Blazing Saddles (1974)

It’s not uncommon to hear older adults refer to a woman as a girl.  The usual refrain is that they grew up in a different time.  That doesn’t make it any less excusable.  Most women younger than I am might take exception to being called a girl, even if they don’t necessarily express it.  To see something like that in a movie doesn’t make it any less grating, even if it is a reflection of the times.

When I finally got around to seeing Blazing Saddles recently, I had similar thoughts.  The movie wasn’t afraid to use derogatory terms and play racism for laughs.  Had it been released in the past decade, the movie would have required major rewrites.  Had it been someone other than Mel Brooks, I don’t know that the movie would have been made at all.

The story starts with a railroad tracks being laid.  When quicksand is discovered in the path of the construction, it’s determined that the easiest thing to do is to route the tracks through the nearby town of Rock Ridge.  Hedley Lamarr, who’s overseeing the project, wants to run the people out of town.  He sends some lackeys in to no effect.  Fortunately, he’s also the attorney general.  When he hears that the town needs a new sheriff, he convinces the governor to appoint a black man to the position.

Bart is the man who gets the job.  He knows he won’t have an easy time of it, but he’s scheduled to be executed at Lamarr’s request.  Sure enough, the residents of Rock Ridge don’t warm up to him.  Bart and Lamarr end up squaring off.  Bart has the grudging help of the townspeople as well as a sharpshooter known as The Waco Kid.  He also manages to get the help of the railroad workers.  Lamarr has all sorts of undesirables, including both Nazis and Klansmen.

Blazing Saddles is one of those movies that is popular enough to be referenced in popular culture, which is what prompted me to watch it in the first place.  I do kind of wonder what kind of reception it would get if it were made today.  I was just a little uncomfortable throughout most of the movie.  I’ve liked some of the movies Mel Brooks has produced, but not all of them.  (The only other one I remember strongly disliking was History of the World: Part I.)

I can’t really think of a modern analogue to this film.  There really isn’t anything that would operate on this level.  Many of the jokes seem somewhat crude and gratuitous.  Take the character Lili Von Shtupp.  Would you write a script where a character’s last name was Screw?  The only other movies I can think of might be the James Bond films, but even that wouldn‘t be a fair comparison.

If I was looking for a list of must-see movies, I don’t know that I’d include this one.  I might mention it as something to consider on your own, but I would add that it’s definitely not something for younger children.  Any parent would want to have a talk with their children before letting them watch this movie.  It’s not a movie that’s going to be for everyone.

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The Last Laugh (2016)

I remember the first time I heard of dead-baby jokes.  Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.  No, I won’t be repeating any here.  (If you’re really curious, you can look it up on Google.)  It struck me as odd that such a specific type of sick humor existed.  I would have thought that such a topic would be beyond the scope of humor, but it’s not.  Instead, there are lots of them.  The Last Laugh takes a look at that line.  Are there some topics that aren’t for making jokes?  Can you make jokes about the Holocaust or 9/11?  How about AIDS or rape?  Is pedophilia acceptable?

The movie focuses mostly on the Holocaust.  Many of those interviewed agree that the topic is off limits for now, but making fun of Nazis is acceptable.  Renee Firestone, a survivor, is featured in the film.  It shows her reacting to some clips by various people.  Some, she finds to be not funny.  Others manage to illicit a chuckle or two.

Time does seem to make a difference, though.  The Inquisition would probably have been off limits several hundred years ago, but is perfectly acceptable to joke about now.  Firestone recalls meeting Josef Mengele, who advised her to have her tonsils removed, should she survive.  At the time, it was serious.  Decades later, there’s a certain absurd humor to it.

There are a lot of celebrities interviewed, such as Mel Brooks and Sarah Silverman.  There are also clips of routines from Chris Rock, Louis C.K. and George Carlin.  Gilbert Gottfried is also interviewed, which has a certain irony to it, in that he made his own controversial comments back in 2011.  (That controversy isn’t mentioned in this documentary.)

I don’t know that anyone will be able to agree on where the line is.  It is possible, with a certain level of skill, to joke about certain topics.  George Carlin was able to do it well.  Others, not so much.  I tend to be more liberal with what I find funny.  Most people I know would be offended at a lot of the jokes I find funny.  That being said, there are a few topics I wouldn’t venture to joke about.

