Rob Halliday

Trivia: Mel Brooks makes a "cameo" appearance in Blazing Saddles as State Governor William J. Le Petomane. This intentionally referenced French music hall artist, Joseph Pujol (1857-1945), who took the stage name "Le Petomane." He could break wind at his own will, and used this ability to play songs and extinguish candles on stage, becoming one of France's highest paid and most popular entertainers. However, while Blazing Saddles takes place in 1874, "Le Petomane" only made his stage debut in 1887.

Rob Halliday

Trivia: As a "spoof", Blazing Saddles deliberately included some obvious errors. But one thing impressed me in this film. Saloon singer Madeline Kahn/Lili Von Shtupp sings "I'm Tired", accompanied by six musicians in an orchestra pit in front of the stage. In many westerns a saloon singer is backed by a full orchestra that cannot be seen (for example Marlene Dietrich/Frenchie in Destry Rides Again, whom Madeline Kahn is parodying). So, perhaps inadvertently, Mel Brooks actually got something right.

Rob Halliday