In Celebration of Mel Brooks' 100th Birthday, the American Film Institute Declares “Blazing Saddles” the Funniest Film of All Time
In Celebration of Mel Brooks' 100th Birthday, the American Film Institute Declares “Blazing Saddles” the Funniest Film of All Time
Angela AndaloroMon, June 29, 2026 at 3:03 PM UTC
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Mel Brooks on the set of 'Blazing Saddles' with producer Michael Hertzberg (left), Mel Brooks in "Blazing Saddles"Credit: Warner Bros./Getty; FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty -
Mel Brooks celebrated his 100th birthday on June 28
In celebration of the milestone, the American Film Institute (AFI) moved Brooks' beloved film, Blazing Saddles, from 6th place to 1st place on their "100 Years... 100 Laughs" list
Brooks previously spoke out about the film's place on the list, arguing it was funnier than former 1st place pick Some Like It Hot
Blazing Saddles is officially the funniest film of all time.
On Sunday, June 28, the same day beloved actor Mel Brooks turns 100, the American Film Institute (AFI) made an official amendment to its '100 Years... 100 Laughs' list, which provides the 100 most seminal, impactful films in the art form and culture.
Their honorary declaration moves Blazing Saddles from sixth place to first place, edging out Some Like It Hot. The rest of the top five included Tootsie, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Annie Hall and Duck Soup.
In a press release, AFI recognizes the film "all in respect for the gifts given the world by Brooks, the AFI Life Achievement Award honoree who has long kvetched that his film is far funnier than Some Like It Hot."
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Mel Brooks and Robyn Hilton in "Blazing Saddles"Credit: Screen Archives/Getty
" 'He's right!,' said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. '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!' "
The honor solidifies Brooks' place as the only filmmaker with three films in the top 15. In addition to Blazing Saddles, The Producers is ranked 11th and Young Frankenstein is ranked 13th.
Blazing Saddles, the satirical take on the Western genre, takes place on the American Frontier in 1874, where a railroad is being built through Rock Ridge, where white residents are showing their bias against railroad worker-turned-sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little). Together with Bart, Jim the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder) tries to keep the area safe from crooked Attorney General Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman).
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The irreverent comedy film was written by Brooks, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, and Alan Uger.
"Blazing Saddles" (1974)Credit: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty
The filmmaker spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the movie in 2014, commenting on its place on the AFI list.
"I think the AFI number one all-time comedy is Some Like It Hot, which I like. I thought it was really terrific. But it's certainly not half as funny as Blazing Saddles. I mean, it can't compare," he frankly shared.
"When you limit your lists to comedies, Blazing Saddles should be first, second, third, and fourth. And then maybe Young Frankenstein should be fifth. That's the way it should roll. Between me and you — you can print it — that's why I didn't do the AFI Man of the Year thing for a long time."
In the same interview, Brooks admits he never imagined how far the film would go, sharing, " I envisioned a race riot. I thought everybody would come after me and kill me for what I said about the Chinese, and the blacks, and the Jews."
He continued, "I thought if this was shown in Waco, Texas, the whites would storm the screen and cut it to ribbons. Because we were kind of hoisting the black sheriff up on our shoulders and made him a hero. But Texas liked it as much as New York."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
