these movies is bad

lame adele rey (some dude), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:39 (fourteen years ago)

Shark Attack 3 just wanted it more.

i couldn't adjust the food knobs (Phil D.), Friday, 13 January 2012 19:41 (fourteen years ago)

When a torture victim in History of the World, Part I's extended "Spanish Inquisition" musical number—probably the best sequence Brooks ever wrote or directed, the centerpiece of the only underrated film in a predominately overrated catalog

Jesus GOD, Eric!

Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 14 January 2012 03:36 (fourteen years ago)

In that order.

dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Saturday, 14 January 2012 03:39 (fourteen years ago)

The "Spanish Inquisition" number violates the first rule of comedy, that you don't show actual instruments and methods of torture within the proscenium.

Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 14 January 2012 03:49 (fourteen years ago)

eric is dropping so many crazy pills itt that i'm just not even gonna start

Jean-Luc Gohard (some dude), Saturday, 14 January 2012 03:49 (fourteen years ago)

he admits he is anti-comedy, so

Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 14 January 2012 03:50 (fourteen years ago)

Both hilarious, it's hard to decide. Think most discourse has been covered above ... I'll throw in for Blazing Saddles for being my first Brooks film, though Frankenstein had some pretty standout scenes, like Puttin on the Ritz.

Spectrum, Saturday, 14 January 2012 03:52 (fourteen years ago)

"A riot is an ugly thing- und I think it is chust about time we had one!"

Fotheringeir (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 14 January 2012 04:06 (fourteen years ago)

The moment at :55 in this clip kills me every single time, without fail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On73aHpgdSQ

I love YF, and yeah, it's probably more consistent, but I have to go with Saddles.

Let A Man Come In And Do The Cop Porn (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 14 January 2012 05:15 (fourteen years ago)

Surprised no one has mentioned yet that the "walk this way" bit was the inspiration for the Aerosmith song:

The song was inspired from an oft-spoken line and gag ("Walk this way") from the Mel Brooks movie, Young Frankenstein, which the band saw during a late-night showing while taking a break and trying to record a song for their third album, Toys in the Attic. The song, at the time, had music but no lyrics thus far.

Let A Man Come In And Do The Cop Porn (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 14 January 2012 05:21 (fourteen years ago)

Frankenstein is both better AND funnier than Saddles.

― dor Dumbeddownball (Eric H.), Friday, January 13, 2012 7:29 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

OTM ... you Schwantzstuckers!

pookkake (Eisbaer), Saturday, 14 January 2012 06:53 (fourteen years ago)

a laurel...and hearty handshake

encarta it (Gukbe), Saturday, 14 January 2012 08:29 (fourteen years ago)

frankenshtein

sean-paul sartre (flopson), Saturday, 14 January 2012 08:34 (fourteen years ago)

I can see both sides (Eric H not included as a 'side'), and I agree with them, but like others I must go with BS just for the sheer number of gags that have stuck with me. Interestingly, my friend was a big YF fan and decided to watch BS but turned it off at the farting scene (probably always my least favourite in the picture tbh).

But it's got "Chewing gum, eh? Did you bring enough for everybody?"

encarta it (Gukbe), Saturday, 14 January 2012 08:37 (fourteen years ago)

Saddles offers one of the more naturalistic portrayals of a politician in Mel's Gov. Lepetomane.

<3 this :D

little blue souvenir (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 14 January 2012 09:43 (fourteen years ago)

Voted YF

Steamtable Willie (WmC), Saturday, 14 January 2012 15:07 (fourteen years ago)

otm

til the power failure (darraghmac), Saturday, 14 January 2012 16:27 (fourteen years ago)

YF is so tight it would work well as a radio play. Blazing Saddles, less so.

Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 14 January 2012 16:35 (fourteen years ago)

I hadn't realised I actually owned a copy of BS on DVD.

So I watched the extras.

The 'deleted scenes' were rightfully out, one was actually funny, and one had Mel Brooks arrive in RockRidge and 5 mins 'mugging', so fair play to him for dropping it in retrospect. (apparently, they were added back in for the TV version!)

Also, they had a TV pilot for a proposed TV adaptation. Which was not funny 'enough' clearly, still had some satirical bite (the sherrif's horse 'Whitey' for example) - probably too much for the times, and nobody from the film at all (no mention in the credits either). The Cleavon Little part was played by someone that suggested how Richard Pryor would have played it - more menace, less 'likeble' definitely.

Mark G, Sunday, 15 January 2012 13:38 (fourteen years ago)

The 'deleted scenes' were rightfully out, one was actually funny, and one had Mel Brooks arrive in RockRidge and 5 mins 'mugging', so fair play to him for dropping it in retrospect. (apparently, they were added back in for the TV version!)

I remember these well, as I'd seen this so many times on TV. "Spanish balloons?" "Right on!" always gave me a chuckle. Also "Damn unions are strangling the west!"

And as late as 1987-88, the TV edit still covered up the fart noises with horse whinnying.

