53. Blazing Saddles (1974)
As I said in my introduction, I am not a huge fan of westerns. In fact, the very few westerns that are on this list cannot be fully considered westerns in the traditional sense. This movie is probably the greatest western ever and it is also the funniest (an adjective rarely used to describe the genre!). From the comedic-genius mind of Mel Brooks (and co-writers like Richard Pryor), the world of cowboys is turned completely on its ear. And the cast is absolutely superb! Tony Award winner Cleavon Little plays Bart, a railroad worker who, after some scheming by the villain Hedley Lamarr (the hilarious Harvey Korman as a character with one of the funniest names ever), is sent to the town of Rock Ridge to be the Sheriff. Lamarr's plan is that since Bart is black, the townspeople would be so offended they would leave and the town would be up for grabs. But Sheriff Bart wins over the townspeople and fights off Hedley and his ruffians (SPOILER!). It is a great movie with a delightfully charming cast that includes Gene Wilder as The Waco Kid, Mel Brooks as the incompetent Governor and the amazing Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp (a great send-up of Marlene Dietrich). So "throw out your hands" and "stick out your tush" for this fun movie for both those who love westerns (like my father!) and those who don't (like me!).
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