Mel Brooks recently told a fascinating story about Gene Wilder’s casting as the Waco Kid at a 50th anniversary screening of Blazing Saddles in Los Angeles. According to Brooks, Wilder’s unique comedic talent was a major factor in the role’s success. It’s worth noting that Brooks tried to cast legendary Western actor John Wayne in one of his earlier comedies.
During a question-and-answer session following the 50th anniversary screening of director Brooks’ 1974 cult comedy “The Wild Wild West” in Los Angeles, the 98-year-old director said he tried – but failed – to convince 72-year-old Wayne to appear in his film as the Waco Kid.
According to IndieWire, Mel Brooks told a story at an event about his film Blazing Saddles. He believed that portraying the Waco Kid as a real western actor would increase the authenticity of the film.
Brooks revealed that he got the idea for this casting after a chance encounter with John Wayne in a cafe on the Warner Bros. set. He approached Wayne and offered him a major role in the film.
Wayne responded positively, saying that he had enjoyed Brooks’ previous work and wanted to read the script for Blazing Saddles. Wayne’s enthusiastic response and willingness to consider the role pleased Brooks.
According to Brooks, just one day after Brooks helped him get a script for a movie, Wayne had asked for another meeting at the same location. Brooks recalled Wayne’s reaction to the script, saying he laughed so hard he couldn’t stop, and he found the material too dirty. Because of this, Wayne turned down the role.
Brooks then cast another Oscar winner, Gig Young, in the lead role in “The Wild Wild West.” Young initially agreed to play the role, but had drinking problems and left the production shortly after filming began. This footage was reported by the Mercury News in 2016.
In a desperate attempt to find a final replacement, Brooks enlisted the help of his friend and partner on The Producers, Gene Wilder, who turned the role into a legendary comedic performance.
The film Blazing Saddles, which tells the story of the hardships of a newly appointed black sheriff in the frontier town of Ridge Rock, won three Oscars. The popular comedy was included in the Librarian of Congress’s Film Preservation List in 2006, an honor given to films that are considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant.
In a recent Q&A, EGOT winner Brooks revealed that he was instructed by Ted Ashley, then-CEO of Warner Bros., to make major changes to his film. Brooks said the suggestions had little merit and was angered by the criticism. He explained that he would have preferred a much shorter film, and to show his disregard for the recommended changes, he simply folded up the notes with the improvements and threw them away.
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