Mel Brooks' 1974 Western parody Blazing Saddles has officially been crowned the funniest film of all time by the American Film Institute (AFI). The comedy, famous for its campfire scene where cowboys break wind after eating beans, replaces Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot at number one on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list.
Top Five Films
The top five also includes Tootsie (1982) at number three, starring Dustin Hoffman as an actor who disguises himself as a woman to land a soap opera role. Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964) and Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977) round out the top five.
British Connection
The highest-ranking film with a British connection is John Cleese's 1988 caper A Fish Called Wanda, an Anglo-American venture co-starring Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Palin.
Mel Brooks' Centennial
Brooks, who turned 100 on June 28, is the only filmmaker with three films in the top 15: The Producers (1968) at number 11 and Young Frankenstein (1974) at number 13. He has long argued that Blazing Saddles is "far funnier than Some Like It Hot," which starred Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe.
AFI President Bob Gazzale responded: "He's right! We're happy to right this wrong as Mel celebrates his centennial. It's good to be the king, and may he live to be a 2,000 year old man. Happy birthday, Mel!"
Political Correctness
Brooks recently told the BBC that "politically correct" culture was "the death of comedy" and said Blazing Saddles "would never be green-lit in today's current political climate." Despite his age, Brooks is releasing a sequel to his 1987 Star Wars spoof Spaceballs, titled The New One, next year.
AFI's Top 10 Funniest Films
- Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Some Like It Hot (1959)
- Tootsie (1982)
- Dr. Strangelove (1964)
- Annie Hall (1977)
- Duck Soup (1933)
- M*A*S*H (1970)
- It Happened One Night (1934)
- The Graduate (1967)
- Airplane! (1980)