I would say that this could be used in a class on humor or as a starting point for a discussion.  My one big complaint is that it deals too much with the Nazis.  Other topics are mentioned, but there are a lot of topics that would be considered too dark.  (I don’t think dead-baby jokes were even mentioned.)  I think it could have been a little more balanced, or at least bring up more examples of what’s considered taboo.  Still, it’s an interesting documentary to watch.  For the moment, it’s available streaming on Netflix.

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Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017)

“The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the average man can see better than he can think.”

-- Anonymous



I signed up for Google Analytics for this blog.  One thing I noticed was that a lot of people that read my posts are doing so on a mobile phone.  (When I checked yesterday, mobile users accounted for 74 of readers.)  If you’re reading this on a tablet or a cell phone and are using wi-fi or cellular data, you have Hedy Lamarr to thank for that.  It’s because of her that we now have secure, reliable wireless communication.

The documentary covers Lamarr’s life starting with her film, Ecstasy.  She was known for looking beautiful.  She could act, sure.  But her main draw was that she looked good in front of the camera.  What most people didn’t know was that she was an inventor.  She even made a tablet that, when dissolved in water, would produce flavored water.  (The tablet was done in by the fact that different cities have different amounts of impurities in their water.)

Her big contribution came during the war.  There seem to be different stories, but the one I heard had her watching a player piano.  Radio-controlled torpedoes were susceptible to being jammed, either deliberately or accidentally.  Thus, it was difficult to steer the torpedoes with any accuracy.  While looking at the piano, she got the idea to change frequencies randomly, thus improving the reliability.  She and George Antheil even got a patent.  They were willing to let the Navy use the technology, given the appropriate fee, but Lamarr was told that she could put her talents to better use by selling war bonds.

The documentary comes about due to an interview that was thought lost.    I wonder if a documentary about Lamarr would have been made had it not been found.  It’s a story that people should know about.  It’s a sad fact that people who deserve the credit often don’t get it.  Nikola Tesla got a car named for him.  Alan Turing had a test named for him.  Even still, both inventors aren’t really household names.  Even with Lamarr, most people would know her solely as an actress.

Lamarr never got any money from her invention.  The Navy held on to the actual patent document and Lamarr wasn’t able to renew it.  By the time the technology made its way to wider use, it had expired.  Interestingly, the Navy did use it to some extend and should have paid for that use.  Whether you know Lamarr as an actress your know use wireless communication regularly, I’d tell you to watch this documentary.  You’ll never be able to look at the wi-fi logo the same way again.

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Spaceballs (1987)

Some movies are timeless.  You can watch them and they seem to speak to you the same no matter what.  If there is any political message, that message can be true regardless of how old the movie is or how old the viewer might be.  Spaceballs doesn’t seem to be one of those movies.  To be fair, I remember it being funny when it came out.  It parodied Star Wars and I knew enough about it to get the jokes.   The problem is that 30 years later, the jokes seem dated.

The story goes that Princess Vespa is about to be married to the last prince.  It’s her duty to marry royalty, even if there’s no love.  She runs away and is subsequently captured by Lord Helmet aboard the space ship Spaceball 1. President Skroob intends to hold her hostage so that her father, King Roland, will give the code to their shielding, allowing Spaceball 1 to take all their air.

King Roland calls up Lone Starr and Barf to rescue the princess, which they do.  Unfortunately, they crash on a planet when they run out of gas.  On this planet, they meet Yogurt.  Yogurt is able to help them out, mostly by providing gas.  He also plugs the movie’s massive merchandising, including lunch boxes and the like.  (Do they even still sell lunch boxes like they had in the 80s?)  Being a comedy, Lone Star saves the day and the bad guys get what’s coming to them.

Someone not born in the 1980s probably isn’t going to get all the references.  Some, like Star Trek and Star Wars are somewhat obvious.  Others, like having Michael Winslow as a radar technician, might go over someone’s head.  Even to someone that grew up in the era, the jokes may seem old.  This is something that definitely reeks of the 80s.

The humor itself isn’t necessarily offensive.  Much of the objectionable material would be some cursing and sci-fi violence.  (Think people shooting at each other with laser beams.)  There are a few off-color jokes.  Vespa’s planet is called Druidia with the demonym being Druish.  You get stuff about people looking Druish.  It’s not over the top, but similar jokes are used a few times.

