I guess I’m in the minority here, but I much prefer Blazing Saddles - however, I only saw Young Frankenstein once as a young teenager. I am now inspired to rent it again and watch it, maybe there’s more to it than I remember.
No, as a straight guy I’m lacking in the boyfriend department. Nor was BF a mistake, it was . . . ummm . . . a reference to Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein’s little known crossover sequel, Blazing Frankenstein. Really.
Put…the candle…back…
I saw them both in the theater when they came out. I love them both, but Blazing Saddles a little bit more.
I can relate to the racial humor in Blazing Saddles far more than the goofy jokes of *Young Frankenstein. * I’m also a huge, huge fan of that classic surreal ending of Blazing Saddles. That said, Blazing Saddles hasn’t aged as well as Young Frankenstein: some of the racial humor is downright mean and the rapid homophobia is kind of embarrassing. It’s inimitable as a product of its time. And frankly, while I liked Cleavon Little, the fact that the movie producers had a chance to cast Richard Pryor as Sheriff Bart and passed because he was “too controversial” is enough to make me weap tears for what greatness of what might have been.
Uh, that should have been rabid homophobia. Rapid homophobia is what New Jersey voters got for James McGreevey.
Just a quick comment to everyone that says the ending to BS was “a mess”.
Mel Brooks freely spoofed other movies. Watch the original David Niven/Peter Sellers Casino Royale… See the ending? The chaotic nonsense with cowboys, indians, mobsters, armies, etc…?
Now watch the ending of Blazing Saddles.
Get it yet?
YF is overall the better movie, but the single funniest moment in either film is Mongo punching the horse.
“What hump?”
Young Frankenstein, hands down.
The way Marty Feldman grins for the camera just after shouting “Blucher!” at the horses…it cracks me up every single time. There’s no other scene in any other movie that can do that.
I knew there was a reason I liked you.
I have to admit, though, one of my favorite things about Blazing Saddles, and one I always quote, is:
“No, no, no. If you shoot him you’ll just make him mad.”
I like them both, but YF gets the edge.
“Would you like to go for a roll in ze hay?”
“Roll, roll, roll in ze hay!”
That cracks me up every time.
Isn’t this an apples vs oranges thing? YF was written by Gene Wilder, who got Mel Brooks to direct (and obviously add some of his own touches - to what extent I don’t know). BS was written by Mel Brooks from somebody else’s original story.
Or maybe orange-flavored apples vs apple-flavored oranges, but each movie has a distinct origin.
It’s just a matter of taste. I’ve always liked Blazing Saddles better. The horse punch, the sheriff pulling a gun on himself, “our town is turning into s**t”, Dom Deluise and his dancers, the tollbooth in the desert, all classic moments. I liked Marty Feldman, but I think he tried to steal a bit too much of YF.
People have mentioned Gene Wilder being in both films, but I see no love yet for the late great Madeline Kahn, who also did double duty. Of course she was fabulous in both – did she ever give a bad performance, I wonder? – but she was a standout in BS. Her “I’m Tired” is classic.
Still, overall I give the nod to YF. Just as gloriously silly, without needing any beans.
(Small voice: actually my favorite Brooks film is High Anxiety, with The Producers coming in a close second. YF is third.)
YF for me. Like others have mentioned, BS seems like a bunch of pretty good jokes strung together. YF has a more coherent plot with the humor inherent to the characters. Also, it seems like the characters had such good chemistry in YF that is less so in BS. Maybe it’s because the smaller cast of YF allowed for more “personal” humor than the broad stereotyping of BS. The “Walk this way” joke works for me because it’s a joke-in-a-joke. Igor is having fun at the Doctors expense and the joke is funnier because the Doc knows it. BS has some of that humor between Cleavon and Gene, but is more of the “Howard Johnson is right!” jokes where the characters say things that are funny to the audience but not to them.
By the way, I think Richard Pryor would not have been as funny as Cleavon Little. Cleavon is “cooler” and really emphasized how much more urbane he was than the town hicks.
When I saw these movies as a kid I definitely liked BS better because of the raunchy humor and it was in color. I just watched this show again in high definition. It has some hilarious scenes, but the end is just a mess and didn’t add anything to the movie. I bet the people involved would like to rewrite it. It’s like they couldn’t think of an ending.
YF stands up way better over time and has a plot. It is the better movie.
Let us not forget Robyn Hilton’s performance as “Miss Stein” in BS.
I think that character singlehandedly launched me into puberty… 
Couldn’t have put it better myself. Blazing Saddles has earthier (some would say “cruder”) humor – the farting scene, Mongo, the racial humor. Yeah, it does have a really messy ending, but it’s in line with the attitude of the movie. Young Frankenstein, on the other hand, is a little more sophisticated in its humor (I said a little!) and depends more on character humor than belly laughs.
Neither of these is actually favorite Mel Brooks movie. That nod would have to go to (believe it or not) Spaceballs. Rick Moranis and John Candy just divvy that movie up between themselves. 'Course, I kind of like the more … um … “visceral” humor.
I grew up on the Universal Monster films, whereas old Westerns were OK but meh. So I think it’s pretty obvious where I am on the YF vs BS debate.
Blazing Saddles first
History of the world two
Young Frank. three
Kahn was in all of them. At her best in History.
Wilder was great in Producers beat Mathew B all to death.
Mostel wins.