Richard Pryor Is Dead.

[Doc]

Hi,

A good comedian and a true loss.  But, what "work in Blazing Saddles"?

--Pete
[right][snapback]96747[/snapback][/right]

He was originally cast as the lead, but after a couple of problems with a few terrible coke benders, he was thrown in with the writers.

Watch the special edition of Blazing Saddles and the long and lengthly chat that Mel Brooks has about what mixed blessing it was to work with Pryor. When he was drunk, he was mean and spiteful, but funny in a mean sort of way. When he was hopped up on coke, he was funny and friendly. And when he was sober, he was the least funny person ever.


IMDB

Probably the single most important piece of work in cinema history can be attributed (Blamed? ) on Pryor. The campfire cowboy fart scene. Pryor had a lot of fart jokes... He had done many bits about farting. Up to this point, nobody had ever farted in a movie. He and Mel tossed the idea around for a long time, but the movie was bad enough as it was, and the censors were threatening to can it. Not only had they said "nigger" more than any other movie in history, (up to that point) they were going to break in a new era of cinema. He and Mel were sitting around talking about what a bunch of cowboys around a campfire, swilling black coffee, eating stale bread, and eating all those beans would really be like. Instead of the classic romantic campfire scenes of old, with cowboys around a campfire, reclining gracefully, singling, and plucking a guitar, they showed what real cowboys would be doing around a fire.

The first fart was going to be at normal volume, and the rest muffled, but Mel and Pryor knew the audience would be laughing. The studio demanded that the farting be kept to minimum volume. But nobody in the theatre would be able to hear it after the first toot, so Mel and Pryor had the sound guys secretly raise the volume on the track so that the ripsnortin' rootin' tootin' cowboys could be heard over the laughter.

Pryor was truly a comedic genius.