<P> The idea for the film came from a story outline written by Andrew Bergman that he originally intended to develop and produce himself . "I wrote a first draft called Tex - X" (a play on Malcolm X's name), he said . "Alan Arkin was hired to direct and James Earl Jones was going to play the sheriff . That fell apart, as things often do ." Brooks was taken with the story, which he described as "hip talk--1974 talk and expressions--happening in 1874 in the Old West", and purchased the film rights from Bergman . Though he had not worked with a writing team since Your Show of Shows, he hired a group of writers (including Bergman) to expand the outline, and posted a large sign: "Please do not write a polite script ." Brooks described the writing process as chaotic: "Blazing Saddles was more or less written in the middle of a drunken fistfight . There were five of us all yelling loudly for our ideas to be put into the movie . Not only was I the loudest, but luckily I also had the right as director to decide what was in or out ." Bergman remembers the room being just as chaotic, telling Creative Screenwriting, "In the beginning, we had five people . One guy left after a couple of weeks . Then, it was basically me, Mel, Richie Pryor and Norman Steinberg . Richie left after the first draft and then Norman, Mel and I wrote the next three or four drafts . It was a riot . It was a rioter's room!" </P> <P> The original title, Tex X, was rejected, as were Black Bart and Purple Sage . Brooks said he finally conceived Blazing Saddles one morning while taking a shower . For the movie's title song, Brooks advertised in the trade papers for a "Frankie Laine - type" singer; to his surprise, Laine himself offered his services . "Frankie sang his heart out...and we didn't have the heart to tell him it was a spoof . He never heard the whip cracks; we put those in later . We got so lucky with his serious interpretation of the song ." </P> <P> Casting was problematic . Richard Pryor was Brooks' original choice to play the Sheriff Bart, but the studio, claiming his history of drug arrests made him uninsurable, refused to approve financing with Pryor as the star . Cleavon Little was cast in the role, and Pryor remained as a writer . Brooks offered the other leading role, the Waco Kid, to John Wayne; he declined, deeming the film "too blue" for his family - oriented image, but assured Brooks that "he would be the first one in line to see it ." Gig Young was cast, but he collapsed during his first scene from what was later determined to be alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and Gene Wilder was flown in to replace him . Johnny Carson and Wilder both turned down the Hedley Lamarr role before Harvey Korman was cast . Madeline Kahn objected when Brooks asked to see her legs during her audition . "She said,' So it's THAT kind of an audition?"' Brooks recalled . "I explained that I was a happily married man and that I needed someone who could straddle a chair with her legs like Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again . So she lifted her skirt and said,' No touching ."' </P> <P> Brooks had numerous conflicts over content with Warner Bros. executives, including frequent use of the word "nigger", Lili Von Shtupp's seduction scene, the cacophony of flatulence around the campfire, and Mongo punching out a horse . Brooks, whose contract gave him final content control, declined to make any substantive changes, with the exception of cutting Bart's final line during Lili's seduction: "I hate to disappoint you, ma'am, but you're sucking my arm ." When asked later about the many "nigger" references, Brooks said he received consistent support from Pryor and Little . He added, "If they did a remake of Blazing Saddles today (2012), they would leave out the N - word . And then, you've got no movie ." Brooks said he received many letters of complaint after the film's release, "...but of course, most of them were from white people ." </P>

Who was supposed to be in blazing saddles
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