For those familiar with the works of Mel Brooks, I don’t think you’ll have a lot of surprises.  Consider that you have Brooks staring as both President Skroob and Yogurt.  John Candy is Barf and Lord Helmet is played by Rick Moranis.  You’ll also catch Joan Rivers as the voice of Dot Matrix.  Bill Pullman is the only one that I thought was cast against type as Lone Starr.  (Daphne Zuniga is one of the few main actors that I didn’t recognize from another movie.  So far as I know, I‘ve only seen her as Princess Vespa.)

It’s difficult for me to issue a binary recommendation here.  It’s possible to enjoy it on the first viewing, but I wouldn’t recommend buying it.  Instead, rent it or wait for it to become available on a movie channel or through streaming.  I was able to catch the movie on Starz, although I could see it easily coming on basic cable or a broadcast channel.

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Young Frankenstein (1974)

It’s not uncommon for someone to go into the family business.  Some companies are family owned for several generations   You may even see a company name along the lines of Smith & Sons.  Likewise, you may find police officers that have siblings, aunts and uncles, parents and grandparents that are also police officers.  (At least, that’s the way it is in television and movies.)  Normally, no one would think anything of someone doing what their family does.

Things are a little different for Frederick.  He’s a doctor, like his grandfather.  Frederick doesn’t want the association, though, as his grandfather is none other than Dr. Viktor Frankenstein.  Yes, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  The idea of reanimating a nervous system is ridiculous.  I know it.  You know it.  Frederick knows it, too.  Yet, everyone keeps pestering him about it.

It doesn’t get any easier when Frederick inherits the family castle in Transylvania.  So, the young Dr. Frankenstein goes to see what he’s inherited.  When he gets there, he’s greeted by Igor, also the grandson of the corresponding character in the book.  He introduces Frederick to beautiful lab assistant Inga and the horse-scaring Frau Blücher.  Frederick wants to find his grandfather’s work, but Frau Blücher denies any knowledge of the work.  It’s with the help of Inga that he’s able to find a secret passageway and, eventually, a book called How I Did It by V. Frankenstein.

After reading the book, Frederick realizes that it’s not so far fetched.  He might actually be able to reanimate a corpse.  So, he and Igor rob a grave.  Igor is also sent to get the brain of a noted scientist.  The townspeople, however, are rightfully concerned.  Yes, he’s a Frankenstein, but there’s no proof that he’ll follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.  That is, until he reanimates the corpse.  Now, it’s up to Frankenstein and Company to protect the new life.

The movie is in black and white.  It’s even set up like Ye Olde Horror Filmme of Yore, with credits in the beginning.  (Having seen some older movies, I get the reference, but I’m not sure how many references I’m missing.)  With Frankenstein being something that everyone knows about, even minimally, most people will get many of the jokes.  There’s the obligatory angry mob waiting to happen, for instance.

The book doesn’t seem to parody the book directly, but seems to use the story as a backdrop.  It’s almost like an unofficial, comedic sequel of sorts.  Probably the one scene I remember best is where Frederick tries to show off The Monster by having him do a demonstration that ends with a performance of Putin’ on the Ritz.

This ultimately leads to The Monster being taken away by the police. The Monster eventually escapes and meets some people while on the run, like a girl who doesn’t seem frightened by him.  There’s also the blind man who desperately wants company.  The Monster doesn’t hurt anyone unless provoked, which usually involves someone taunting him.

This isn’t the kind of movie you’ll watch week after week, but it does hold up after repeated viewings.  Some of the humor is meant to work as a surprise.  Other jokes, like Putin’ on the Ritz, can be viewed multiple times.  It’s the kind of movie you’d watch when you catch it on TV or maybe watch in class the day before school lets out for break.

The movie is rated PG, mostly for sexual references.  Frederick mentions huge knockers, referring to a door.  There are also a scene where The Monster has sex with Frederick’s bride to be, although no nudity is shown.  There are also scenes of violence, like The Monster choking Frederick.  It’s a comedy, so there’s little threat of the main characters being permanently harmed.  The worst of the violence is seeing a man hanged. It’s generally safe for teenagers and above.

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