Let A Man Come In And Do The Cop Porn (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 15 January 2012 14:22 (fourteen years ago)

Also, the one line had to be cut in order to get an R, rather than an X, rating:

Lily Von Shtupp: So, is it twue how you people are gifted? Oh, it's twue! It's twue, it's twue!

Bart: You're sucking on my arm.

Let A Man Come In And Do The Cop Porn (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 15 January 2012 14:27 (fourteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Thursday, 19 January 2012 00:01 (fourteen years ago)

no loser in this poll, but BLAZING SADDLES takes the laurel (and hearty handshake) for working comedy magic with genuinely hazardous material. there's righteous anger boiling just beneath the surface, and some of the most sharply observed stuff on "race in america" to be found anywhere in cinema period.

RIP Cleavon Little

Wait! I was going to make cappuccino... (rogermexico.), Thursday, 19 January 2012 06:06 (fourteen years ago)

cleavon little is amazing but the movie, even as a kid(!), seemed a little too cheap.

i saw yf on its initial theatrical run, it was magic then and my repeat viewing a few years ago confirmed that

buzza, Thursday, 19 January 2012 06:51 (fourteen years ago)

going to vote for Young Frankenstein, love that it's in black and white

Bee OK, Thursday, 19 January 2012 07:06 (fourteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Friday, 20 January 2012 00:01 (fourteen years ago)

I didn't even see this but Blazing Saddles all the way imo. :/

ENBB, Friday, 20 January 2012 00:04 (fourteen years ago)

^ this. I actually thought YF would win, but only by a handful of votes.

Let A Man Come In And Do The Cop Porn (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 20 January 2012 00:08 (fourteen years ago)

For once, glad to be a non-silent member of the silent majority.

dead-trius (Eric H.), Friday, 20 January 2012 00:13 (fourteen years ago)

I just got a 4DVD box set off ebay, £3.50 inc delivery!

YF, SM, 2Box2B and HA.

That's ridiculous.

Looking forward to showing the kids YF. And SMov.

Well done on winning, btw.

Mark G, Friday, 20 January 2012 00:21 (fourteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

"Saddles" was on over the weekend, forgot this bit:

http://www.morethings.com/fan/blazing_saddles/blazing-saddles-250.jpg

Charles Kennedy Jumped Up, He Called 'Oh No'. (Tom D.), Monday, 13 February 2012 12:05 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

On Friday, we watched "Young Frankenstein", and it was better than I remembered.

Kids loved it (kids! They're not exactly kids now. What do i call them? Girls, I guess..)

Funnily enough (or, actually, not ..), I went to the 'extras/deleted scenes', the first one was the 'reading of the will' and I thought: "This isn't funny at all!"

Reading imdb, apparently they enjoyed making the movie so much, they wrote additional scenes and carried on..

Anyways, when they put the whole movie together, it looked painfully unfunny and they were almost going to write it off as a failure, until someone decided to ruthlessly prune it down to 'only the sufficiently funny' bits, and found they had a great movie there after all!

Did anyone else check out more of the deleted scenes than I did?

Mark G, Monday, 19 March 2012 09:21 (fourteen years ago)

After High Anxiety, Mel always skipped that last step.

Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Monday, 19 March 2012 11:46 (fourteen years ago)

calking a dude by his first name when shit gets reheated

deconstructive witticism (darraghmac), Monday, 19 March 2012 12:18 (fourteen years ago)

eight years pass...

This picture from Alison Martino's Vintage Los Angeles shows the infamous Daisy Club on Rodeo Drive. Check out the parsons in this picture. pic.twitter.com/ioyDIQQH2H

— Laraine Newman (@larainenewman) June 8, 2020

"...And the Gods Socially Distanced" (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 26 June 2020 01:02 (five years ago)

Perhaps I was too harsh on Saddles.

Juanita was robbed (Eric H.), Friday, 26 June 2020 01:29 (five years ago)

The other day I thought about the line I've repurposed for my current display name and it made me giggle all day

never mind that shit, here comes scampo (Noodle Vague), Friday, 26 June 2020 02:15 (five years ago)

seven months pass...

Lamar: Qualifications?
Bart: Stampeding cattle.
Lamar: Thats not much of a qualification.
Bart: Through The Vatican.
Lamar: Kinky.

edited for dog profanity (cryptosicko), Saturday, 13 February 2021 03:54 (five years ago)

five years pass...

...

FX is taking a roll in ze hay, a roll, roll, roll in ze hay with Very Young Frankenstein, a prequel series based on Mel Brooks’ classic 1974 comedy, featuring a slightly older but still kinda young Frankenstein. But before we get too concerned about 52-year-old comedies that could or could not be made today, we should note that the series got its spark of life from the braintrust behind What We Do In The Shadows, including Stefani Robinson, Taika Waititi, and Garrett Basch. Robinson wrote the pilot, which Waititi directed, and of course, its executive produced by Mel Brooks, who is spending much of his 99th year on Earth making follow-ups to his decades-old classics.

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 19 May 2026 00:03 (two weeks ago)


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